Legendary comedienne Vicki Lawrence will make her first ever appearance in Warsaw when she brings “Vicki Lawrence & Mama: A Two Woman Show” to the Wagon Wheel Theatre May 17 for two performances.
Lawrence’s big break came when she joined The Carol Burnett Show in 1967. She spent eleven years on that show, earning five Emmy Award nominations and taking home the trophy once. After the Burnett show ended, Lawrence got her own TV series, Mama’s Family, where she played the character with which she is most associated, Mama. Thirty years after that series ended, Lawrence is still at it, bringing Mama to the stage in a mixture of stand-up comedy, music, and Lawrence’s observations about real life.
Beware, this is not a retrospective, although you may recognize some of the bits she does. The act is chockfull of new material and is divided into two parts, the first featuring Lawrence as herself discussing her life and her experiences on The Carol Burnett Show as well as other professional and acting experiences. The second half of the night features Mama on stage providing a slightly different take on things. With a senior citizen’s sharp-tongued point of view, Mama will offer some of her own observations as well as answer a few questions from audience members in the way only Mama can answer them. — Chris Hupe