People often stop Vicki Lawrence and ask her, “Where’s Mama?”
Lawrence, 61, is the comedian who has been making us laugh for nearly 45 years. Many of the giggles come from her alter ego, Mama.
“Where’s Mama?” Lawrence said with a laugh. “What do you mean where is she? I’ve locked her in the trunk of the car and she’s not coming out!”
Mama, of course, is the beloved gray-haired character Lawrence has played since the late ’60s on “The Carol Burnett Show” and later as the star of “Mama’s Family.” (And don’t forget that Mama made appearances on “Hollywood Squares.”)
Lawrence promises to reprise the role at the Edmonds Center for the Performing Arts tonight in “Vicki Lawrence and Mama: A Two-Woman Show.”
She drags Mama out to stages around the country these days and allows Mama to use her sharp tongue to poke fun at the topical news of the day.
“I want her to be new. Let’s just make her really topical,” Lawrence said in a phone interview from her home in Southern California.
Mama has lots to say about the latest Hollywood bad boy Charlie Sheen. He ought to trade places with Moammar Gadhafi, Mama said. Sheen can run Libya and Gadhafi can star on “Two and a Half Men,” she said.
A pair of radio DJs in Kansas City are petitioning to build a statue of Mama in Raytown, Kan., the genuine small town where the fictional sitcom was set.
Everybody loves Mama, she says. “I could die and nobody would miss me.”
Lawrence said she enjoys home life, cooking and playing with her two dogs, Tascha, a chocolate Lab, and Lucas, a petit basset Griffon Vendeen.
She’s been filming lots of TV pilots and hopes to continue to appear on the small screen. Lately, Lawerence has been a regular as Miley Cyrus’ grandma on “Hannah Montana.”
Still, it was sharing a set with Tim Conway, Harvey Corman and Burnett that brings back many fond memories.
“Those were the good old days,” Lawrence said.
After more than four decades, she still stays in close touch with Burnett. The two visit frequently and exchange e-mails. After the two went out to dinner recently, a waiter followed the legendary comedians outside and told them he’d never heard two people laugh so much.
That’s what people are saying about Lawrence’s stand-up show, too. After a recent stop in Nevada that attracted an “older crowd,” audience members were giving out advice to the next crowd to be prepared.
“The word is, ‘Wear your Depends,'” Lawrence remembered.
Anyone planning on seeing the show tonight should be equally prepared. Lawrence said she loves the Seattle area, the natural beauty and even the damp weather. Surviving her show shouldn’t be a problem.
“I guess you all are used to being wet up there,” she said.
Jackson Holtz: 425-339-3447; jholtz@heraldnet.com.
“Vicki Lawrence and Mama: A Two-Woman Show”
7:30 tonight; Edmonds Center for the Arts, 410 Fourth Ave. N, Edmonds; $15 for youths, $50 to $55 for adults; Tickets at www.ec4arts.org or call 425-275-9595.
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