march, 2025
more
Show Info
Rubicon Theatre Company of Ventura Presents
the World Premiere Drama
CRAZY MAMA
A True Story of Love & Madness
By Sharon Scott Williams
March 26th – April 6th, 2025
Starring Acclaimed Stage & Screen Actress Linda Purl
Directed by Golden Globe Nominee Anson Williams
RUBICON THEATRE, Ventura County’s premier professional not-for-profit theatre company, committed to providing entertainment, enrichment and educational opportunities for local residents and visitors, continues its blockbuster 2024/2025 Dare to Dream Season with the World Premiere of CRAZY MAMA: A TRUE STORY OF LOVE & MADNESS, written by Ojai resident SHARON SCOTT WILLIAMS. This deeply personal, darkly funny, and profoundly moving solo play will run March 26 – April 6, 2025, at Rubicon’s intimate Karyn Jackson Theatre, 1006 E. Main Street, located in Ventura’s Downtown Cultural District. The production is directed by Golden Globe nominee ANSON WILLIAMS (“Happy Days” and “Melrose Place”/”Beverly Hills 90210” as director), and stars celebrated stage and screen actress LINDA PURL (“Happy Days”, “Matlock,” “The Office,” “Homeland,” “True Blood”). Purl returns to Rubicon for her ninth production with the company, calling the theatre her “West Coast artistic home.” This one-woman, 16-character, tour-de-force is about a daughter’s decades-long dream of saving her mother from the soul-crushing grip of mental illness. A testament to the steely resilience of the human heart and the enduring nature of hope, Crazy Mama will leave audiences breathless, moved, and inspired.
Performance Details
Performances for Crazy Mama at Rubicon begin with low-priced previews March 26-28, 2025, leading up to the Gala Opening Night on March 29, which includes a post-show reception with star Purl, creative team, and special guests. Regular performances take place on Wednesdays at 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m., Thursdays and Fridays at 7:00 p.m., Saturdays at 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m., and Sundays at 2:00 p.m. Ticket prices range from $25 to $84.50 (including a $5 processing fee), with discounted student tickets available. Special discounts are also available for seniors, military members, and Equity performers. To purchase tickets, visit www.rubicontheatre.org
More About the Play – A Story of Love, Madness, and the Enduring Power of Hope
Crazy Mama is a true story inspired by Sharon Scott Williams’ award-winning memoir. “The statistics on sanity are that one out of four people is suffering from some kind of mental illness,” according to the script. “Look at your three best friends. If they’re okay, it’s you…”
This exquisitely crafted, emotionally riveting tale begins with young Sharon racing home a few days after her 8th birthday for the last piece of cake. But when she enters the kitchen, she finds her mother wielding a knife and lost in a frenzy. As the Sheriff escorts her mother away, the deputy tells Sharon that her mama “is not right in the head.” As Sharon’s mother becomes more delusional and lost in the soul-crushing grip of mental illness, Sharon, her father, and teenage brother Spikey hope and pray for a cure. As Mama continues to be committed to mental institutions, convinced she’s working for the FBI, her father blurs his pain with Kentucky bourbon and her brother struggles with his faith. For 46 years, Sharon lives shackled to her Mama’s pain and her own suffering. Crazy Mama offers an unflinching yet tender exploration of the impact of mental illness on a family, navigating the heartbreak and humor of loving someone who exists in an alternate reality.
Says Director Anson Williams, “Laced with humor and pathos, this powerful play is a testament to the steely resilience of the human heart and the enduring nature of hope. Crazy Mama is more than a play; it’s a poetic journey through the labyrinth of love, despair, and redemption that will leave audiences breathless, moved, and profoundly inspired.”
A Reunion Decades in the Making
Crazy Mama marks the highly anticipated reunion of Purl and Director Anson Williams, who became lifelong friends while working together on the iconic television series “Happy Days.” Purl played Ashley Pfister, a single mother and love interest to HENRY WINKLER’S character Fonzie, while Williams starred as the beloved Potsie Weber. This World Premiere marks their first creative collaboration in decades — a heartfelt and full-circle moment for two lifelong friends. Their shared history brings a unique warmth and authenticity to this deeply personal story.
“There’s always been a magical thread connecting all of us “Happy Days” alumni,” says Director Williams. “It’s such a thrill sparking that magic again directing the brilliant Linda Purl as she plays 16 parts in Crazy Mama. Our collaboration is powerful because of the trust and camaraderie we share going back to “Happy Days.” Linda brings a real authenticity and depth to the role that helps amplify the emotional core of the show.”
The production also marks Purl’s return to Rubicon, where she has starred in numerous productions, starting with Love Letters opposite Stacey Keach, and continuing with The Little Foxes, A Streetcar Named Desire, Love, Loss and What I Wore, Copenhagen, Women Beyond Borders, Samuel Beckett’s Footfalls, The Diary of Anne Frank, and many others. Purl has also shared her vocal talents with Rubicon audiences through cabaret performances and special events.
Says KARYL LYNN BURNS, Rubicon’s Co-Founder & Producing Artistic Director, “Linda is a singular, versatile talent, and the perfect artist to premiere this play and bring the multiple characters to life. From the first reading, her artistry was rich and moving — we are thrilled to share her magnificent talents again with our audiences.
Cast & Creative Team
Linda Purl was raised in Japan and began her career there, becoming the only foreigner to have trained at the Toho Geino Academy. Her studies continued at LAMDA and later at both the Neighborhood Playhouse and Lee Strasberg Institute. Stage credits include Broadway’s Tony nominated The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Getting and Spending; and The Baby Dance and Hallelujah, Hallelujah! Off-Broadway. Her international credits include Seven Deadly Sins at the Princess Grace Theatre, Monaco; and Oliver and The King and I at Toho Imperial Theatre in Tokyo. Purl has graced the stages of many of the nation’s top regional theatres. In addition to her extensive work with Rubicon, Purl appeared in the original production of the Pulitzer Prize-winning play Dinner With Friends Humana Festival at Actors Theatre of Louisville; Getting and Spending at Old Globe Theatre; The Road to Mecca (with Miss Julie Harris) and The Baby Dance at Long Wharf; John Brown’s Body at the Lobero Theatre; Nora (with Michael York), All the Way Home (with Miss Kim Hunter), The Three Penny Opera (with Miss Betty Buckley), and The Baby Dance (also at the Pasadena Playhouse) at Williamstown Theatre Festival; The Real Thing and Hedda Gabler for Mark Taper Forum Rep; Beyond Therapy andRomeo and Juliet at L.A. Public Theatre; A Doll’s House for Allied International Productions; The Man Who Could See Through Time at South Coast Repertory. She starred in The Merchant of Venice at the Globe Theatre; Grease at Sacramento Music Theatre; On a Clear Day at San Bernardino Civic Light Opera; Love Letters with Desi Arnaz, Jr.; Tusitala at Berkshire Theatre Festival; The Guys at Berkeley Rep; Mariana Pineda at Santa Fe Opera; Phaedra in the inaugural performance of the Getty Classical Arena; and The Glass Menagerie at Cleveland Playhouse.
Purl has received six Drama-Logue Best Actress Awards and two Drama-Logue Awards as Best Producer. She has received two Santa Barbara Independent Awards and is a three-time nominee of the Los Angeles Drama Critics Award for Best Actress. Purl is the recipient of the Connecticut Critics’ Award for Outstanding Performance in a Play.
As a mainstay of television, Linda has starred in over 40 television Movies of the Week, although is probably best known as Charlene Matlock from the series “Matlock” and as Ashley Pfister, Fonzie’s fiancée, from “Happy Days.” Other TV highlights have been “The Office,” “The Oath” with Sean Bean, “Homeland,” “True Blood,” “The Bold and the Beautiful,” “Born Free,” “The Last Days of Pompeii” (with Sir Laurence Olivier), “The Manions of America” (with Pierce Brosnan), and “Like Normal People,” the award-winning docu-drama about a mentally challenged couple. Purl is currently appearing in recurring roles on “After Forever” and “General Hospital.”
Purl’s feature film credits include Disney’s “Mighty Joe Young,” “The Walking Major” (with Toshiro Mifune) and “Leo and Loree” (produced by Ron Howard).
Purl tours with her solo concert Come Rain or Come Shine nationally and internationally. Additionally, she is currently touring in a centenary salute to Great American songwriter Johnny Mercer with Lee Lessack, and Rhapsody for Two, a dancing tribute to romance from the ‘40s with Kevin Spirtas. Purl’s recordings include Alone Together and Out of this World – Live with Special Guest Artist Desi Arnaz, Jr.
She served as Founding Executive Director of the Colorado Festival of World Theatre and Festival Director of the 2008 Rubicon International Theatre Festival. Crazy Mama marks Purl’s 9th Mainstage production with Rubicon, her “home” West Coast theatre.
Anson Williams (Director) is an established actor, singer, producer and director, best known for his role as Warren “Potsie” Weber on the television series “Happy Days” (1974–1984), a role for which he was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film. Among Williams’ producing credits is the critically acclaimed “Skyward,” starring the legendary Bette Davis and directed by Ron Howard. Williams has since become a prominent and prolific award-winning television director, starting with short programs for adolescent-age children, including afterschool specials “No Greater Gift” and “The Drug Knot,” and TV-movie “Lone Star Kid.” He has gone on to direct many episodes for a variety of television series, including “The Pretender,” “Beverly Hills, 90210,” “Melrose Place,” “SeaQuest 2032,” “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine,” “Star Trek: Voyager,” “Xena: Warrior Princess,” “Hercules: The Legendary Journeys,” “The Secret Life of the American Teenager,” “Sabrina the Teenage Witch,” and “Charmed.” He also directed several episodes of the TV series “7th Heaven.” Williams is also a businessman and Congressionally recognized philanthropist and humanitarian. Williams is the author of “Singing to a Bulldog: From Happy Days to Hollywood Director, and the Unlikely Mentor Who Got Me There.”
Sharon Scott Williams (MaHarry) (Author/
Other members of the Creative Team are as follows: TOMMY HOLCOMB (Composer), MATTHEW HERMAN (Set Designer), BRIAN GALE (Lighting & Projection Designer), LINDSAY JONES (Sound Designer), ABRA PILAR FLORES (Costume Designer), HANNAH RAYMOND (Production Stage Manager), JULIA DONLON (Production Manager), STEPHANIE COLTRIN (Associate Artistic Director & Line Producer), and JIMMY CALLAHAN (Technical Director).
Special Support
Rubicon Theatre and the company’s premiere of Crazy Mama is supported in part through a generous Social Impact Theatre Grant from the SHERI AND LES BILLER FAMILY FOUNDATION. The program supports theatres in Western states that ignite positive change in their communities through timely and compelling productions.
“Rubicon shares our Foundation’s belief in the power live theatre has to expand opportunities for dialogue, build bridges between different viewpoints, and help audiences grapple with the challenges we face in our communities today,” says Sheri Biller, President of the Sheri and Les Biller Family Foundation. “We are so appreciative of their commitment to raise up important voices and give visibility to critical issues.”
More About The Sheri and Les Biller Family Foundation
The Sheri and Les Biller Family Foundation works to expand access to systems and solutions that expand economic opportunity, supportive care for life-threatening illnesses, and the transformative power of the arts. Founded in 2001 by Sheri and Les Biller, the Foundation supports leaders with bold ideas and explores innovative approaches that can be tried locally and, if successful, implemented nationally.
Season Sponsors
Sponsors for Rubicon’s 2024-2025 “Dare to Dream” Season, of which Crazy Mama is a part, are DR. JEANNE P. ADAMS, MARY ANN COHEN, DR. JEFFREY GROVE, WILLETTE AND MANNY KLAUSNER, JORDAN LABY AND FAMILY, BARBARA MEISTER and CUMULUS MEDIA.
Tickets, Prices and Special Performances
Performances of Crazy Mama begin with low-priced previews March 26-28, 2025, leading up to the Gala Opening Night on March 29, which includes a post-show reception with star Purl, the creative team, and special guests. Regular performances take place on Wednesdays at 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m., Thursdays and Fridays at 7:00 p.m., Saturdays at 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m., and Sundays at 2:00 p.m. Ticket prices range from $25 to $84.50 (including a $5 processing fee), with discounted student tickets available. Special discounts are also available for seniors, military members, and Equity performers. To purchase tickets, visit www.rubicontheatre.org
