'Vicki Lawrence and Mama: A Two-Woman Show' booked for Riviera Theatre

Press Release by Latshaw Productions

Most recognized as “Mama” (Thelma Harper on “Mama’s Family”), Emmy Award-winning comedienne Vicki Lawrence is one of the most beloved television personalities of her generation. Plucked out of total obscurity as a high school senior, Vicki went on to become part of the now-legendary cast of “The Carol Burnett Show.”

“I went to the Harvard School of Comedy in front of America,” she said of her “The Carol Burnett Show” training.

Now, “Vicki Lawrence and Mama: A Two Woman Show” will head to North Tonawanda and the Historic Riviera Theatre (67 Webster St.) for a 7 p.m. show on Thursday, Sept 14. Tickets are $44-$72, and can be purchased online at https://rivieratheatre.org or by calling the box office at 716-692-2413. This show is presented by Latshaw Productions.

In the seventh season of “The Carol Burnett Show,” with hundreds of hilarious sketches under her belt – and at the ripe, old age of 24 – Lawrence created her most endearing character to date, Thelma Harper, or “Mama,” as she is better known to her fans. She went on to star in “Mama’s Family,” which consistently topped the ratings for its entire six-year run of original episodes. “Mama” has attained almost a cult status among her legions of loyal television viewers, who still enjoy her in reruns twice daily throughout most of the country.

Lawrence said, “My new show will not be a retrospective. We are designing a show that is a mixture of stand-up comedy, music and my observations about real life.”

The entertainer also earned a Gold record for the 1973 hit, “The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia.”

She added, “I think people will get a kick out of the things ‘Mama’ has an opinion about. We’re creating new material with a more modern and cutting edge. Where ‘Mama’ is concerned, expect the unexpected. There’s really nothing she can’t do.

“I hope people will be pleasantly surprised by a side of Vicki they may never have seen. … I know they will be looking forward to ‘Mama’ and, for her part, that crazy old gal will be up to the challenge.”