For seven seasons they brought laughter into the homes of millions as Shirley Feeney and Carmine "The Big Ragu" Ragusa. Now, a quarter-century later, Shirley Williams and Eddie Mekka are reunited – but this time, on the stage at Meadow Brook Theatre in Rochester where the two are starring in the Michigan premiere of "Kong's Night Out."
"It's so much fun to do this play – and to work with Eddie," Williams said recently while on a short break between a costume fitting and rehearsal.
The popular actress is returning to Meadow Brook after a highly successful run last spring in "Nunsense." The audiences loved her – and she went away impressed with the theater. "To be back at this theater, which is so professional – it's just lovely to work at on every level. I love everybody here – the staff, the crew, all the artisans. You're supported in your endeavor to make people laugh and make people cry."
This time Williams stars not as a nun, but as a brassy ex-stripper who invests heavily in a new Broadway show produced by her son. But a show-biz rival also has big plans – really BIG plans – and customers for the opening night performance are few. "So she's a little ticked off, but she'll do anything to help save the show – and she means ANYTHING. Wink, wink," Williams laughed.
Mekka, who plays the producer's Hungarian money man, provides the show's comic relief. "It's slapstick comedy. There are a lot of doors slamming. I think people are going to enjoy it," he said.
Although both actors are fondly remembered for their work on television's "Laverne & Shirley," each originally trained for the stage in college.
Williams studied at Los Angeles City College, where she was one of only 13 graduates out of a class of 238. "So I did what every actress does: I got a job as a waitress working at the International House of Pancakes," she recalled. "But I would take the bus and transfer on Gower at Melrose, which is at the back gate of Paramount. I used to say, 'Some day, I'm going to be on the other side of that gate.' And years later I found myself weeping, because they were taking a photo of all the stars at Paramount, and I was included."
Mecca, a champion gymnast in high school, followed a girl to Boston Conservatory, which he attended on a singing scholarship. But a year and a half later he quit and moved to New York. "I drove a cab and took dance classes eight hours a day," he said. "And then I got into my first Broadway show."
That was "The Lieutenant," a rock opera. It lasted only three weeks, but it earned Mekka a Tony Award nomination. "After that I couldn't even get an audition."
So he left the Big Apple for Tinseltown. "And three days later I got 'Laverne & Shirley.'"
The show debuted in 1976, and the onstage chemistry between Mekka and Williams helped the show quickly leap to the top of the ratings. "I think audiences related to (Shirley and Carmine) because we were the last two virgins," he laughed.
After Williams left the show in 1982, the two didn't work together again for more than two decades. But when an actor backed out of a national tour of "Grease" in which Williams was set to star, she knew who to call. "So for eight months Eddie and I were on a bus together – and it was like old home week, because for eight years we were on a stage together and had a lot of fun," Williams said.
"We work great together," Mekka added. "People see us as a clean, decent couple."
The two reteamed in 2008 for a regional production of "It Had to Be You" – and now they're together at Meadow Brook. But this time they've brought along the children of two other well-known celebrities: Kady Zadora and Christo Savalas.
Local talent includes Christopher Howe, Teri Clark Linden, Rusty Mewha, Katie Nabors and Wayne David Parker. Direction is provided by playwright Jack Neary.
"The play will be so much fun – if we ever get all the words right," Williams chuckled as she left for rehearsal.
PREVIEW:
'Kong's Night Out'
Meadow Brook Theatre, 2200 N. Squirrel Rd., Rochester. Previews Feb. 11-13 ($24-$30); then runs Wed.-Sun. through March 8. Tickets: $30-$39. For information: 248-377-3300 or http://www.mbtheatre.com
