"I've had a lot of fun doing it," laughed entertainment icon Vicki Lawrence as she discussed her November 13 and 14 appearances at the George Street Playhouse in New Brunswick. "Vicki Lawrence & Mama: A Two Woman Show," it's not a play, basically it's a one woman show but I knew that Mama had to be in it so I thought it'd be funny to name it a two woman show because people think of her as a real person and I often feel I could fall off the face of the earth and as long as she was around everything would be just fine (Laughs)."
Anyone over the age of 50 (Perhaps even younger), remembers watching The Carol Burnett Show and most likely thinking that Carol and one of her supporting cast bore a resemblance to one another; of course, that was Vicki Lawrence.
As luck or in Vicki's words, "Serendipity" would have it, it was a chance fan letter she was urged by her mother to write to Burnett inviting her to a charity event she was about to perform in that would change her life forever.
Burnett was searching for an actor to play her younger sister on her new show and Lawrence was perfect for the role and right out of high school was "Kidnapped" by Hollywood and became a fixture on Burnett's weekly variety show but it wasn't until around 1974 that "The Family" sketch was first written and Lawrence's serendipitous career would take another fantastic turn.
Lawrence has capitalized on the role of Mama, turning her into a frequent sketch on the Burnett show and for the last couple of decades an ever evolving 90 minute performance, which as mentioned will be on stage this weekend in New Brunswick, NJ. Recently, Vicki gave us her take on Mama, Carol, today's world and a preview of this weekend's performances.
"She is my alter ego for sure, I often say she's done a lovely job raising my family," she said with a hearty laugh. "When I put this show together, I got together with a writing partner that I had when I had my talk show for a short time because he has a woman's brain and I thought we could work well together to put a show together. We both knew that Mama was going to be really important because people love her so much but I told him, I'd like to be me before I'm not anymore. So, we sat down and started brainstorming about what that would be and I said, I think it's autobiographical because everything that has happened to me is very serendipitous and pretty darn funny (Laughs). The further away I get from it; honest to God, the further away I get from what happened to me, the more I realize that none of this would happen today and people are even more flabbergasted by it because you don't write a fan letter and end up on a national television show for 11 years with Carol Burnett, that just doesn't happen! I mean, I was right out of high school and hadn't really done any acting. I did a lot of music stuff, singing but no acting and it was just very surreal; I feel like I went to the Harvard School of Comedy in front of America and nowadays if you're not Carrie Underwood out of the box, America's gonna kick you off; maybe they'd let me stay until the third week (Laughs)."
Mama first debuted in the '70s during a different time, a time which has now become the proverbial "Good ol' Days" and Lawrence says when putting this show together and modernizing her character, well, it wasn't that difficult a task.
"I didn't want Mama to be stuck in Raytown. I wanted to make her more modern and I thought, let's push her into the new century and make her deal with everything that's going on in the world and God knows, over the years, there is a lot of stuff for her to be upset about; she's probably more confused than ever now, bless her heart (Laughs)."
Ah yes, "Bless her heart," the southern phrase used as a backhanded compliment or to cover a less than flattering remark. Over the years, Mama has often uttered the refrain but in doing so it has always been with a supporting cast surrounding her; was Lawrence a bit nervous now that there was and is no cast to interact with?
"I thought it was gonna be; I was terrified when I first started doing this show; it has been a lot of years since I've been doing this but you are never really alone. You're in a roomful of fans or a roomful of friends and I think people have a preconceived notion of me; I think a lot of people are pretty sure they know me and so Mama is just playing along with all of those people. I was frightened to death when we first started; to go out on stage for 90 minutes, you've got to wonder, is everybody gonna think that everything you think is funny? Are we all gonna agree? We pretty much do (Laughs) and it's a different ride every night because no two audiences are alike. So, it has been a lot of fun and a lot of fun to get out and see all of the fans and that's the only reason I keep doing it because the traveling isn't fun anymore (Laughs); I like to quote Dan Fogelberg, "The audience is heavenly, the traveling is Hell."
When told that she is widely considered an entertainment icon, she seemed uneasy at first but with grace and humility said, "Thank you" and relishes her fans and how they appreciate her talent as well as what she has given the world over the years.
"I think you have to be dead to be one of those," she laughed. "A lot of my fans tell me, "I grew up with you" and I feel like I sort of grew up with much of America. So, we kind of do know each other, you know? I mean, I don't know all of my fans but I feel that I've been around long enough that people are already comfortable with me; it's not like a comedian you've never seen or a comedian you don't know, it doesn't matter how funny they are because they are very new to you. I feel, when I walk on stage that the people feel like they already know me which makes my show very special to me. I was such a different part of time too, you know what I mean? I think people, now more than ever, are just hankering for the good ol' days. Since the pandemic, I've started getting so much fan mail; I thought the selfie had become the new autograph pretty much. The fan mail started pouring in and I thought, either people are at home bored and they've started a new hobby collecting autographs or everybody has been watching all the old shows because we all just need that comfort so badly; I think it was a little bit of both. I know that "Mama's Family" seems to be as popular as it ever was and it seems to be getting handed down from generation to generation. So, she just keeps kind of going like the Energizer Bunny and I mean, once in a while I'll come across MeTV and I'll see "Mama's Family" or "The Andy Griffith Show," my God that was a good show or "Lucy" and how long that show has lived and they're still funny and they're still good and they still hold up after all these years."
When asked if she recalled how she felt that very first time she stepped on Burnett's stage, her answer was not what one might expect but then again, CBS didn't expect much from the show itself.
"Carol found me right out of high school, I met her in my senior year of high school, so I was 18 when I started on the Burnett Show. I was so young and so naive, I think it was more a kind of an out of body experience but I don't know if I was smart enough to be petrified (Laughs), I don't think I realized where I had landed. In the beginning, CBS never expected The Carol Burnett Show to last; they had us on the schedule for six weeks and they figured we'd be gone because as Carol loves to say, "Variety was a man's business" and for her to dare to ask to have her own variety show as a woman, everybody in the business tried to talk her out of it. They wanted her to do a stupid sitcom and she said, "I want to be different characters every week, I don't want to do the same thing every week and I want a little repertory company with supporting players" and she had this whole vision for her show that nobody else had, none of the executives. So, for her to last 11 years and be that popular was sort of a phenomena at the time and so many female comedians have credited her for opening the door for female comedians. I'm like the luckiest person in the whole world, I have to sort of thank her for my whole life. I thought I was gonna be a dental hygienist (Laughs), either that or I thought it'd be fun to run away from home, go to New York and be a Rockette (Laughs), I was crazy (Laughs). When I went to high school and maybe you too, when you graduated, you either got married and started making babies or you got a job, not a ton of us went to college I don't think, you had to pick a career and decide what you were gonna do. I was reading a Susan Sarandon interview a few years ago where she said she had never intended to be an actress, she feels like she was kidnapped by show business and I thought, exactly! That's exactly what happened to me, I was kidnapped by show business (Laughs)."
Lawrence was not the original choice for Mama, Burnett was supposed to play the part but Carol's senses told her otherwise and felt she was suited for a different role and Vicki was the one who should be Mama and as she developed Mama, she kind of leaned on another TV character a bit.
"It's so much fun to make people laugh and we need it now more than ever. When we first put this show together, it was on the heels of 9/11 and I remember thinking, I just want to make people laugh for 90 minutes and take them away from all the craziness that's going on in the world and now here we are now and I feel exactly the same way (Laughs), we just need to laugh so badly; my God what has happened to us? My son and I, do you have kids at all? Mine are turning 50 and one is turning 52; I was a child bride, not really (Laughs). My daughter is a professor at Colorado State and she is incredibly smart and loves to see the world and my son directs my show and goes on the road with me. When we're not on the road, I tell him he needs to learn to be a good personal assistant if you're gonna work for me and he has done a pretty good job at that. We disagree politically, totally, totally disagree politically and I said to him the other night, "You know what we're gonna do? We're gonna stream "All In The Family" because I don't think you've ever seen it. He said, "I think I've heard of it but I don't know the show" and I said, "OK, here we go." We watched a few of them and both of us were laughing hysterically and he said, "I can't believe this was on television;" my God he was ridiculous Archie Bunker and I kind of compare Mama to him. Everybody knows that person so nobody is ever offended by that person so you just laugh at them, that's all you can do. Somebody's aunt or mama, grandma is going to be sitting at the Thanksgiving table this year saying the most outrageous things and when you are in the kitchen washing dishes with your sister you're gonna say, "My God can you believe she even said that? (Laughs)" That's what makes her fun and it was Carol that gave her the southern setting. The sketch was written as a one time sketch and Mama was written for Carol and they were gonna have a guest star play Eunice and she read the final draft of the sketch and she said, "I want to play Eunice, that's the character that speaks to me." So, the writers were extremely upset and then she goes to Bob Mackie and says, "Do you think we can make Vicki Mama?" Well, by that time, he had made me many crazy old women on that show. I was the supporting player, if Carol was Shirley Temple, I was the mean old school teacher, if she was the princess I was the wicked witch, playing older characters was not unusual for me so this was just another old lady to play but the writers, oh my God were they upset. Then she wanted to do it southern and they walked out when they saw us do it. They said, "You've ruined it. You've ruined the sketch, you're gonna offend the whole southern half of the country" and Carol said, "Well, this is the way I want to do it." Carol said to me a few times, "I think you can take one of the family sketches and do it totally straight, don't play it for any laughs, I think it would be a great exercise for an acting class and then turn around and see how funny you can make it" and if you look back to the Burnett show, a lot of them sketches were sad. They were horrible, Mama was so mean and they were so dysfunctional so it has been quite a journey watching them grow into the characters. I think Eunice is arguably Carol's favorite character from the Burnett Show. It would take them like three weeks for them to write one of those sketches and that wasn't fast enough. You'd go by their offices and that was in the day of typewriters and you'd hear the typewriters clicking away like mad; it was a writing team, a man and a woman and then you'd walk by a few days later and you'd hear them screaming at each other, he'd do all the male parts and her the female parts."
"Vicki Lawrence & Mama: A Two Woman Show" is comedy, some stories and more but it is also a look back at Vicki's music career or at least her "Juggernaut" of a hit.
"My half of the show is autobiographical but it is fun to keep Mama very current and if you have one juggernaut of a hit, you must sing it," she said with a laugh and a hint of sarcasm. "It seems to be really popular now, I see it on Instagram a lot, people are karaoking or redoing it. I sang a lot in high school, I was in every choral group on campus and I was with a group called the Young Americans in high school but i was married for 10 minutes to the guy who wrote the song and I do tell the story in my show because it is also fantastical and serendipitous and how the hell did that happen (Laughs). He wrote it, he didn't like it, I said it was a hit, I ended up doing the demo because he didn't want to, he hated the song. He couldn't give it to anybody, nobody wanted it, they said it was offensive, it had to be rewritten. So, his producer finally just threw his hands up and said, "Listen, let's just go in the studio and do it with Vicki." (Laughs) I did lobby long and hard for the guy who arranged it because I loved his stuff. He had things on the charts; Artie Butler was his name and he did "Copacabana" and "Feeling Alright" with Joe Cocker, I just loved his arranging and I had to fight for him hard because he was not the producer's favorite at all and then when it became a hit and it was time to do an album, I was going through a divorce because that song was the ultimate demise of an already doomed marriage and I thought we should've kept the team together. I was really young so I was not at an age where I would really speak up and women didn't really speak up back then. I look at the Me Too movement and women are like, things have not changed and I'm like, yeah a lot has changed, it's slow but a lot has changed. So, I didn't get the arranger I wanted, we did the album, it did OK but it didn't do great, I thought we should've kept the winning team together but hey, what do I know? (Laughs)"
Vicki Lawrence has made audiences laugh, sing and feel good for multiple decades and these are the last two shows of the year for her as she said being home for the holidays with family now takes precedence over the stage, So, November 13 and 14 at The George Street Playhouse in New Brunswick is where you need to be to experience the fun, laughs and vocals of this incredible performer.
To discover more about Vicki Lawrence and the show, please visit http://www.vickilawrence.com/2woman2013.html and to hear the interview in its entirety where she shares some other stories from The Carol Burnett Show and cast, please visit: https://www.mixcloud.com/thepenguin/rock-on-podcast-a-casual-conversation-w-entertainment-icon-vicki-lawrence/?utm_medium=share&utm_source=clipboard&utm_content=show&utm_term=VXNlcjo1MDg4MjA3Ng%3D%3D
That's it for this week! Please continue to support live and original music and until next week....ROCK ON!
This week's event listings
Al's Airport Inn
636 Bear Tavern Road West Trenton
(609) 883-5252
Thurs. 5 p.m. Carmen Marranco
Sat. (12 p.m.) Acoustic Brunch w/ Gavin Skinner (4 p.m.) Guinness Pint Glass Engraving (7 p.m.) Two For Flinching
Sun. (12 p.m.) Sunday Acoustic Brunch w/ Snap Dragons (6 p.m.) Katherine & Tom
Mon. 5 p.m. Bud Belviso
Tues. 7 p.m. Jessica DiDonato
Wed. 7 p.m. Skyline
Ancient Order of Hibernians
2419 Kuser Road Hamilton
Thurs. 6 p.m. Anthony Cannuli & Dougie Dog
Sat. 8 p.m. Music BINGO
Wed. 7 p.m. Yoga
Aristaeus Brewing
2475C Big Oak Road Langhorne, PA
(215) 757-2337
Thurs. 7 p.m. Trivia
Arts Council of Princeton
102 Witherspoon Street Princeton
(609) 924-8777
Thurs. 6:30 p.m. ACP BYOB: Suminagashi Paper Marbling
Fri. 8 p.m. Garden State Sounds: Monthly Music Series. Doors open at 7:30 p.m.
Sat. 3 p.m. Gallery Openings: "Pieces of Work," "Drawn Live," "The Experience"
Sun. 3 p.m. ART OF: Beer + Pretzels
Wed. 7 p.m. JAM: Jersey Art Meetup
Ashlynn Distillery
32 West Bridge Street Morrisville, PA
Thurs. 6 p.m. Cecil & Mike
Fri. 7 p.m. The Faculty
Sat. 7 p.m. Mike & Laura
Sun. 3 p.m. Cecil & Friends
Wed. 6 p.m. Cara Cartney / Cigar Dinner. $140 (Includes 4 course meal, 4 drinks, 3 cigars)
Bailey's Bar & Grille
6922 Bristol-Emilie Road Levittown, PA
(215) 946-7992
Fri. 9 p.m. Out of Hand
Bent Iron Brewing
70 Extonville Road Hamilton
Thurs. 7 p.m. Trivia
Fri. 6:30 p.m. "Marvel" Trivia Night (Ticketed event), ages 21+
Sat. 5:30 p.m. Ty Mares
Bill's Olde Tavern
2694 Nottingham Way Hamilton
(609) 586-0192
Thurs. 7 p.m. Music BINGO
Sun. 7 p.m. BINGO
Mon. 7 p.m. Trivia
Tues. 9 p.m. / Wed. 9 p.m. Karaoke
Ages 21+
Bordentown City
Farnsworth Avenue Bordentown
Fri. 7 p.m. "Frightening Fridays!" Haunted History Tours. $20
Sat. 12 p.m. Bordentown Walking Tours. $20
Bowman's Tavern
1600 River Road New Hope, PA
(215) 862-2972
Thurs. 6 p.m. Larry tamanini's Jazz Invitational
Fri. 8 p.m. Bob Egan
Sat. 6:30 p.m. Keith Franklin Duo
Sun. (12 p.m.) Bill Avayou Trio (6 p.m.) Lorenzo
Tues. 6 p.m. Wes Ringel
Wed. 6 p.m. Ed & Tina Wall
Bristol Riverside Theater
120 Radcliffe Street Bristol, PA
(215) 785-0100
Thurs. 2 p.m. Bun In The Oven: Contractions with the Calamari Sisters
Fri. 8 p.m. Bun In The Oven: Contractions with the Calamari Sisters
Sat. 2 p.m./8 p.m. Bun In The Oven: Contractions with the Calamari Sisters
Sun. 3 p.m. Bun In The Oven: Contractions with the Calamari Sisters
Broken Goblet Brewing
2500 State Road Bensalem, PA
(267) 812-5653
Fri. 7 p.m. FREE EMO Goth Night
Sat. 7 p.m. Octane "Rise Again" Release Party. $33.21, $52.16
Wed. 6 p.m. Goblets & Goblins Tabletop Night
Bucks On Bridge
25 Bridge Street Lambertville
(609) 483-2615
Fri. 6:30 p.m. Poetry Night
Tues. 5 p.m. Chess Night
Wed. 6 p.m. Trivia
B2 Bistro Jimmy's American Grill
140 US Route 130 South bordentown
(609) 291-0200
Tues. 7 p.m. Trivia
Cazz's Sports Bar 'N' Grille
1560 Haines Road Levittown, PA
(267) 580-5469
Fri. 9:30 p.m. Karaoke w/ Paul
Club Atlantis
1858 Street Road Bensalem, PA
(215) 944-1777
Sat. 9 p.m. DJ Robbie Tronco
All Events Ages 21+ and Dress to Impress
Cody's Roadhouse Distillery
5605 Bensalem Boulevard Bensalem, PA
(215) 252-3575
Thurs. 7 p.m. Line Dancing. $10
Fri. 8 p.m. Karaoke
Continental Tavern
2 North Main Street Yardley, PA
(215) 493-9191
Fri. 8 p.m. Bob Thompson
Sat. 8 p.m. Brian Lattanzi
Cooper's Riverview
50 Riverview Plaza Trenton
(609) 393-7300
Fri. 7 p.m. "Brown Sugar" Rolling Stones Tribute / DJ John Rossi
Sat. 7 p.m. Angry Friday
Wed. (6 p.m.) Extreme Dwarfanators Wrestling (7 p.m.) Cosmic Jerry Band
Crossing Vineyard and Winery
1853 Wrightstown Road Washington Crossing, PA
(215) 493-6500
Thurs. 7 p.m. Trivia
Sat. 2 p.m. Kim & Chuck
Sun. 2 p.m. Rodney Wright
Curran’s Irish Inn
1909 Bristol Pike Bensalem, PA
(215) 245-1800
Thurs. 7 p.m. Music Bingo
Mon. 7:30 p.m. Quizzo
Dadz Bar and Grill
744 Main Street Lumberton
(609)267-4344
Thurs. 7 p.m. Open Mic Night
Fri. 7 p.m. Victoria Station Band
Dharma Bums
4935 River Road New Hope, PA
(215) 663-2867
Thurs. 7 p.m. Phil D'Agostino
Fri. 8 p.m. Big Deep feat. Jordan Fairless. $22.25
Sat. 8 p.m. Deal. $11.75
Wed. 7 p.m. DBums Hootenanny: An Open Mic of Music, Comedy & Spoken Word Hosted by Michael Henry Robert
Exit 7A
9 West Front Street Trenton
Fri. (5 p.m.) Frank Pinto & Joe Zook (6 p.m.) Screening: "Listen Up! Trenton Makes Music" w/ Q&A feat. Tom Krawiec, Dave Hart, Frank Pinto (7:15 p.m.) Frank Pinto & Joe Zook (8:15 p.m.) Screening: "Listen Up! Trenton Makes Music"
Florence Community Center
69 Main Street Roebling
Sat. 7 p.m. Radio Fiction
Flying Pig Tavern & Tap
167 US-Route 130 North Bordentown
(609) 899-7447
Thurs. 7 p.m. "Game Show" Trivia w/ Daniel haney
Fri. 6 p.m. Modern Mojo
Sat. 6 p.m. Frank Cervantes
Tues. 9 p.m. Karaoke
Wed. 7 p.m. Quizzo w/ Jeff Barton
Founding Fathers Sports Bar & Grill
2900 Street Road Bensalem, PA
(215) 923-1100
Fri. 6 p.m. Bob Pantano Dance Party w/ DJ Joe Castro
Friendly's
1031 Washington Boulevard Robbinsville
(609) 426-9203
Wed. 6 p.m. Open Mic Night Hosted by Kevin McGowan and/or Gino Formaroli (Sign-ups begin at 5:30 p.m.)
Gallagher's Taproom
437 Pine Street Mount Holly
(609) 261-0500
Fri. 6 p.m. Katherine & Company
Sat. 7 p.m. Out of the Red
Mon. 6 p.m. Music BINGO
Gleason's Bar
6700 Mill Creek Road Levittown, PA
(215) 943-4781
Thurs. (7 p.m.) Music Bingo / “Ladies Night” Hosted by Best Choice Productions (9:30 p.m.) Karaoke.
Fri. (6 p.m.) "Happy Hour" (8:30 p.m.) Glass Joe
Sat. (12 p.m.) Music BINGO Brunch (8:30 p.m.) Little Sister
Tues. 7 p.m. Game Show Palooza
Green Parrot Restaurant Pub, & Patio
240 North Sycamore Street Newtown Township, PA
(215) 504-7277
Tues. 7 p.m. Music BINGO
Grover's Mill Coffee House
Princeton-Hightstown Road Princeton Junction
(609) 716-8771
Thurs. 6 p.m. Open Mic Hosted by Wade Prestridge. $10
Havana New Hope
105 S. Main Street New Hope, PA.
(215) 862-9897
Thurs. 7 p.m. Blues Jam Hosted by Mikey Jr
Fri. ( 8 p.m.) "Pure Petty" Tom Petty Tribute (11 p.m. ) DJ Dance Party
Sat. (3 p.m.) Full Grown Men (8:30 p.m.) Jumper (11:59 p.m.) DJ Dance Party
Sun. 2 p.m./6 p.m. "Stevie Mac" Stevie Nicks / Fleetwood Mac Tribute
Mon. 9 p.m. Karaoke w/ DJ Steve
Tues. 7 p.m. Jillian Ashcroft Jazz Quartet
Wed. 7 p.m. Tim & John
Hopewell Valley Theater/Stage
5 South Greenwood Avenue Hopewell
Fri. 7:30 p.m. The Troubadors feat. Davey O & Greg McGarvey
Hopewell Valley Vineyards
46 Yard Avenue Pennington
(609) 737-4465
Fri. 4 p.m. "Music & Merlot" feat. (5 p.m.) Rainbow Fresh
Sat. 5 p.m. "Music & Merlot" feat. Bad Hombres
Sun. (11 a.m.) Friendsgiving Brunch (2:30 p.m.) Jersey SureCats
Il Portico Restorante Italiano
273 West Route 130 South Burlington
(609) 239-1000
Thurs. 7 p.m. Jazz Night
Fri. / Sat. 7 p.m. Live Music w/ Tony O
Irish Rover Station House
1033 South Bellevue Avenue Langhorne, PA
(215) 970-5412
Wed. 7 p.m. Quizzo Night
Iron Plow Vineyards
26750 Mount Pleasant Road Columbus
(732) 306-9111
Fri. 5:30 p.m. Songs From the Basement
Sat. (12:30 p.m.) Radio Fiction (4:30 p.m.) Ed Wilson
Sun. 1 p.m. AudioPilot
Ivy Tavern
3108 S. Broad Street, Hamilton
(609) 888-1435
Thurs. 8:30 p.m. Karaoke
All shows 21+
John & Peter's
96 S. Main Street New Hope, Pa
(215) 862-5981
Fri. 9 p.m. Brian St. John (Album Release Show) / Sea Canyons
Sat. 8 p.m. Ruby West, Night Windows
Sun. (3 p.m.) Tom Hampton (8 p.m.) Mic Harrison
Mon. 9 p.m. Open Mic Night (Sign-ups start at 8 p.m.)
Wed. 9 p.m. The Invitational
All shows 21+
Jo Jo's Tavern
2677 Nottingham Way Hamilton
(609) 586-2678
Sat. 9 p.m. Kindred Spirit Duo
Kelly's Bar n Banquet Hall
14 Railroad Avenue Fort Dix
(732) 230-6169
Fri. 8 p.m. Don't Call Me Francis
Killarney's Publick House
1644 Whitehorse-Mercerville Road Hamilton
(609) 586-1166
Thurs. 5:30 p.m. Joanna Caruso
Fri. (5 p.m.) Michael Schaffer (10 p.m.) DJ Jimmy G
Sat. 10 a.m. Brunch (5:30 p.m.) Skyline (10 p.m.) DJ Dom
Sun.10 a.m. "Sunday Funday" Brunch
Wed. 5:30 p.m. Hard To Pet Duo
Labyrinth Books Princeton
122 Nassau Street Princeton
(609) 497-1600
Fri. 10 a.m. Fall Members Sale and 19th Anniversary
Laurita Winery
85 Archertown Road New Egypt
(609) 752-0200
Thurs. 7 p.m. Laurita Idol semi-Finals / Wine & Pine Rustic Ornament Class. $65
Fri. 7 p.m. Country Line Dancing. $11
Sun. 3 p.m. Music BINGO w/ DJ Dave
Library Company of Burlington
23 West Union Street Burlington
(609) 3861273
Fri. 6:30 p.m. Open Mic Night
Lillipies Bakery
30 North Harrison Street Princeton
(609) 423-2100
Sat. 10 a.m. Storytime with Jeff
Magikava
87a South Main Street New Hope, PA
(215) 862-2739
Thurs. 6 p.m. Astrology Readings by Riss Cottrill
Mon. 6 p.m. Magik "Art Mondays"
Wed. 6:30 p.m. Open Mic Night
McStews Irish Sports Pub
5316 New Falls Road Levittown, PA
(215) 949-9570
Sat. 9 p.m. FireFlyz
Tues. 7:30 p.m. Trivia Night
Music Mountain Theater
1483 Route 179 Lambertville
(609)397-3337
Fri. 8 p.m. "It's A Wondrful Life"
Sat. 3 p.m./ 8 p.m. "It's A Wondrful Life"
Sun. 3 p.m. "It's A Wondrful Life"
Needle Creek Farm Brewery
91 Titus Mill Road Pennington
Fri. 5:30 p.m. Rick Barth
Sat. 2 p.m. Snap Dragons
Neshaminy Creek Brewing Company
909 Ray Avenue Croydon, PA
(215) 458-7081
Thurs. 7 p.m. Trivia Night
Fri. 7 p.m. "Friday the 13th" in 3D
New Egypt Flea Market Village
933 Monmouth County Road Cream Ridge
(609) 758-2082
Sun. 8 a.m. Flea Market
Wed. 8 a.m. Flea Market
Newtown Brewing Company
103 Penns Trail Newtown, PA
(215) 944-8609
Thurs. 7 p.m. "Useless Knowledge" Trivia
Fri. 6 p.m. Gabe Parsons
Sat. 6 p.m. Chris Alan Duo
Wed. 4 p.m. Open Mic Night Hosted by Bill Monach
Nick's Roast Beef
4501 Woodhaven Road West Philadelphia, PA
(215) 637-515
Wed. 7 p.m. Karaoke
Nottingham Tavern
9 Mercer Street Hamilton Square
(609) 587-6623
Thur. 9 pm. Karaoke w/ Super Dave Curtis
Fri. 9 p.m. Talking In Cursive
Sat. 9 p.m. 80s Undercover
Mon. 6 p.m. BINGO
Tues. 4 p.m. Pies on the Patio feat. (6:30 p.m.) Relapse Duo
Ages 21+
O'Fowley's Tavern & Grill
200 State Road Croydon, PA
(215) 785-6998
Mon. 7 p.m. Music Bingo Hosted by Best Choice Productions w/ DJ John S
Tues. 7 p.m. Quizzo
Old Barracks
100 Barrack Street Trenton
Sat. 7 p.m. Concerts by Candlelight
Old Hights Brewing
123 West Ward Street Hightstown
(609) 469-5976
Fri. 5 p.m. Anker
Sat. 5 p.m. Tanglewood
Wed. 6:30 p.m. Trivia
Old Town Pub
135 Farnsworth Avenue Bordentown
(609) 291-9232
Sun. 10 a.m. Brunch
Wed. 7 p.m. Trivia
Ottoburger (Hopewell Fare)
65 East Broad Street Hopewell
(640) 867-4915
Fri. 6:30 p.m. Chris Turner
Sat. 6 p.m. The Danjonian Project
Patriots Crossing
1339 River Road Titusville
(609) 737-2780
Thurs. 8 p.m. Ladies Night
Wed. 7 p.m. Pub Trivia
Pete's Steak House
523 Whitehorse Avenue Hamilton
(609) 585-8008
Fri. 9 p.m. Brother's O'Toole
Princeton Public Library (Hinds Plaza)
65 Witherspoon Street Princeton
(609) 924-9529
Thurs. 12 p.m. Artist Winter Village Week 1
Puss N Boots Tavern
942 Trenton Road Fairless Hills, PA
Fri. 8 p.m. Karaoke
Tues. 7 p.m. Trivia
Raza's at Hamilton
557 Route 130 North Hamilton
Sun. 12 p.m. Brunch w/ DJ Manny the Greek
Revolution Woodfire Grille
8 Coryell Street Lambertville
(609) 378-7222
Sat. 1 p.m. Joey DiTullio
Sun. 1 p.m. Wesley David
Ristorante LUCCA & Piano Lounge
144 US Route 130 Bordentown
(609) 262-0110
Thurs. 8 p.m. Jazz Night
Rossi's Bar & Grill
2110 Whitehorse-Mercerville Road Hamilton
(609) 890-2004
Thurs. 5:30 p.m. Ernie White
Sat. (11 a.m.) Brunch (6:30 p.m.) Mark Sacco
Sun. 11 a.m. Brunch
Tues. 7 p.m. Quizzoholics
Sandy's Beef & Ale
2028 E. Old Lincoln Highway Langhorne, PA
(2670 852-2333
Thurs. 8 p.m. Quizzo
Mon. 7 p.m. Music Bingo
Second Sin Brewing Company
1500 Grundy Lane Bristol, P
(267) 812-5251
Thurs. 7 p.m. Trivia
Slim's Irish Pub
2195 Galloway Road Bensalem, PA
(267) 332-0047
Mon. 6 p.m. Open Mic Night Hosted by Cecil
Wed. 6 p.m. Karaoke Contest
Small World Coffee
14 Witherspoon Street Princeton
(609) 924-4377 x2
Sat. 7 p.m. Third Space
Sparky World-Famous Beer Garden
4333 New Falls Road Levittown, PA
(215) 943-2321
Thurs. 9 p.m. Karaoke w/ DJ Dana
Sun. 9 p.m. Open Mic Hosted by Cara Cartney
Mon. 9 p.m. Game Night Hosted by Kid Dalton
Tues. 7 p.m. Johnny Betz
Stars & Stripes Harley Davidson
600 South Flowers Mill Road Langhorne, PA
(215) 752-9400
Fri. 10 a.m. Friday the 13th Tattoo Marathon
Sat. 12 p.m. Audio Workshop
Starving Artist Cafe
18 Bridge Street Stockton
Thurs. (11:30 a.m.) DJ "Rico Cuco" (5:30 p.m.) Open Mic Night Hosted by Daisy Jane
Fri. 9 a.m. JB Kline Facebook Live
1675 Spirits
2685 Bristol Pike Bensalem, PA
(215) 645-1445
Fri. 6 p.m. Keep The Change Acoustic
Tavern On The Lake
101 Main Street Hightstown
(609) 426-9345
Thurs. 6 p.m. Country DJ NIght Music BINGO
Fri. 9 p.m. After The Flood
Sat. 8 p.m. T-Bone Jam
Tues. 6 p.m. Trivia
Wed. 7 p.m. Karaoke
Temperance House
5 South State Street Newtown, PA
(215) 944-8050
Thurs. 7 p.m. Steve Guyger & Filthy Rich
Wed. 7 p.m. Open Mic Hosted by Steve Tourison
The Birdhouse Center For The Arts
7 North Main Street Lambertville
(215) 681-4660
Tues. 7:30 p.m. NJNO the "not just nyckelharpa orchestra" Community Orchestra
The Buck Hotel
1200 Buck Road Feasterville, PA
(215) 396-2002
Fri. 8 p.m. Don't Tell Mom
Sat. (11 a.m.) Brunch (8:30 p.m.) Buzzer Band
Sun. (12 p.m.) Brunch w/ Sinatra feat. Rich DeSimone. $58 (3 p.m.) Cracklin' Diamonds
Tues. 7 p.m. Danny Lynch
The Cool Cricket
216 Burlington Street Fieldsboro
(609) 291-9110
Fri. 9 p.m. Karaoke w/ Dave Curtis
Sat. 9 p.m. Unleashed
The Corner Inn
24509 East Main Street Columbus
(609) 298-8543
Sat. 9 p.m. Karaoke w/ We R Entertainment
The Druery
160 Lawrenceville Pennington Road Suite 4 Lawrenceville
Fri. 7 p.m. John Zayle
The Five Four Bar & Grill
8919 New Falls Road Levittown, PA
(215) 547-5525
Fri. 8:30 p.m. Jukebox Graveyard
Tues. 7 p.m. Music Bingo w/ Jonathan Appel
The Ivy Inn
248 Nassau Street Princeton
(609) 921-8555
Thurs. 10 p.m. Karaoke w/ DJ Trey
Fri. 9:30 p.m. DJ Bockman
Sat. 9:30 p.m. Balanced Breakfast Band
Sun. 2 p.m. Gameday
Tues. 7 p.m. Quizzo w/ Bob E Luv
Wed. 10 p.m. Karaoke w/ DJ Trey
The Morrisville Tavern
376 West Trenton Avenue Morrisville, PA
(215) 295-5310
Thurs. 7 p.m. Trivia
Mon. 8 p.m. Karaoke
Tues. 7 p.m. Music Bingo
Wed. 7 p.m. Trivia Night
The Newtown Theatre
120 North State Street Newtown, PA
(215) 968-3859
Thurs./Fri. 8 p.m. "Sweet Baby James" James taylor Tribute. Doors open at 7 p.m.
Sat. (1 p.m.) The American Bombshells. $24.99-$43 (VIP available) (7 p.m.) "The Odyssey" $8-$14
Sun. (3 p.m.) Give & Take Jugglers. $14-$32 (VIP available) (7 p.m.) "The Family Recipe" $7, $12
The Penguin Rocks (24 Hour On-Demand Music/Radio)
www.thepenguinrocks.com
Mon. - Fri. "Radio Jersey" Hosted by Lee Mrowicki
Sun. - Sat. "Classic Jersey" Hosted by Gary Wien
Sun. - Sat. "Beyond The Palace" Hosted by Lee Mrowicki
Sun. - Sat. "Danny Coleman's Rock On Radio" feat. Lawrence Haber & Kartikeya w/ a call from Albert Bouchard
Sun. - Sat. "From The Basement" Hosted by Mike Marrone
Sun. - Sat. "Deuce Radio" Hosted by Matt Barker
Sun. - Sat. "Altrok Radio" Hosted by Sean Carolan
Sun. - Sat. "Lighty's Corner" Hosted by Gary Wien
Sun. - Sat. "The Troubador Show" Hosted by John Godfrey
The Roost
181 Rte. 539 Cream Ridge
(609) 208-0050
Thurs. 6:30 p.m. DC Duo
Mon. 6 p.m. Music BINGO
Tues. 6 p.m. Trivia
Wed. 6 p.m. Joe Vadala
The Union Firehouse
18 Washington Street Mount Holly
(609) 288-6491
Fri. 8 p.m. The Big Trip. Doors open at 7 p.m.
Sat. 8 p.m. '90s Rockfest feat. "Lounge Party" (Stone Temple Pilots Tribute) "Hashpipe" (The Weezer Experience)
Wed. 7 p.m. Open Mic Night Hosted by Carie McCay & Billy Garrett
The Union House
19 East Union Street Burlington
(609) 531-6077
Thurs. 7 p.m. Trivia
Fri. 8 p.m. Nobodys Business
Sat. (10 a.m.) Brunch (8 p.m.) Pinheads
Sun. 10 a.m. Brunch
Tir Na Nog
1324 Hamilton Avenue Trenton
(609) 392-2554
Sun. 3 p.m. "Irish Sessions"
Tues. 8 p.m. Open Mic Hosted by Jerry & John Monk
All Shows 21+
Trenton Social
449 South Broad Street Trenton
(609) 989-7777
Thurs. 5 p.m. "Happy Hour Throwback Thursday
Sat. 9 p.m. Live Music (TBA)
Mon. 6 p.m. "Monday Night Karaoke" Hosted by Sweets
Triumph Brewing Company (Princeton Location)
20 Pamer Square east Princeton
(609) 924-7855
Fri. 5 p.m. Ben Gillece Quartet
Sat. 5 p.m. Red123
Vault Brewing Company
10 South Main Street Yardley, PA
(267) 573-4291
Fri. 7 p.m. Tom Trovas Trio
Sat. 7 p.m. TJ2 Duo
Village Idiot Brewing Company
42 High Street Mount Holly
(609) 975-9270
Thurs. 7 p.m. Trivia
Washington Crossing Inn
1295General Washington Memorial Boulevard Washington Crossing, PA
(877) 882-1776
Wed. 6 p.m. The Giving Gathering
West Windsor Arts Center/Nassau Park Pavilion
952 Alexander Road Princeton
Fri. 7 p.m. Off The Wall Affordable Art Show Opening Reception
Working Dog Winery
610 Windsor Perrineville Road Hightstown
(609) 371-6000
Thurs. 4:30 p.m. Gary Cavico
Fri. 4:30 p.m. Karen Payne Duo
Sat. 1 p.m. Chris Swatt
Sun. 1 p.m. Roger Gardella
WWFM 89.1 FM HD2 Radio
MCCC Old Trenton Road West Windsor
Jazzon2.org
Mon. 7 a.m./7 p.m. "Danny Coleman's Got The Blues"
Danny Coleman is a veteran musician and writer from central New Jersey. He hosts a weekly radio program entitled 'Rock On Radio' airing Sunday evenings at 7:00pm EST on ThePenguinRocks.com where he features indie/original bands and solo artists.
Your shows can be listed here for just $10
click here for more information
George Street Playhouse presents Vicki Lawrence & Mama: A Two-Woman Show
Written by and starring Vicki Lawrence
Two Performances Only
Vicki Lawrence, the legendary actress, comedian, and singer, brings her signature wit and charm to the stage in Vicki Lawrence and Mama: A Two-Woman Show. Best known for her iconic role as Thelma Harper, or "Mama," from The Carol Burnett Show and Mama’s Family, Lawrence delivers a hilarious and heartfelt performance that takes audiences on a journey through her extraordinary career. From her Emmy-winning years alongside Carol Burnett to her chart-topping hit, “The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia,” she shares behind-the-scenes stories, comedy, and music—all with her trademark humor. Whether reminiscing about her Hollywood adventures or embodying the feisty Mama, Lawrence proves that laughter is timeless.
ADVANCED EVENTS
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