Photos: CRAZY MAMA Opens at 59E59 Theatres

CRAZY MAMA celebrated its opening night at 59E59 Theatres on Tuesday, September 22. Check out photos of the stars arriving on the red carpet, as well as post-performance photos below!

CRAZY MAMA, by Sharon Scott Williams, directed by Golden Globe nominee Anson Williams, shines a light on the issue of mental illness with a southern style directness and humor. Actress Linda Purl stars in this one-woman, 16-character, tour-de-force and world premiere production about a daughter’s decades-long dream of saving her mother from the soul-crushing grip of mental illness. 

Crazy Mama is a true story inspired by Ojai resident Sharon Scott Williams’ award-winning memoir, directed by veteran stage and television director and producer Anson Williams.

This 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. 

Performances will run through October 18, 2026 at 59E59 Theatre located at 59 East 59th Street New York, NY 10022. 

Photo Credit: Russ Rowland / Richard Hillman PR