Known to millions worldwide as ‘50s crooner Potsie Weber on the smash television show “Happy Days,” (1974-1984) Anson Williams has been busy. In the years since the show left the airwaves, Williams has sat in the director’s chair, helming hundreds of hours of TV on shows like “Beverly Hills 90210,” “Star Trek: The Next Generation” and “Secret Life of an American Teenager.” 

Lately, Williams has been active in show business directing live entertainment, and from April 12-14, will be in Sullivan County, presenting a one-woman show, “Crazy Mama,” at the Bethel Woods Museum Theater. 

The show is based on Sharon Scott Williams’ memoirs, which “chronicles the soul-crushing grip of her mother’s mental illness, the steely resilience of the human heart, and how, by the grace of some invisible power, Sharon’s dream to get her real Mama back comes true.”

Currently celebrating the 50th anniversary of “Happy Days,” Williams is on a press junket with fellow alums Donny Most and Henry Winkler, but took some time out of his hectic schedule to sit down with me and discuss the upcoming play, what it’s all about, and how Bethel Woods Center for the Arts was chosen for the premiere.

Thanking Anson for agreeing to chat, I got right to it.

JCF: From my understanding, you’ve been here before, attended a concert and toured the museum, but this is a play you’re directing. Why Bethel Woods? 

AW: I miss the folks at Bethel Woods and knew they were considering trying out some live theatre. They haven’t actually ever [presented] a play and they started looking for material. We sent “Crazy Mama,” which [I believe] truly has Pulitzer Prize-winning potential. It’s a phenomenal one-woman show.

JCF: I understand the play is an adaptation of sorts?

AW: Yes. Sharon wrote these incredible short-story memoirs, and one day it came to me that this could be a one-woman show, so I thought, “Let’s put all of these together.” Sharon said, “I’ve never written a play,” and I said, “Well, we’re going to.” 

So she adapted all of the pieces into a play. We’ve had some staged workshop readings, which were very successful. I’ve never been involved with a show before that got standing ovations at intermission. This is a powerhouse piece. I’m so proud of Bethel Woods for supporting it. Aside from being incredibly entertaining, it’s important. 

JCF: How did Emmy Award-nominated actress Lee Purcell (“Long Road Home,” “Secret Sins of the Fathers”) get involved?

AW: I’ve known Lee for years. She has tremendous stage experience and I’ve always admired her work. I felt she was just perfect for the part, contacted her about doing it, and she loved it. 

JCF: I understand that you’ve directed a lot of television since your days in front of the camera on “Happy Days,” but have you directed live theatre before? 

AW: I started in theatre, did summer stock as an actor, and I directed a lot of shows back then, before I started doing television. It’s my first love, so after a lot of years I’m finding myself back in a theatre. 

What’s challenging about this is that we actually have two people on stage—there’s Sharon and a “blues” musician [James Jackson]—and the transitions in the show come through him. He takes us further into the story so that it never becomes redundant. My challenge is to really keep it simple and emotional, to let the story stand and not get too arty. 

JCF: How long did it take to put “Mama” together, from initial concept to Bethel Woods?

AW: So I started helping Sharon hone the play and give it structure about seven months ago. Lee Purcell amazingly plays 15 [different] characters within the play, and it seems like there’s a stage full of people, every one with a unique voice and history. For Lee, it’s a real tour de force. 

JCF:  I’m guessing that you will be here. Undoubtedly your appearance will also draw “Happy Days” fans as well.

AW: Yes, believe it or not, it’s the 50th anniversary! We’re planning Q&A sessions with the audience after each performance to discuss the show, and if there are fans who would like, I’ll be signing pictures from that as well. Believe it or not, “Happy Days” had a lot to do with “Crazy Mama.”

JCF: How so?

AW: When we first started doing the TV show, creator Gary Marshall sat us down and said “you’re all going to be famous, and you don’t deserve it, but you’re going to have a light shone on you. Your job is to take that light, and shine it on other people who are doing good things. Use your position to help people.” 

I think the cast of “Happy Days” has done that, shining a light on important issues, like helping the disabled, on organ donor programs and more. We’re all still very close and very supportive of each other. This show shines a light on mental illness, but in a way that is laced with humor and pathos. It’s really going to help families. I can’t tell you how powerful this piece is.

It’s important that we get local audiences to see this show, and I believe Bethel Woods could become the next La Jolla Playhouse, where they develop their own shows and get them produced on Broadway. People are used to attending amazing concerts here. Our goal right now is to get theatre lovers to Bethel Woods.

JCF: You know, a good part of my job is to inform folks about what’s happening in the world of arts and leisure here in the Upper Delaware River region. The other part is expressing my “humble opinion” of those things, like the play you’re bringing to Bethel Woods. Mental illness is no laughing matter, but you suggest that “Crazy Mama” is funny, too. What am I going to take away from seeing it?

AW: I want everyone to know that this show is an experience you’ll [carry with you] for the rest of your life—in the best way. It’s a hell of a story. You’ll laugh and cry, good tears—the audience will walk out of the theatre moved. Folks will leave closer to their families and loved ones than they’ve been before. This is entertainment that’s purposeful. 

“Crazy Mama” will be presented from Friday, April 12 to Sunday, April 14 at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, 200 Hurd Rd. in Bethel, NY. For tickets and more information, visit www.bethelwoodscenter.org.

Ask the Google: What was Happy Days originally called?

The series’ pilot was originally shown as “Love and the Television Set,” and later retitled “Love and the Happy Days” for syndication. It was a one-episode teleplay on the anthology series “Love, American Style” that aired on February 25, 1972.