For the week of August 21 - 27, 2002

Comedian Williams makes surprise appearance

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By DANA DUGAN
Express Staff Writer

Robin Williams—legendary comic, stand-up dynamo, Oscar-winning actor, master of improvisation—is coming to The Liberty Theatre in Hailey for a surprise three-day gig. The idea is for him to practice his chops on the citizens of the quiet Wood River Valley before heading down to Las Vegas and whipping that crazy burgh into a frenzy on Labor Day.

"He wanted to get back in the groove of things and rev up for the big Vegas show," said John Glenn, production manager of Company of Fools.

Bruce Willis, who owns the Liberty, and Williams discussed the deal first. Then COF Managing Director R.L. Rowsey and Marsha Garces, Williams’ wife and manager, made the arrangements for the shows.

In fact, the citizens of this sleepy valley, who heard about the show Monday morning, jammed the Company of Fools’ phonelines with requests for tickets, and all three shows were sold out by 11:15 a.m.

Why such a fuss? Well, Williams is the Jonathan Winters, the Danny Kaye, of our day. He’s fast and eccentric, and seeing him live is a rare treat.

Williams trained as an actor at the prestigious Juilliard, but made his name first as a stand-up comic and then as a crazy space alien in an episode of "Happy Days." That character was spun-off into his own sitcom, "Mork and Mindy," which ran from 1978-82.

Williams went on to win rave reviews in movies such as "Moscow on the Hudson," "The World According to Garp," "Good Morning, Vietnam," "Mrs. Doubtfire," "Dead Poet’s Society," "The Fisher King," "Awakenings," "The Birdcage" and "Good Will Hunting," for which he won an Oscar.

 

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