BARRY WILLIAMS puts the success of his hit 60s sitcom The Brady Bunch down to four key factors.
``I think the elements of the show that are timeless are morality, family values, communication and the fact that we weren't trying apart from the super groovy fashions we wore to be locked in a particular political time,'' Williams said.
``These were universal stories that kids encounter as they grow up and I think its presented in a very positive way that is relatable.'' Since it debuted on television screens in 1969, The Brady Bunch hasn't left our screens.
The show, on which Williams starred as GREG BRADY , is aired in 147 countries, screened four times a day in the US and each episode has been aired 100,000 times.
Although Williams has forged a successful career in theatre in productions such as The Music Man, Guys and Dolls and The Sound of Music , he concedes that his work on The Brady Bunch remains a big part of his everyday life.
``There are things in my life which pull from The Brady Bunch and things that don't, but I would say that it is an active part of my world,'' he said.
``It's not like I did this show as a teenager and it went off air and I'm still trying to talk about it.
``There's a difference between living in the past and having fun with it . th. th.
and I try to have fun with it.'' Williams is set to tour Australia and will bring with him a new stage show he describes as an autobiographical look at his life and career.
The show will feature songs, costumes, multimedia and a little Brady Bunch choreography will be taught to audience members.
He will also recount stories from his 35 years as a former star of The Brady Bunch .
Williams said the show has been in the works for a few years and finally got off the ground last year when he hired a group of professionals to piece it together.
The basic concept for the show was presented in Las Vegas last year and will appear in Newcastle at WESTS LEAGUES CLUB on March 17.
``I have a section which is more traditional, when I end the show, that calls upon my Broadway experience and shows that I performed in,'' he said.
``I do include a Brady section because, to be realistic, the show and its staying power has re- enforced that character so identifiably with me.
``So I include a portion of it in the show but I wouldn't call it a Brady show by any stretch of the imagination.
``It is autobiographical and I really designed it to be current with nods to the past as well.'' Since he left The Brady Bunch, Williams has starred in 74 theatre productions and released a book titled Growing Up Brady: I Was A Teenage Greg which sold more than 300,000 copies.
He has also recorded a parody of EMINEM 's hit, The Real Slim Shady , titled The Real Greg Brady. ``There are many similarities,'' he said.
``I think the rhyme is obvious - the Real Slim Shady and The Real Greg Brady - but on a full exploration of that, you have MARSHALL MATHERS (Eminem) playing SLIM SHADY like you have Barry Williams playing Greg Brady.
``It looked like a starting point for a parody and I tried to do in that song, what I did in my book, which is to describe from a contemporary view the entire experience of what its like to have grown up with The Brady Bunch and be a part of the show.'' Williams is also a star of the new film Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star in which he plays himself.
Bookings to Barry Williams can be made on 4935 1200.
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