Eddie Mekka Headed to My Mother's Italian, My Father's Jewish & I'm in Therapy!

Eddie Mekka, best known to television audiences as Carmine Ragusa on the classic sitcom Laverne & Shirley, has signed on to star in Steve Solomon's My Mother's Italian, My Father's Jewish & I'm in Therapy!. Mekka assumes the role of Steve on July 15 at the Westside Theater. Solomon, the show's creator and original star, has returned to the New York production through July 13.

Before finding success on the small-screen as "The Big Ragu," Mekka received a 1975 Best Actor Tony Award nomination for the title role in the short-lived musical The Lieutenant. Other Broadway credits include Stephen Schwartz's The Magic Show and Tom Stoppard's Jumpers. Most recently, Mekka starred in national tours of Greasewith his television co-star Cindy Williams, Fiddler on the Roof and The Goodbye Girl. On film, Mekka has been seen in Dreamgirls, Beaches, A League of Their Own and Top Of the World.

"This marks my first time on a New York stage in three decades," Mekka said in a statement. "Nothing beats getting up in front of a live audience and there's nothing like playing to a New York audience. I've always been a big fan of Steve's and the show so I can't wait for the therapy session to begin."