JOPLIN, Mo. — The Wikipedia entry for Barry Williams has a small bit about a failed music career.

That was news to Williams, who has recorded five albums and sang for a list of celebrities. And music is a big part of his new Branson show, “Brady Brunch.”

“I don’t think the musical side of my career is well known,” Williams said. “I think it’s the best kept secret in Branson. When I come out with a five-piece band doing pop songs, ‘70s, classic songs and inspirational songs, people are surprised.”

Williams has a 45-year career that spans from musical theater to movies. He has played in Broadway touring musicals, done cameos in movies and starred in others, appeared in reality TV shows, held a role in a soap opera and toured around the world performing.

And, there’s that gig as Greg Brady.

Williams played the oldest of six brothers on the iconic show from the ’70s. From 1969 to 1974, Williams played the nation’s most recognizeable big brother. As the show progressed, producers turned him into a teen idol, making him a legendary pop-culture icon.

The story of his career is told in “Brady Brunch.” Consider it a family-friendly cabaret, full of music, stories, laughter and up-close interaction (sans alcohol). And because brunch is served, Williams joins the audience for a meal and conversation.

Williams said the show was developed with partner and Branson comedian Yakov Smirnoff.

The show’s bones come from a set that Williams has performed for years, but his work with Smirnoff resulted in something uniquely tailored for Branson.

“It’s a unique, specialized area, and we wanted to do a show that was a real good fit,” Williams said. “My sensibilities are very much in line with Branson, and we created something that worked quite well.”

The show features stories of “The Brady Bunch,” vignettes about his personal life and looks back at how the world was. And thanks to the brunch conversations, Williams said he never knows what’s going to happen at each show.

Williams is under contract for a five-year run at the theater. His current run ends Dec. 10, then he’ll have runs from April to December.

Perhaps there’s no clearer difference between the early ’70s and 2010s than TV. Back then, Williams said, people had three stations to choose from. Everyone watched all the same shows on the tube.

The TV isn’t even a tube anymore ÑÊit’s a high-definition flat panel loaded with either plasma, LEDs or LCD displays and light enough to hang on a wall. And viewers can choose from a handful of major TV services that offer hundreds of channels.

The culture of the late ’60 and early ’70s helped “The Brady Bunch” stand out, Williams said.

“‘The Brady Bunch’ came on in 1969, and that wasn’t a particularly innocent time,” he said. “There was the Vietman War, protesting and drugs were commonly used. There was bra-burning, draft-burning and some flag-burning. ‘The Brady Bunch’ was an alternative to all of that.”

The well-known story behind the lovely lady and the man named Brady featured regular themes of open communication, family values and strong morals, Williams said. Parents listened to the kids and kids listened to the parents, he said.

That made “The Brady Bunch” stand out, and helped the show become timeless and multi-generational ÑÊdespite the dated interior decoration and groovy fashions.

As TV culture has progressed, Williams said he’s seen cycles go by, including phases of medical shows, cop shows and reality TV.

“Things always evolve and change,” Williams said. “It’s not always something better, but it’s always different ÉÊnow we’ve added the element of reality TV, and that too will cycle out. Just not soon enough for me.”

Williams has experience with reality TV Ñ his Brady brother Christopher Knight was involved in a three-season run of “My Fair Brady” and Williams has appeared on episodes of “Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew.” He saw firsthand how plots were engineered by producers to make dramatic scenes.

“The way I describe it is reality television isn’t,” Williams said. “There’s nothing real about it.”

The shows that Williams does follow are varied. He said he enjoys the “CSI” shows, the “Law and Order” shows and loved the reboot of “Hawaii Five-0.” “Modern Family” gets high marks from him, and he also appreciated the darker dramas “Dexter” and “Nip/Tuck.”

Though he enjoys those shows, they are a far cry from the era of Williams’ heyday. Mainly because of the writing, he said ÑÊtoday’s shows tend to be fragmented and fast-paced.

“Any of the cop shows have four or five subplots, so it’s helpful to watch several shows in a row,” Williams said. “And if you jump in a vampire show, my gosh, the histories. They’ve been alive 900 years with all kinds of relationships. They’re married in one life, related in aother.”

If there’s anything Williams would like to see in today’s TV, it would be the return of single-plot storytelling.

“The thing that I really enjoyed about then was that we really told stories,” Williams said. “We let those stories unfold around the plot.”





Want to go?

“Brady Brunch with Barry Williams” is running now until Dec. 10 at Yakov’s Branson Theater.

Details, tickets: 866-328-3733.