Sally Struthers talk about 'The Full Monty,' Rob Reiner, more

The last time Sally Struthers was on Long Island in 2023, she was dealing with dead bodies in the mystery farce "Clue" as Mrs. Peacock at The Gateway in Bellport. For her return to the theater, she's dealing with some much livelier bodies — a group of out-of-work and out-of-shape steelworkers who have turned to stripping as a way to earn money in the musical comedy "The Full Monty."

In the show, which runs from March 13 through April 12, Struthers stars as a flamboyant, retired show-biz veteran who plays piano and coaches the men in baring it all. It's a role Struthers throws herself into — literally, she said, in a comic moment during the big reveal at the end.

While Struthers has been doing a lot of regional theater work, including her previous Gateway appearances in "9 to 5” (2012), "Nice Work If You Can Get It" (2015) and "Anything Goes" (2016), she's best known for her roles as Gloria Stivic on "All in the Family," Babette on "The Gilmore Girls" and, more recently, Virginia Foldau on Netflix's "A Man on the Inside."

Struthers, 78, recently spoke by phone from Bellport with Newsday's Daniel Bubbeo about coming back to Long Island and shared memories of her TV spouse Rob Reiner, who was killed in December.

Are you having fun with this show?

This is one of those shows that doesn't come along often. Musicals are big hits and win Tony Awards and everybody knows the songs from the show but the dialogue often is not that memorable. But then every once in a while somebody like Terrence McNally writes a musical that’s really a play first and foremost that it holds its own just with the copy. And "The Full Monty" is one of those and the music is great on top of that.

This is your fifth time working at The Gateway. What keeps bringing you back there?

It’s a different experience than any other regional theater where I have worked in the United States. We’re not all spread out over a city or in different housing. It’s as if we’re all 12 to 14 years old and we’re coming to summer camp and we’re on campus and we’re hanging out all the time. It creates a closeness and a whole element of trust and fun that makes everything better. When the weather is right, there’s a swimming pool for us. We’re all meeting in the kitchen and cooking things together. Some people bring their dogs. You become family immediately and it’s realty nice.

This may be difficult to talk about, but the murder of Rob Reiner was so devastating. I can only imagine how hard it was for you.

It’s not emotionally easy, no matter how the circumstances make you rise to the position of last man standing. Eventually you get to the point where in any cast you're in, everyone you’ve worked with is gone except you. That’s a fact of life. With this particular cast that came on this show 55 years ago, being in that position is completely different now because my beloved co-star was brutally murdered along with his wonderful wife. I’m hoping that those nightmares will eventually dissipate but they’re still quite vivid.

Is there a favorite memory you have of the time you worked with him?

Rob was wise beyond his years. ... He was also kind and he was planning long before his contract and my contract were up on "All in the Family" what he was going to be doing. Rob wanted to direct films and I didn’t realize that until one day in the rehearsal hall he walked in while I was looking at my script. And behind my head came a book and he slapped it down on the table in front of me. He said, "See this book." And I said, "Yes, you just scared the poop out of me." And then he said "I’m going to direct this." And it was "The Princess Bride." He said "I want you to read this. I want to know what you think." ... I’m honored that he wanted me to read it. He didn’t slap it in front of Carroll O’Connor or Jean Stapleton, but he wanted me to read it, and I thought that was pretty sweet.

You enjoy checking out the local antique shops around Long Island, don't you?

You cannot hand me my paycheck on Thursday. ... Every theater that I work for is told that that check has to be mailed to Los Angeles and my business management office because if you hand it to me I will spend it all on antiques. I’ve been antique shopping here twice now. You find the most amazing things. Something that reminds you of your childhood or something that you know a friend collects and so you buy it ... It’s just fun to comb through these big buildings with 10,000 things in them and take three hours going up and down the aisle. It’s so much. And it’s very costly.

Well they are antiques.

Well, so am I, so I feel right at home.