Whether you know her from playing the devious Sue Sylvester on “Glee,” lesbian dog trainer Christy Cummings in “Best in Show,” as host of NBC’s popular “Hollywood Game Night” or from many of the long list of TV shows and movies that make her IMDB page an actor’s dream, Jane Lynch is someone who is easily recognizable.
On March 24 and 25, Lynch will be combining some of her musical and comic talents for See Jane Sing, a cabaret show being performed at the Birchmere in Alexandria, as songs such as “If Wishes Were Rainbows,” “Mr. Monotony” and “Far From the Home I Love” will be performed.
Lynch took some time out of her busy schedule to talk with NovaArts.
NovaArts: When you first started in this business, did you ever think you would be doing a cabaret show?
Lynch: I didn’t know I would be doing it as a famous person, but plays and cabarets were my first love. When I started doing television and film, I had no desire to go back to the stage, where it all began, and I always felt a little guilty about that. It turns out I do love the stage. I went back to do “Annie” on Broadway and that was an offer. Had I not done “Glee” I never would have been offered that, and I so loved doing that and the schedule of being on Broadway, and the all encompassing focus that is the family of actors who become so close to you, I nearly got the bug back. The cabaret came up, and I thought I was going to seize this.
NovaArts: Kate Flannery is joining you in the show. Most people will recognize her from her hilarious run as Meredith on “The Office.” How did the two of you come to work together?
Lynch: She and I have known each other for decades and we have been weaving in and out of each other’s lives since about 1989. We were at the Annoyance Theatre at the same time and we did the “Real Life Brady Bunch,” and she played Alice and I played Carol. We also did a bunch of sketch comedy shows when I got to L.A. in the early ’90s, the same group of people from Chicago, and we would rent a theater and come up with acts and I would often see Kate then. When I was doing this show, I called her and told her I couldn’t imagine a better partner for this and she was on the next plane out and we worked it out and we had a blast. She is old school. She has a voice that will remind you of Judy Garland. She has a great ear and we do really great at harmony. We switch on and off; sometimes I’m up, sometimes she’s up, sometimes I’m the bottom and sometimes she’s the bottom. It sounds very sexual but it’s not.
NovaArts: You have been a part of so many great Christopher Guest movies—from “A Mighty Wind” to “Best in Show” and anyone who’s a fan of his and the wonderful troupe he puts together wants to know, when will there be another movie?
Lynch: If I am invited, I will be there for whatever and whenever, and he knows that. What’s great about doing his films is he gives the actors so much freedom. You not only get to decide what you say because it’s all improvised, you get to tell the set designer what you want your house to look like or office to look like. You can tell the wardrobe person what you want to wear. And it’s all about trust. He’s a wonderful editor and he can create a great performance out of anyone. He can just pick those genuine, funny moments.
NovaArts: With “Glee” ending, you quickly signed up for a pilot for another show—this time playing a possible angel (or crazy person) on the CBS show, “Angel From Hell.” Were you eager to find another role so soon?
Lynch: I wasn’t. It just was the right product. I was happy booking the cabaret dates. Not that I had anything against TV. I’m one of those people who allow the world to role in on your feet. You just do what’s in front of you and keep your heart and mind open and do your best, and that’s how I ended up doing cabaret, how I ended up on Broadway, how I ended up on “Glee,” how I ended up meeting Christopher Guest, and how I got cast as a candle in first grade.
NovaArts: A candle? You have to elaborate.
Lynch: It was the Christmas pageant and we spelled out the word “candle” and I was “a” and I can tell you my poem if you’d like, I still remember. A is for air, so full of smells and spice. Smells of cake, pudding and pie, everything that is nice. Isn’t that nice?
For more information on the concert, visit www.birchmere.com or www.janelynchofficial.com.
