Episode #20: I can’t imagine a better person to have as my final special guest star than the super-special star of TV’s Will and Grace, Megan Mullally. Megan and I met twelve years ago when we were mere children performing on Broadway in our respective revivals, Megan in Grease and myself in Damn Yankees. Soon thereafter, I had the amazing opportunity to actually perform with her in yet another revival, How to Succeed…. From the first read-through, it was obvious she was a talent super-power, turning even the dullest lines into sparkly gems.
Since then… well, I don’t have to tell you what she’s been up to for the past eight years, but suffice to say, it has involved an Emmy Award, three SAG Awards and countless DVDs. Let me take this opportunity to say how a) thrilled I am to know some of the people at the center of that amazing show, b) how proud I am to have appeared in an episode, and c) how appreciative I am to the creators of that show for the significant world shifts that I believe it generated.
Yeah, yeah, back to Megan:
So everyone in America knows that Megan is a genius comedienne, but how many know about her flourishing singing career? Have you heard her duet with Carly Simon on Will & Grace: Let the Music Out? Or my all-string arrangement of “Silent Night” which Megan sang so beautifully on the NBC Celebrity Christmas CD? And above all, have you checked out her own CD with her band, The Supreme Music Program, Big as a Berry, where she first recorded the song she sings on this episode? It’s packed with stellar singing, great style, and interesting song choices, like this one!
“Lament” is a setting of yet another Edna St. Vincent Millay poem, and it’s also the last song from the songbook to be recorded for this podcast. I’m so pleased that Megan is here to bring the song and podcast into “home.” Recorded 6/19/06.
Be sure to tune in to your local NBC station this fall for the premiere of Megan’s new daytime talk show, The Megan Mullally Show. I don’t care what she says… I’m watching all five hours a week.