Megan Mullally Says KAREN: THE MUSICAL to Hit LA First, Then Travel

Stage and screen star Megan Mullally made her West End debut with her band Supreme Music Program recently and, following the performance, members of WhatsOnStage.com were treated to a post show discussion, during which Mullally talked Karen: The Musical, based on her famous Will & Grace alter ego.

Mullally told the audience, "Five or so years ago I was having a massage and I had my face in the cradle and my eyes sprang open and I thought Karen: The Musical. It seems to me that it would be really funny to see Karen singing. I also think that, since there are no standards and practices, you'd have so much leeway to do a lot of really silly, stupid things, I mean that in the good way ... I want it to be just, the stupidest thing you've ever seen. That's my goal."

"It's not a Broadway show. I want to do it in LA for a limited run because there's no understudy and mummy gets tired. So a limited run in LA first, then we could do it in NY for a period and then we could do it here. I'm not doing it to be a Broadway show. I'm doing it to be a show that can travel anywhere that people like the character of Karen. It's going to be Karen and Beverley Leslie together. Leslie Jordan, who played Beverly Leslie, has quite a lot of stage experience. He's very good on stage so it's going to be the two of us."

Mullally also discussed a number of other topics including her theatrical influences, her upcoming plans including a new CD, and her favorite career experience. To read the full article, click here.

Megan Mullally is one of Hollywood's most versatile talents - an actress and singer, she has appeared on Broadway, at concert halls, on the big screen, and on daytime, primetime, and cable television. She is best known for her two-time Emmy and four-time SAG Award-winning role as Karen Walker on the hit NBC Series "Will & Grace." Up next, Megan can be seen on the 2nd season of the Starz hit cable series "Party Down" alongside Adam Scott, Ken Marino, and Lizzy Caplan, and as Chief on the new Adult Swim comedy, "Children's Hospital," an extension of the Rob Corrdry web series of the same name. She is also currently in development on Karen: The Musical, based on the character Megan made infamous on "Will & Grace."

Most recently Megan appeared on NBC's "Park and Recreation," on the big screen in 2009's Fame based on the hit 1980 film, and in her critically acclaimed performance as Beverly Wilkins in the West Coast debut of The Receptionist at the Odyssey Theatre which wrapped in November 2009. Megan made her television debut alongside Elaine Stritch and Ellen Burstyn on "The Ellen Burstyn Show" in 1986. She appeared opposite Stanley Tucci as Walter Winchell's wife in Paul Mazursky's award-winning HBO bio-pic Winchell and opposite Juliet Stevenson in Lifetime's "The Pact." She has guest starred on the hit shows "30 Rock," "The New Adventures Of Old Christine," and "Boston Legal," among others. This past year she starred on ABC's "In The Motherhood" alongside Cheryl Hines and Rachael Harris. Megan also ventured into the daytime realm hosting her own daytime syndicated talk show, "The Megan Mullally Show" from 2006-2007. Megan made her Broadway debut in the 1994 revival of Grease alongside Rosie O' Donnell. She then received an Outer Critics Circle Award nomination for her performance as Rosemary in the Broadway revival of How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying opposite Matthew Broderick and starred in the hit Broadway musical, Young Frankenstein. Her other Los Angeles theater credits include The Berlin Circle at The Evidence Room Theater, for which she won the 2000 BackStage West Garland Award for Best Lead Actress in a Play and the L.A. Weekly Award for Best Leading Female Performance. She also appeared in Mayhem at The Evidence Room, as well as a variety of plays and musicals in both Chicago and Los Angeles. On the big screen, Megan starred in the film Everything Put Together directed by Marc Forster - an entry in the 2000 Sundance Film Festival's main competition and also appeared in 1999's Anywhere But Here. Other feature film credits include Stealing Harvard, Speaking Of Sex, and Rebound.

Megan also is a talented singer, recording albums and performing around the country with her band Supreme Music Program. Next up, Megan and Supreme Music Program will make their international debut in the West End, performing at the Vaudeville Theater in London for eight performances in February 2010. Megan's most recent concert appearances with her band include The Allen Room at The Lincoln Center, The Kennedy Center, The Seattle Symphony, Chicago's Goodman Theatre, SUNY Buffalo Performing Arts and the Orange County Performing Arts Center. She also has appeared as a soloist at The Disney Concert Hall. She has made three CDs with Supreme Music Program entitled "The Sweetheart Break-In," "Big As A Berry" and the recently recorded "Free Again!". She can also be heard singing the solo barn burner song "You Took Advantage of Me" on the new FAME soundtrack. Mullally is currently set to star in the upcoming Broadway production Lips Together, Teeth Apart.

 

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