Cabaret Scenes Review - Megan Mullaly

As soon as Meagan Mullally stepped onto the stage at the sold-out Rrazz Room, the audience whooped and laughed in anticipation of what, a stand-up comedy show? Fronting her quintet of ace musicians, she launched into a slow and lazy “Up a Lazy River” and the crowd’s expectation had to shift. For Mullally, while being an Emmy-winning comedy actress, is a very special and gifted interpreter of song. Yes, there was plenty of in-between-song clowning, but when the music started, it was serious biz. Mullally loves storytelling songs—the blues with its overwrought emotions, country with its huge heart on its sleeve, and beautiful contemporary songwriters whose lyrics should be cerebrally digested.

Her set list was full of surprising juxtapositions, exciting shifts in tempo and styles, and amazing musicianship. The solemn folk hymn “Wondrous Love” segues into the blues of “St. James Infirmary.” The R&B classic “Tomorrow Night” highlights Mullally’s piercing vocal clarity. Her choice of more modern material is inspired and intelligent: Randy Newman’s love song, “Marie”; PJ Harvey’s darkly sexual “Down by the Water”; and a sensational cover of Springsteen’s hauntingly visceral “Stolen Car.” Here her band shimmers and elevates the material to a transcendent level.

Of course, Megan includes some humor through her material. George Jones’s hit, “The Grand Tour,” gets a grand send-up, not overly caricatured, but reverently mocked for all its maudlin histrionics. Newman’s wry “Lonely at the Top” and Rodgers and Hart’s “You Took Advantage of Me” reveal their humor. Mullally’s greatest moment, and for this critic, a standout performance of the year, is delivered on The Decemberists’ “I Was Meant for the Stage.” An ode to those who live their lives on the stage, Mullally reaches deep down inside to examine the life on the boards, both the extreme highs and low lows. When Mullally sang, “I was meant for the stage/I was meant for the curtain/I was meant to tread these boards/Of this much I am certain,” truer words could not be spoken.

Steve Murray
Cabaret Scenes
October 28, 2011
www.cabaretscenes.org



	Megan Mullaly Rrazz Room San Francisco, CA
As soon as Meagan Mullally stepped onto the stage at the sold-out Rrazz Room, the audience whooped and laughed in anticipation of what, a stand-up comedy show? Fronting her quintet of ace musicians, she launched into a slow and lazy “Up a Lazy River” and the crowd’s expectation had to shift. For Mullally, while being an Emmy-winning comedy actress, is a very special and gifted interpreter of song. Yes, there was plenty of in-between-song clowning, but when the music started, it was serious biz. Mullally loves storytelling songs—the blues with its overwrought emotions, country with its huge heart on its sleeve, and beautiful contemporary songwriters whose lyrics should be cerebrally digested. Her set list was full of surprising juxtapositions, exciting shifts in tempo and styles, and amazing musicianship. The solemn folk hymn “Wondrous Love” segues into the blues of “St. James Infirmary.” The R&B classic “Tomorrow Night” highlights Mullally’s piercing vocal clarity. Her choice of more modern material is inspired and intelligent: Randy Newman’s love song, “Marie”; PJ Harvey’s darkly sexual “Down by the Water”; and a sensational cover of Springsteen’s hauntingly visceral “Stolen Car.” Here her band shimmers and elevates the material to a transcendent level. Of course, Megan includes some humor through her material. George Jones’s hit, “The Grand Tour,” gets a grand send-up, not overly caricatured, but reverently mocked for all its maudlin histrionics. Newman’s wry “Lonely at the Top” and Rodgers and Hart’s “You Took Advantage of Me” reveal their humor. Mullally’s greatest moment, and for this critic, a standout performance of the year, is delivered on The Decemberists’ “I Was Meant for the Stage.” An ode to those who live their lives on the stage, Mullally reaches deep down inside to examine the life on the boards, both the extreme highs and low lows. When Mullally sang, “I was meant for the stage/I was meant for the curtain/I was meant to tread these boards/Of this much I am certain,” truer words could not be spoken. Steve Murray Cabaret Scenes October 28, 2011 www.cabaretscenes.org

Megan Mullaly

Rrazz RoomSan Francisco, CA

Rrazz Room
San Francisco, CA