Megan Mullally Kicks Off Girls-Gone-Wild Week At The PAC

Making sure that the summer ends with a bang, it’s girls-gone-wild week at the Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center.

But not too wild, according to Megan Mullally, who will perform on Sunday, August 26.
She will kick off the three-part concert series, which will also include The Go-Go’s, who will take the stage on Monday, August 27, and Rita Wilson, who will give a concert on Wednesday, August 29.

Though best known for her portrayal of Karen Walker on the hit television show “Will and Grace,” Ms. Mullally is also a talented singer and has starred in the Broadway productions of “Grease” and “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying,” among other shows. To date, she has released three CDs—“The Sweetheart Break-In,” “Big As A Berry” and “Free Again!”—and has performed on stages from Los Angeles to London.

Ms. Mullally’s show at the PAC has been touted as a “post-modern cabaret show gone mad,” but the singer/actress said during an email interview last week that she doesn’t want to give audiences the wrong idea about what’s going to happen during her visit.

“Turns out I’m not doing a post-modern cabaret show gone mad,” she reported. “I’m singing a set of primarily Broadway songs and some standards with a piano player. So anyone expecting to see me singing naked with a lit sparkler in my ass is going to be bitterly disappointed.”

The two-time Emmy Award-winner, who also has played recurring roles on the television shows “Parks and Recreation” and “Happy Endings” most recently and guest starred on a number of hits, including “30 Rock,” “Up All Night,” “Boston Legal” and “The New Adventures of Old Christine,” will instead sing a piano-only concert at the PAC. She will be accompanied by her old friend, Seth Rudetsky, now the host of “Seth’s Big Fat Broadway” on Sirus XM satellite radio star, whom she met back in 1994 when they were both working on “Grease.”

“Over the years I have gotten myriad requests to sing Broadway and standards,” she said. “And so, voila, I give the people what they demand.”

But even though Ms. Mullally said there wouldn’t be pyrotechnics at the show, she added later that she couldn’t predict exactly what might happen during her time on stage.

“This will be our first time doing this kind of show together,” she said of partnering with Mr. Rudetsky, “Seth is very funny and a distinctive voice as well as being a great player, and some of the songs we’re doing are comedic, to boot.”

“We don’t have any set banter,” Ms. Mullally continued. “And with Seth, anything can happen!”

Her show at the PAC will be her first time on the East End stage, but Ms. Mullally is no stranger to the East End. The draw of the ocean is something she’s looking quite forward to, but just being out here puts her at ease, she said.

“Whenever I’ve done Broadway shows, it’s always a gigantic relief if you know someone who has a house in the Hamptons and you can somehow persuade them to take you there on their day off,” she said. “So most of my memories of the Hamptons involve a giant feeling of relief.”

In addition to catching what Ms. Mullally said should be a “fun evening,” audiences who catch Ms. Mullally’s act at the PAC will be getting a preview of her talents before the rest of the country gets to see them. She and her new band, Nancy & Beth, will perform on Conan O’Brien’s late night television show soon, she reported.

“We’re going to be the musical guests on ‘Conan’ on September 17, so that’s exciting,” she said.

Megan Mullally kicks off the girls-gone-wild week at the Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center on Sunday, August 26, at 8:30 p.m. Tickets to the show are $75, $95 and $125. The Go-Gos perform on Monday, August 27, at 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $100, $125 and $150. Rita Wilson ends the series on Wednesday, August 29, at 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $65, $75 and $85. For reservations and additional information, call 288-1500, visit whbpac.org or stop by the box office on Main Street in Westhampton Beach.