'One Song, Two Voices, Three Cheers' At Bay Street

At first glance, pairing Ana Gasteyer and Brian d’Arcy James up for an evening of song might not make much sense.

Sure, both are talented, both are on hit television shows—Ms. Gasteyer, a “Saturday Night Live” alum, currently appears on “Suburgatory” and Mr. James is on “Smash”—and both have even performed on Broadway, though not in the same show. But a comedian and a dramatic actor teaming up to sing duets at Bay Street Theatre in Sag Harbor on Memorial Day weekend? How in the world did that happen?

Well, it turns out that teaming up to create “One Night, Two Voices, Three Cheers” for Bay Street, staging on Saturday, May 26, does make sense for the pair, who actually have a long history together, starting with college at Northwestern University.

“We adore each other,” Ms. Gasteyer, who reported that she also shares a booking agent with Mr. James, said during a telephone interview on Wednesday. “We’ve known each other since college and have always been fans of one another. For awhile now, we’ve said, ‘Let’s try to do something together sometime’ and it finally worked out.”

During a telephone interview on Friday, Mr. James, who appeared on the Bay Street stage in “Things Being What They Are” in 2007, said that he and Ms. Gasteyer have performed at a number of benefits and fundraisers together over the years. But this night at Bay Street is the first time they are formally pairing up to perform a show, which he described as being a lighthearted, charming night of whimsical songs.

Both Mr. James and Ms. Gasteyer predicted that “One Night” will contain a fair amount of some of their favorite Broadway tunes. He has starred in “Sweet Smell of Success,” “Titanic” and “Shrek;” she has starred in “The Threepenny Opera,” “The Rocky Horror Show” and “Wicked.”

The audience should expect something different too, Ms. Gasteyer said.

“It will be a little experimental,” Ms. Gasteyer, said. “There will be a few novelty songs, a little magic from ‘Smash’—we’ll sing ‘Let Me Be Your Star’—plus some Barbra Streisand and some Neil Diamond.”

Ms. Gasteyer added that though most people think of her as a comedian, she actually started out as a singing major at Northwestern.

“They know that I sing to be funny,” she said, referencing some of her more memorable characters from “SNL,” “but I do sing. I sing, sing, sing.”

And though he is best known to a wide audience as the husband of Debra Messing’s character on “Smash,” Mr. James is also a talented vocalist (“The irony is that I have done a lot of singing in my career,” he said of his non-singing role on the show.). He’s also a bit of a cut-up, which will also be on display during his one-night gig with Ms. Gasteyer.

“The intention is not to be a comedy act but there is definitely an element of not taking things too seriously,” he said. “Don’t expect us to be dabbing our foreheads with handkerchiefs because of the seriously great jobs that we’ve done.”

Mr. James added that he is most looking forward to just getting on stage with his friend and having a good time while keeping the audience entertained and engaged.

“These concerts are always fun to do,” he said. “The fun part is getting to new things, really interesting songs I’ve never done before—very charming songs with a little flavor. Whimsical songs.”

The two said they are looking forward to performing together this Saturday, and hopefully, East Enders will like what they decide to do at Bay Street.

“It’s always a delight to me to be able to get up on the stage and sing,” Ms. Gasteyer said. “Hopefully, the audience be surprised in a good way and feel like they are getting the bang for their buck.”

As for Mr. James, he said that he has hopes for the show.

“We’re enjoying this a lot, because of our history together. We’ll see what happens, hopefully it’s a one night affair, kind of like an Olympic gymnast who sticks the landing,” he said.

Ana Gasteyer And Brian d’Arcy James will perform “One Night, Two Voices, Three Cheers” at Bay Street Theatre in Sag Harbor on Saturday, May 26, at 8 p.m. Tickets range from $65 to $75. Special $100 tickets, which include an after party with the stars, are also available. 725-9500 | baystreet.org.