Two Diving Lost Souls descent on Scottsdale

OPENING NIGHTS

Two divine lost souls descend on Scottsdale

By Seth Reines

“Music is one of God’s gifts to us.”

— Jane Lynch

Kate Flannery and Jane Lynch performing at Café Carlyle by David Andrako.

62NOVEMBER 2019 | ECHOMAG.COM

ENTERTAINMENT

Celebrated actresses and singers Jane Lynch and Kate Flannery bring their Two Lost Souls tour, featuring their one-of-a-kind spin on songs from Broadway to The Barry Sisters to the Swingin’ Sixties, to the Scottsdale Center for the Arts November 23.

Lynch spent her early career in the Chicago improv scene before moving on to roles in over 70 movies and more than 100 television shows. Most famous for her coach Sue Sylvester on Glee, Lynch made her Broadway debut as Miss Hannigan in Annie for a limited run in 2013.

Lynch: I hadn’t done a play on stage in what might have been 25 years. The minute I got out there, I got the bug again. I loved it so much, I relished every moment of doing it, with the audience right there to respond. Soon after, I got an offer to do four nights of cabaret but didn’t have a show. So, I had to call Kate.

Echo: “Kate” was Kate Flannery, best known for her nine seasons as Meredith the drunk on The Office. But Lynch’s history with Flannery stretched back to their improv days.

Lynch: In Chicago in the ’90s, we were moving through the same circles, doing sketch comedy at The Second City and Annoyance Theater. A bunch of us moved out to LA together to do The Real Live Brady Bunch. We’ve always stayed friends. We come from the same culture and love the same music.

Since 2013, when Lynch and Flannery began performing See Jane Sing, a musical revue spanning a broad range of genres from pop to swing and jazz, the two have become inseparable. Although they both continue to have busy careers, they still find time to collaborate on shows — a Christmas tour was

their second and Two Lost Souls is their third.

Lynch: Two Lost Souls is kind of a celebration of our friendship, all of the things we both love and our dynamic together. We’re astounded how lucky we are to have found each other. We’re like sisters, but we haven’t fought yet. When we decided to create a brand new show, we met at a restaurant, had lunch, small talked for about an hour and a half and then started throwing songs at each other. As we started singing together, the comedy between the songs began to take form.

Echo: What was the process in creating Two Lost Souls?

Lynch: It doesn’t really feel like a process. It’s more like, oh, we haven’t met in a week, we should sing. It took us about three months of “meeting” to devise Two Lost Souls. The hardest part was choosing what we’re going to do. We sat there staring at each other with no ideas and then we’d just start writing a bunch of stuff down: songs we wanted to sing — I’d send her songs, she’d send me songs, then we’d cull it down to 18 songs. The show’s title came from the song of the same name that Kate suggested we perform. I said that’s fantastic, and I think it’s the name of our show, too. There’s really no theme to it except songs we love to sing, with our little buffooneries in between. As we started singing together, the comedy between the songs began to take form.

Reviewing Two Lost Soul’s 2018 New York premiere, The Hollywood Digest raved, “I knew that Jane could sing. However, I was pleasantly surprised at the vocal ability of Kate. Her harmonies were magnificent, and the two were a perfect singing match.

They showcased a diverse selection with essentially something for everyone. The show was captivating, the comedy spectacular, and the vibe was absolutely precious.”

Lynch: I sing all day long. I love music and I love singing with other people. I loved singing in choirs. It was my refuge. I never wanted to be up there alone. I pity people who don’t love music. It soothes your soul and is one of God’s gifts to us. Whether it’s a symphony or a choir or the amazing Tony Guerrero Quartet which backs Kate and I in Two Lost Souls, music is like divinity for us.

For tickets to Two Lost Souls’ one-night performance at Scottsdale Centre for the Performing Arts on November 23, visit scottsdaleperformingarts.org.

Courtesy of Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts.

M. Seth Reines is an award-winning theater buff who has directed more than 500 productions nationally for stage and television, and formerly served as head of Roosevelt University’s musical theatre program.

ENTERTAINMENTECHOMAG.COM | NOVEMBER 2019

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