Meggan Mullally

Last night we went to see Meggan Mullally & The Supreme Music Program at the Vaudeville Theatre on The Strand. Far from being a vanity production for a telly star, Meggan has worked with this band for 12 years and appeared in various musical roles on Broadway. Meggan was relaxed, long hair, glasses, black cardy and jeans, a show of two halves, with the first half being made up of songs I'd never heard of but the second half had songs by Jagger/Richards, Randy Newman and the incomparable Bobby Gentry.

I didn't know what to expect or, to be honest, what I was seeing. Meggan's voice worked better with some songs than with others, but I never knew where she was going with the songs, whether they were meant to be serious or jokey, or where she was taking us. The band is clearly very professional, as are her vocals, it was just an oddly constructed show.

She gave good understated anecdotes, about meeting Mick Jagger and him not knowing who she was (before her excellent version of 'Backstreet Girl'), explaining 'Fancy' as being the song all women should sing to their mothers on Mothers Day (the Bobby Gentry song about making your daughter a whore), about a trip to Prague with a hellish guide called Olga, and how her mother thought she was playing to the Queen - to which she *had* to say she was playing to some queens, but not the Queen (which was a bit obvious).

Much as I enjoyed seeing Meggan on stage I have to admit my mind drifted a bit, particularly re-running meeting Amanda Palmer in that very theatre at the Alan Cumming show and wondering whether she should hire the theatre. She received a standing ovation at the end and, cynical old me, I wondered whether people were clapping Meggan or Karen (off 'Will & Grace'). I suspect the latter, and wondered how many of the ovationers even owned one of her albums.

On leaving, Chris pointed out that the group of loud, thin, (obviously gay) men we'd circumvented included Graham Norton going mad for Meggan. Well, good for her. I don't think I'll be paying hard cash to see her again.