Megan Mullally: Her Lips Are Unsealed

Addressing her Advocate “coming-out” interview and her unexpected departure from Broadway’s Lips Together, Teeth Apart, new Party Down star Megan Mullally swears she’s not a diva — and not as bisexual as you want her to be.By Brandon Voss

Having won two Emmys as rich and bitchy socialite Karen Walker on Will & Grace, Megan Mullally now embraces the unglamorous life in the second season of Party Down, a comedy about a ragtag team of Hollywood cater-waiters, which returns April 23 on Starz. After discussing the impact of two major Advocate cover stories — hers in 1999 and friend Sean Hayes’s last month — Mullally, an accomplished stage actress recently involved in a Broadway brouhaha to rival Jeremy Piven’s Speed-the-Plow sushi scandal, explains why fans should forget about Lips Together, Teeth Apart and focus instead on the future of Karen: The Musical.

The Advocate: Hey, Megan, how are you?
Megan Mullally: Good! Is this my Brandon? There’s a Brandon I did a big interview with for The Advocate years ago. Is that you?

No, sadly, I am not your Brandon. I wish that I were your Brandon. But that interviewer’s name was actually Brantley.
Oh, OK. Well, I could’ve had two Brandons.

Megan, times are hard. Why are you making me pay for the Starz network?
[Laughs] That was my mission — to make you get Starz. But it’s worth it because it will make you forget all your cares and troubles.

In a way you’re filling the gap opened by Jane Lynch when she left Party Down to join the cast of Glee. Those are some big sensible lesbian shoes to fill.
I know. It’s funny, because I’ve known Jane for many years. I saw a one-woman show she did years ago at the L.A. theater where UCB is now on Franklin. I was like, “OK, that bitch is amazing.” Then I’d see her around, and we have mutual friends, so we’re really friendly. Then I stumbled upon the first season of Party Down, and I was like, “What the hell? This is the best show!” So my husband [Parks and Recreation star Nick Offerman] and I both started watching it, and we couldn’t get over it. When she left to do Glee, I was like, “Thank you!” because then they offered me a role. So, yeah, I’m fulfilling exactly the same function as Jane, but it’s a different role.

Tell me about your character, Lydia Dunfree.
Lydia has moved to Hollywood from the Midwest with her 13-year-old daughter, Escapade, who is going to be the next Hannah Montana. Lydia’s very bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, extremely optimistic, superfriendly, and she loves everybody. Most of the other caterers are pretty cynical, so it’s a bit of a jolt for them when Lydia bursts onto the scene. But she’s got so much goodwill that they can’t resist her.

It must’ve been somewhat daunting for you to join an established cast after a whole season.
I never worry too much about that stuff because I always figure, “Oh, it’ll all work out and everyone will be nice,” and luckily they were. It’s the nicest group of people. They were so incredibly welcoming, and there was never a moment where I felt like the new kid or anything.

Talking about Lydia’s racist ex-husband, you get to say the phrase “Jew faggot” in the first episode, which really sets the tone.
[Laughs] I know, and I was very pleased when I read that in the script. Yeah, Lydia’s ex-husband is not a very nice person.

Lydia also reveals how her ex used to make her kiss her best girlfriend. Does Lydia have any bisexual tendencies?
Well, Lydia surprises you. She seems so dorky and naive — and she is dorky and naive — but there’s an episode where we cater an orgy, and she’s just really determined to get the host of the orgy to be her new husband so she can put a roof over Escapade’s head and take her to all her auditions. So if it were for the betterment of her daughter’s future, she’d probably go there.

Lydia is not a glamorous role. Did you mind having to wear that awful pink-and-white cater-waiter uniform all the time?
You think this isn’t glamorous, wait until you see me in Children’s Hospital [the Web comedy series moving to Adult Swim on May 2], where I play a hunchback who walks with a walker — the ugliest woman you’ve ever seen in your life. No, I didn’t mind it at all, because I don’t have a lot of vanity, especially as an actor. I feel like it’s all about the storytelling, so if you’re a caterer, you’ve got to wear that thing. By the way, that’s a $99 wig from Hollywood Boulevard that I’m wearing in Party Down. I just love that Lydia wanted to get a really hip haircut because she was moving to Hollywood, but it actually looks like Jane Kaczmarek circa 2002. I thought it was hilarious that that’s the coolest haircut she could think of and that was Lydia’s idea of glamour.

I’m so glad to hear that’s a wig. I was afraid you’d cut your hair like that for the part.
Oh, no. I mean, there’s sacrificing for your art, and then there’s just being dumb.

Does Party Down allow for improv?
Yeah, we improvise a lot, but at the end of the day we usually come back to the script. A lot of what you see in the finished project is scripted, but there will be some little improvised things that stay in. It’s a great way to keep everybody feeling creative and to keep our characters developing. It’s a really collaborative atmosphere.

You’ve spoken before in interviews about how some producers and directors have asked you to replicate your Karen mannerisms or voice for a role — like your experience with Finding Nemo. Is that something you ever had to fight when first joining Party Down?
Not at all. They had written this role that was very optimistic, naive, and other qualities that Karen does not have. They sent me three scripts, and when I read them I was like, “This is going to be a blast.” I immediately had an instinct about how I wanted to play it, and it’s just completely different from Karen. I think of myself as a character actress, and Karen’s just one of the characters I’ve gotten to play, but I feel like Karen takes on so much more weight because the show was on for eight seasons and it was such a popular show. But you have to move on to telling another story in a different world.

Party Down star Adam Scott is moving to Parks and Recreation, and it was recently announced that two additional cast members have been poached for other new shows. So if there’s a third season, only two original cast members will remain.
Wait, who else is leaving the show besides Adam?

Ryan Hansen and Lizzy Caplan.
Oh no!

If the show does return for another season, would you come back?
Yes, of course. The writers are great, and I feel like the spirit of the show is so strong that it would be easy for them to keep it going. And Adam would still be able to do, like, three episodes, so they could make it work for sure.

–>Have you had a chance to read The Advocate’s recent cover story on Sean Hayes?
No, I didn’t see it yet, but I did just see him on Broadway in Promises, Promises. Oh, my God, you’re going to die. The whole show’s amazing, but it’s the best thing I’ve ever seen him do. I’m telling you right now that he’s going to win a Tony — slam dunk. It’s like a star is born, even though he’s already been a star for 10 years. You’re going to freak out when you see how good he is. I’m so happy for him. I’ve seen him twice in the past week, and he’s such a doll.

Four years after Will & Grace ended, Sean’s Advocate interview marked the first time he’d spoken openly about his sexuality in the press. Did you and Sean ever have any conversations about whether or not he should come out? I imagine you probably had a very “so what, who cares?” attitude about it.
Yeah, I did have that attitude. There are totally two schools of thought about this, and there are a lot of people I really respect who are from both camps — the “So what, who cares?” camp and the camp that asks, “Yeah, but will this in any way impair my ability to get cast in certain roles? Would I still get cast as a leading man in a romantic comedy if everyone knows I’m gay in real life?” I don’t know the extent to which that really comes into play anymore — I think it still does, unfortunately, to a degree — but I think that conflict had something to do with his hesitation. Of course, in real life there’s nobody more out than Sean. It was just in the press that he didn’t want to say one way or another. I think he just felt it was nobody’s business, but I feel like he came to it in his own time. You also have to understand that Sean was 27 when we started Will & Grace, and Sean’s character was a sensation from the pilot. He’d never been on a television show before, so that was a lot to take in. It’s hard enough to keep your head on your shoulders, which he did, without having to deal with “Do I come out or not come out?”

In your own now-infamous 1999 Advocate cover story — which we’ve already established that I didn’t write — you said, “I consider myself bisexual, and my philosophy is, everyone innately is, although I’ve never had a full-on relationship with a woman, just a couple of what I’d term half-assed dalliances.” But I’ve read more recent interviews in which you’ve somewhat backpedaled and distanced yourself from that statement.
I think if you read the exact quote, it’s completely true, and it’s exactly what I meant. I do think everyone’s innately bisexual, but, as you know, people acknowledge that or realize that in themselves to lesser or greater degrees. Some people are completely unaware of it, and some people are very in touch with it. I was also saying that I’m just an open-minded person, and I feel like who you fall in love with is who you fall in love with. I was single at that time, and if I had fallen in love with a giant Samoan man or a beautiful woman from Ecuador, that would’ve been that. It could’ve been anything. It’s just more evolved to think in those terms — that it’s about the person and not their gender, skin color, height, or weight.

But after that Advocate interview, you’ve been pretty much labeled as a bisexual in the media.
Yeah, I know, I’ll still read that. My husband is always like, “Really? Are you bisexual?” [Laughs] I know the gay community wants me to be bisexual, but unfortunately I’m not as bisexual as people have wanted me to be. I am married to a man, we’ve been together 10 years, and I’ve never had sex with a woman. But I do still think everybody has an ability to love that isn’t limited by gender.

Especially given the play’s gay subject matter, your gay fans — myself included — were very much looking forward to seeing you on Broadway this season in the revival of Terrence McNally’s Lips Together, Teeth Apart before your unexpected departure from the project a couple weeks into rehearsal, which ultimately led to the show’s cancellation.
Oh, yeah, well, thanks for asking about that, but do you know about Karen: The Musical?

Yes, and I hope that, if nothing else, not doing Lips Together will allow you more time to focus on that.
Yeah, totally. It’s going to be a touring show. We’re going to be doing it in Los Angeles first, so you won’t have to travel far to see it. We’re developing it now. We’ve got a producer, a composer, and a director, so now we’re just looking for the perfect people to write the book. It’s going to be a big throwdown between Karen Walker and Beverley Leslie, so I think Leslie Jordan and I are going to have a lot of fun together. And because it’s a touring show, we can take it anywhere Will & Grace is popular, which is kind of everywhere.

But getting back to Lips Together for just a moment, there has been a lot of speculation about why you actually left the show. Personally, as a longtime fan, I don’t like reading reports of you being a total diva, so I’d love for you to clear up all those negative rumors. Will you ever release some sort of formal statement with your side of the story in your own words?
Yeah, someday the story will come out. But I think you and I both know that I am not a diva. It’s sweet of you to ask me about it, but at this point it’s not a big deal. Let’s wait until it all comes out organically, you know what I mean?

Fair enough. In the meantime, care to comment on Chace Crawford dropping out of Footloose?
[Laughs] I didn’t even know about that.

Sorry, I couldn’t resist. To end on a lighter note, after seeing your commercials for M&Ms and I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter, I firmly believe that you should sponsor everything. Is there another product you love or use regularly that you’d want to sell with singing and dancing?
It should be some kind of douche. Maybe Summer’s Eve. Why not? Or adult diapers. Let’s just go for it, right? [Laughs] OK, see? Now you’re my Brandon.

(http://www.advocate.com/)

Megan Mullally – At ‘Lips Together, Teeth Apart’ Event (HD)

Videos interview with Megan before her departure of Lips Together …

IT’S OFFICIAL: Megan Mullally Departs ‘Lips Together, Teeth Apart’

By PATRICK HEALY

The actress Megan Mullally, who won two Emmy Awards playing Karen on the NBC television show “Will & Grace,” has quit the forthcoming Broadway revival of the play “Lips Together, Teeth Apart,” its producer, Roundabout Theater Company, announced on Wednesday evening.

In a statement, Roundabout artistic director Todd Haimes did not provide a reason for Ms. Mullally’s departure, which he called immediate, but declared her in breach of her contract under Actors’ Equity union provisions. The author of “Lips Together, Teeth Apart,” Terrence McNally, said in a separate statement that Ms. Mulally’s departure from the show was “devastating.”

A spokesman for Roundabout said on Wednesday evening that he was unaware if the theater company would file or was considering filing a grievance with Actors’ Equity against Ms. Mullally, who was set to play Chloe Haddock, one of four characters in the ensemble-cast production, which was to start preview performances on April 9. Those previews will be delayed.

The entertainment blog Deadline New York reported on Tuesday evening that Ms. Mullally was exiting the show because she “simply had had enough of the abrasive manner of director Joe Mantello.”

While Mr. Mantello discussed having a temper and working on patience in a New York Times profile in 2004, one theater executive familiar with Ms. Mullally’s departure said on Wednesday evening that Ms. Mullally’s relationship with Mr. Mantello was not her main source of unhappiness with the production, and that involved another person. The executive, who described the private discussions on condition of anonymity, would not offer further explanation.

Mr. Haimes’ statement reads:

We were surprised and disappointed that Megan Mullally had to withdraw from the production immediately in breach of her contract. With the loss of Megan in a four person ensemble, work has been delayed after only two weeks of rehearsal. We have wanted Joe Mantello to direct this comedy since he staged a reading for us three years ago. We expect to announce replacement casting shortly. The first preview performance will be delayed. The opening night date remains April 29th.

Reached on Wednesday evening, a publicist for Ms. Mullally expressed surprise at Roundabout’s action. “We’re surprised to hear that Roundabout made an announcement,” the spokeswoman said. She asked for time before discussing the situation further.

Preview performances for the production were expected to begin April 9 at the Roundabout’s American Airlines Theater. The fact that the production’s opening night will remain the same means that the play will qualify for consideration for this year’s Tony Awards, which a cut-off date for eligibility on the same day, April 29.

A spokesman for Roundabout said that Mr. Haimes would have no additional comment, and he did not reply to email or phone messages.

Mr. McNally said in his statement:

Joe and I were thrilled to be in the rehearsal room with these four actors. Joe is my longest and one of my most trusted collaborators. We have waited and worked for almost three years to make this production happen. Megan Mullally’s decision to withdraw at this late date is devastating.

Broadway lore is full of stories of leading ladies and leading men clashing with each other and with their directors, and it was not clear on Wednesday what factors had caused Ms. Mullally to reach the point that she decided to quit the show.

Mr. Mantello did not reply immediately to a phone message seeking comment.

Roundabout announced the casting of Ms. Mullally in December, and rehearsals have been underway for a couple of weeks. The play, about two couples sharing Fourth of July at a Fire Island beach house that one character inherited after her brother died of AIDS, also stars David Wilson Barnes (“Becky Shaw”), who plays the husband of Ms. Mullally’s character; the comedian Patton Oswalt, in his Broadway debut; and Lili Taylor (“I Shot Andy Warhol,” HBO’s “Six Feet Under”).

All ticketholders scheduled for a canceled preview will be contacted directly by Roundabout once the revised schedule has been confirmed, the theater company’s spokesman said.

“Lips Together, Megan Mullally Departs?” I don’t know….

Someone are saying out there that Megan is out of Lips Together, Teeth Apart. According to some sites that have published this “news”, Megan has had enough the director Joe Mantello, because he is too abrasive and confrontational with his actors.

But calm down!

There’s nothing official yet. The official website of RoundaBoutTheatre not said anything about it. I do not believe in speculation and gossip behind the scenes, perhaps this is just an invention to take the credibility of the show or the professionalism of Megan. Until we get the official announcement, if it exists, that to me, is just gossip!

Exclusive Interview LIPS TOGETHER, TEETH APART

Megan Mullally on exclusive interview Roundabout Theatre Company,  about LIPS TOGETHER, TEETH APART 2010.

Tony® winner Joe Mantello directs Emmy® winner Megan Mullally, standup sensation Patton Oswalt, Obie winner Lili Taylor and David Wilson Barnes in the acclaimed comedy Ben Brantley of The New York Times calls one of Terrence McNally’s best.

www.lipstogetheronbroadway.com

Megan Mullally Shows Off New Teeth to New York Times Staffers

Double-Emmy winner took a “wrong turn” in Mexico and ended up with new bicuspids.

NEW YORK, NY — To the delight of many, double-Emmy Award winning “Will and Grace” actress Megan Mullally made a surprise stop at the New York Times earlier today to show off her new set of teeth.

Theater critic Ben Brantley had heard about her new choppers over the weekend and invited her over to show them off to an admiring crowd that included Sam Sifton, Trish Hall, Lorne Manley and Janet Maslin.

“Lorne wanted to touch them, but I wouldn’t let him,” said Mullally, most recently seen as a guest-star on television’s “Parks and Recreation” opposite real-life husband Nick Offerman. “But later I let Janet do it.”

According to Mullally, her shinyy new teeth are due to a wrong turn she and her husband took on a recent trip to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

“We turned derecho instead of turning left, and ended up in a huge new dental clinic,” said Mullally. “With the exchange rate being so favorable, I just couldn’t resist.”

But Manly commented sourly that the new teeth were most likely a ploy to publicize Mullally’s role as Chloe Haddock from the 1991 rendition of “Lips Together, Teeth Apart,”  opening at the American Airlines Theatre on April 29th, 2010.

Mullally will also be starring in a new Broadway musical entitled “Karen: The Musical.”

She told the assembled staffers, the musical will have Mullally reprising her role of Karen Walker from television’s “Will & Grace.” Mullally stated that the show is currently being written and composed. She has stated in an interview that the show may also involve the “Will & Grace” recurring guest star Leslie Jordan in his role as Beverley Leslie.

PHOTO FLASH: Lips Together, Teeth Apart’s David Wilson Barnes, Megan Mullally, Patton Oswart, and Lili Taylor

By: Brian Scott Lipton · Mar 16, 2010  · New York

Patton Oswart, Lili Taylor, Megan Mullally, and David Wilson Barnes (© Tristan Fuge)

David Wilson Barnes, Megan Mullally, Patton Oswalt, and Lili Taylor, who star in the Broadway premiere of Terrence McNally’s Lips Together, Teeth Apart, met the press on Tuesday, March 16.

The production, to be directed by Joe Mantello, will run April 9 -June 20 at Roundabout Theater Company’s American Airlines Theater.

McNally’s play, originally seen Off-Broadway at Manhattan Theatre Club, takes place on the deck of a beach house on Fire Island, where a brother and sister and their respective spouses attempt to celebrate the Fourth of July with a gnawing uncertainty about their lives and their futures.

The creative team will include John Lee Beatty (scenic design), Tom Broecker (costume design), Paul Gallo (lighting design), and Darron West (sound design).

Barnes, who will play John, previously appeared on Broadway in The Lieutenant of Inishmore. His other stage credits include Becky Shaw, Lady, St. Crispin’s Day, Vengeance, and Hamlet. Mullally, who will play Chloe, has appeared on Broadway in Young Frankenstein, Grease, and How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. She is best known for her Emmy Award-winning turn as Karen Walker on Will & Grace. Oswalt, who is making his Broadway debut as Sam, is one of America’s most popular stand-up comics. Taylor, who will play Sally, has previously appeared on Broadway in the Roundabout’s production of The Three Sisters.

For further information, visit www.roundabouttheatre.org.

LIPS TOGETHER, TEETH APART Tickets Go On Sale 2/23

Tickets go on sale tomorrow, Tuesday, February 23rd for Roundabout Theatre Company‘s (Todd Haimes, Artistic Director) upcoming Broadway production of Terrence McNally‘s comedy Lips Together, Teeth Apart starring Megan Mullally (Chloe Haddock), Patton Oswalt (Sam Truman), Lili Taylor (Sally Truman) and David Wilson Barnes (John Haddock).

Directed by Joe Mantello, Lips Together, Teeth Apart will begin performances on April 9th, 2010 and open officially on April 29th, 2010 at the American Airlines Theatre on Broadway (227 West 42nd Street). This is a limited engagement through June 20th, 2010.

The design team includes John Lee Beatty (Sets), Tom Broecker (Costumes), Paul Gallo (Lights) and Darron L West (Sound).

Lips Together, Teeth Apart takes place on the elegant deck of a beach house on Fire Island. A brother and sister and their respective spouses attempt to celebrate the Fourth of July with a gnawing uncertainty that makes their affluent habits and petty prejudices sizzle in the summer sun. In this unforgettable comedy, Terrence McNally does for the beach house what Chekhov did for the Russian country estate.

TICKET INFORMATION:
Beginning Tuesday, February 23rd, tickets will be available by calling Roundabout Ticket Services at (212)719-1300, online at www.roundabouttheatre.org or at the American Airlines Box Office (227 West 42nd Street). To become a Roundabout subscriber visit www.roundabouttheatre.org or call Roundabout Ticket Services (212)719-1300. Ticket prices range from $66.50 to $116.50.

Through ACCESS Roundabout, 100 $10 tickets will be offered at each of the 1st four preview performances beginning April 9th.

www.roundabouttheatre.org

Megan Mullally returning to Broadway in Terrence McNally play

December 22, 2009 | 10:24 am

Her post-”Will & Grace” television career may not have gone as smoothly as planned (a syndicated talk show bearing her name was canceled in 2007 after only a few months on the air), but Megan Mullally seems to be on a roll when it comes to the theater.

The Emmy-winning actress recently finished a critically acclaimed run in Adam Bock’s “The Receptionist” at L.A.’s Odyssey Theatre Ensemble. Now Mullally is set to return to Broadway in the Roundabout Theatre Company’s production of “Lips Together, Teeth Apart” by Terrence McNally.

The play is scheduled to open at the American Airlines Theatre on April 29, according to Playbill.

McNally’s play, which had an off-Broadway run in 1991, tells the story of two siblings spending July 4 at a beach house on Fire Island with their respective spouses. The production will be directed by Joe Mantello and will co-star Patton Oswalt. Additional casting will be announced at a later date.

Mullally’s most recent Broadway appearance was in Mel Brook’s musical “Young Frankenstein.” She has also starred in revivals of “Grease” and “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.”

The original off-Broadway production of “Lips Together, Teeth Apart” took place at the Manhattan Theater Club and starred Nathan Lane, Swoosie Kurtz, Christine Baranski and Anthony Heald.

Baranski played the role of Chloe, which Mullally will assume in the new Broadway production. Lane played the role of Sam, which Patton will take on Broadway.

A production of “Lips Together, Teeth Apart,” starring Lane, ran at the Mark Taper Forum in L.A. in 1993.

In his 1991 review, Frank Rich of The New York Times described “Lips Together, Teeth Apart” as “a fine new play.”

He added: “The bright wit that has always marked Mr. McNally’s writing and the wrenching sorrow that has lately invaded it are blended deftly throughout three concurrently funny and melancholy acts.”

– David Ng

Photo: Megan Mullally. Credit: Jennifer S. Altman / For The Times

(http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/culturemonster/2009/12/megan-mullally-returning-to-broadway-in-terrence-mcnally-play.html)