Jane Lynch does her comedic song-and-dance shtick in See Jane Sing, a musical jukebox comedy cabaret that hearkens back to the bygone days of Lynch’s 1970s midwestern adolescence. Joe’s Pub provides the perfect setting for Lynch and her tremendous band The Tony Guerrero Quintet, comprised of Tony Guerrero (Trumpet), Mark Visher (Woodwinds), Matt Johnson (Drums), David Siebels (Organ/Piano), and David Miller (Bass). Although the six-foot actress could have filled a much larger space, the intimate venue carries her remarkably strong voice well.
Warming up the crowd along with the Quintet is Tim Davis, vocal arranger for Glee, who would come back to accompany Lynch on half her set. His rich vocals are well-suited for his solo choice, Sinatra’s “Fly Me To The Moon.” Rounding out Lynch’s trio is Kate Flannery, best known as Meredith on The Office (U.S.). Flannery basically performs a version of that character, one part brassy tart, one part drunk, and plenty inappropriate. She and Lynch enjoy a nice banter, both joking within the songs as well as in between.
But the music is what it’s all about. See Jane Sing has plenty of good songs from a diversity of genres (who else can pull off Irving Berlin’s “Mr. Monotony” and Nicki Minaj’s “Anaconda” in the same set?) and Lynch’s trademark deadpan humor peppered throughout. Sporting a mischievous twinkle in her eyes as she sings “Slappin’ The Cakes” or performing the fictional Folksmen’s “Blood on the Coals” from the Christopher Guest film A Mighty Wind, Lynch has a kind of restrained diva inside her.
Particularly memorable are the medleys, one of which Lynch curates as a series of love songs that set a completely unrealistic standard of relationships. The Love Song Medley features “For the Love of Him,” “I Can’t Live (If Living is Without You),” and a rousing version of “It Must Be Him All The Time.” There is just enough bitterness in Lynch, a recent divorcée, but it’s all in good fun. The “Songs That Made Us Cry As Kids Medley” shows that even Lynch can make sad songs funny. It begins with “Puff the Magic Dragon” and ends with a sing-along reprise. Other songs that made the cut include “Seasons in the Sun,” “Daddy Don’t You Walk So Fast,” and a pretty little Irish ditty that turns into “Roll Out the Barrel” that Flannery performs before Lynch cuts her off for “killing the vibe.”
The sequence of songs in See Jane Sing, Lynch jokes, carries no real arc or theme to it. They are simply songs she likes. It makes you feel as though you are in someone’s private karaoke room. If I had friends who could sing like that, you’d better believe I wouldn’t be doing any karaoke with them. Like her turn as Miss Hannigan in Annie on Broadway, Lynch proves she’s not just another canned voice on a popular television show. She’s a real triple threat.
