Broadway-bound Glee star Jane Lynch recently appeared on Hollywood publicist Howard Bragman’s web series Gwissues to talk all about the fear and excitement surrounding her Main Stem musical debut in Annie.
“I'm scared,” Lynch confided in Bragman. “It's like jumping off a cliff and I'm also exhilarated. I haven't felt this way in a long time, you know, about doing some work that actually kind of terrifies me and also excites me at the same time…I’ve never done a musical.”
She may not have done a musical before, but thanks to Glee, Lynch has more than enough experience instilling fear in pint-sized actors singing showtunes. The TV and film star also has an impressive New York stage credit already under her belt, the long-running off-Broadway hit Love, Loss, and What I Wore.
“I did Nora Ephron's Love, Loss, and What I Wore a couple years ago, and that was a reading where you're sitting on your butt the whole time, you know, reading from a script,” Lynch said. “I'm playing Miss Hannigan in Annie, taking over for Katie Finneran—huge shoes to fill. She's an amazing, amazing actress. And ironically, I took over for her on Love, Loss, and What I Wore, too. So, I'm kind of following Katie Finneran around on Broadway.”
They may be huge shoes to fill, but we are sure confident Lynch is just the right actress to fill ‘em. Jane Lynch begins performances at Annie on May 16 at the Palace Theatre, and continues through July 14.