“We were born in the 60s, we’re now in our 60s so we’re singing songs from the 60s” is a paraphrase of a joke made Sunday, Aug. 23, where beloved comedy actors (and amazing singers – wow!) Jane Lynch (“Glee”) and Kate Flannery (“The Office”) brought their “The Trouble With Angels” tour to the Federal Way Performing Arts and Entertainment Center (PAEC).
A cabaret on par with the Rat Pack — alcoholic jokes included — the show was as memorable at it was hilarious. Who knew that, not only were both of these broads fantastic vocalists, but they are also old friends that have been touring and singing together for years, and what a treat it was for them to make their way to “Seattle-adjacent Federal Way.”
Starting off with an intro by a snazzy jazz band, led by musical director Tony Guerrero, I have to admit that things were not going as I had expected – I suppose that’s my fault for wanting to go into the show as blind as possible. In my mind, I thought that it was going to be something akin to a Nick Offerman-type live show where there are songs, jokes, humorous musings; Just substitute the on-stage woodworking with some physical comedy (which is what I had expected from Flannery) and bam! The Trouble with Angels.
What I got instead was a charming, lively, entertaining and honestly starstruck performance by two powerhouses of television comedy who showed us all their incredible voices and chemistry.
While Lynch held her towering spot as the deadpan straight-man, Flannery zig-zagged across the stage as the more manic of the duo, playing up her background as the daughter of an Irish pub owner from Philadelphia and letting aspects of her beloved “The Office” character Meredith out into her banter. There wasn’t a single moment that I was not laughing or intently listening to these fabulous women sing.
While the humor was peppered throughout the bits and jokes, the real meat of the show was the musical performances. Lynch and Flannery’s voices blended so well together as they sang melodies and jazz numbers from the 1960s, including “One Note Samba,” a rendition of “Far From The Home I love” by the Barry Sisters, along with a song from “Once Upon A Mattress” and even the theme from “Celebrity Bowling,” it was a total treat to experience these songs as a millennial who only consciously knew a handful of the songs (thanks Nick at Nite and my Silent Generation grandparents!).
I came to the show as a major fan of these two unbeatable comedy and musical talents and I left wanting more of the 1960s; Not only do I want to explore more of the music of this era but I also want to experience more comedy and musical shows of this ilk – there’s something special about these kinds of live shows and I hope that, as the The Trouble with Angels tour (named for the 1960s Patty Duke film) continues, that more folks my age and younger can learn to appreciate this flavor of art.
