Jane Lynch: A Swingin’ Little Christmas!
Jane Lynch
A Swingin’ Little Christmas!
Feinstein’s at the Nikko, San Francisco, CA, December 8, 2016
Reviewed by Steve Murray for Cabaret Scenes
Jane Lynch
Jane Lynch has been on a roll since her starring appearances in Christopher Guest’s improv mockumentaries, like 2000’s Best in Show. Since then, she’s cemented herself in the comedy pantheon with award-winning roles on the TV shows Two and a Half Men and Glee, as well as movies and recordings. The talented actor has won a Primetime Emmy Award, Golden Globe Award, Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series, TCA Award for Individual Achievement in Comedy, Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress–Series, Miniseries, or Television Film, and the People’s Choice Award for Favorite TV Comedy Actress.
Here at Feinstein’s, she’s celebrating the release of a retro Christmas CD, A Swingin’ Little Christmas!, with vocal help of friends Kate Flannery (The Office) and Tim Davis (Glee) and musical heavyweights: The Tony Guerrero Quintet. The format was loose, with a mix of heartfelt reverence for the Christmas classics, as well as some zany fun as one would expect from Lynch. Opening with “Swingin’ Little Christmas Time” (Tony Guerrero), Lynch and the TGQ rocked the joint and set the tone for the evening.
Flannery is a natural comedienne and often played the comic foil while Davis played the Bing Crosby/Perry Como role. Lynch shone on Guerrero’s original ditty, “Sentimental Christmas,” and the trio had fun with another of his originals, “Winter’s Never Cold (When You’re Around).” Davis, the vocal arranger for Glee, sang Guerrero’s lovely “Christmas Is My Favorite Time of Year.” Flannery added some spicy additional lyrics to the traditional “Good King Wenceslas.” Lynch, Davis and Flannery were having a ball, closing the show by singing an a cappella version of “Carol of the Russian Children” while flat on their backs. The members of the Tony Guerrero Quintet — Mark Visher on sax and flute, Dave Siebels on the keys, David Miller on bass, Matt Johnson on percussion and Guerrero on trumpet and keys — were consistently brilliant.
Lynch has created a comically kitsch throwback to the old WWII USO canteen and 1960s’ Christmas specials of yore. Just another feather in Lynch’s ever-expanding repertoire.
Category: Cabaret Reviews, Regional, San Francisco, San Francisco Cabaret Reviews
