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Will & Grace star Megan Mullally chats to MM ahead of her ‘unorthodox’ new band hitting Manchester

What do you ask someone who’s done it all? After all, Megan Mullally, who played Karen in Will & Grace, has been in some of TV’s biggest sitcoms.

Roles in Seinfeld, Frasier and How I Met Your Mother plus recurring parts in Parks and Recreation and 30 Rock make the American actress an entertainment expert.

The outspoken star talked to MM about the return of Will & Grace, having fun in show business and her new, and more than a little bit eccentric, music duo, Nancy And Beth.

The double act, in which Megan performs with Friday Night Lights actress Stephanie Hunt, is described by the two as a ‘punk vaudeville band’.

If that sounds unusual then it’s an accurate description.

Megan said: “I’ve described it that way because it’s not like anything else.

“Stephanie and I perform unorthodox songs, sing in close harmony, and every song is choreographed. It’s not a show somehow, it’s a band. It’s like deconstructed showbiz.”

One of Nancy And Beth’s biggest singles Please Mr Jailer, a cover of Wynona Carr, comes with an unconventional, stylised video which is emblematic of the nature of the band.

Megan told us: “I wanted Stephanie and I to be somewhat enigmatic to reflect the tone of the record cover. Since we are a pair, there is a lot of symmetry and pairs of objects.

“My first inspiration was a Martha Graham piece where she makes shapes with her body in a big cone of fabric, but I didn’t bother to watch it, I just had a misty memory.”

The two met on a production and connected when Stephanie revealed her skill with a Ukulele, something which inspired them to make music together.

It should come as no surprise that someone like Megan, who has worked on so many films and TV shows, would know a whole range of celebrity stars.

In fact, her husband Nick Offerman is one of the stars of Parks and Recreation and has become a big pop culture figure.

However, he might be jealous to hear about the most interesting person Megan has spoken to.

When asked who it was, she said: “The musician Tom Waits. He’s the only truly cool person I’ve ever met. “

In terms of her most popular character, Karen Walker in Will & Grace, Megan was excited to reprise the role.

She said she thought Karen was popular because of how honest she was, ‘even though she’s generally wrong’.

Mostly, Megan loves what she does and is excited to continue towing the line of what is in mainstream in show business.

The new, ninth season of Will & Grace stems from the surprise election-themed reunion mini-episode released on September 26.

The new version of the show is set for release on NBC in late 2017/18.

*You can watch Nancy And Beth perform at the Palace Theatre on Saturday, 22 April. Tickets can be purchased HERE.

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