On July 16, Kristin Chenoweth was the first Broadway favorite of the night to greet host Seth Meyers on Late Night With Seth Meyers.
Now starring in season two of the NBC anthology comedy Trial & Error, Chenoweth revealed that it was season one star John Lithgow who first persuaded her to consider the gig. “I was on tour. He called me and he said, ‘You have to do it. You're from the same planet I am; just do it.’”
Chenoweth plays Lavinia Peck-Foster, the unofficial first lady of a quirky southern town accused of the strange murder of her husband. “I based her on Lisa Vanderpump—the style and hairdo and her ring size. Then I also put in some Carol Burnett—my queen—and Madeline Kahn—the zany—there. There's a little bit of singing; I hearken to Dolly and Julie Andrews. And then there's Hannibal Lecter in there,” Chenoweth said.
The Tony- and Emmy-winning actor also spoke about her Broadway Boot Camp and the role that made her first fall in love with acting. (It isn’t what you think.)Star of Broadway’s The Boys in the Band Andrew Rannells then joined Meyers and Chenoweth, revealing that the two first met because Chenoweth found his number and left him a congratulatory voicemail while he was starring in The Book of Mormon.
As for The Boys in the Band, Rannells and his castmates are gearing up for the midnight performance of the show to benefit The Actors Fund. The play stars Matt Bomer, Charlie Carver, Robin De Jesús, Brian Hutchison, Jim Parsons, Zachary Quinto, Rannells, Michael Benjamin Washington, and Tuc Watkins as a group of gay men gathered for a birthday party in the 1960s, but alcohol and animosity cause it to fly off the rails. Chenoweth suggested the cast do the midnight performance while drinking onstage in the video below.
“What could go wrong?” asked Rannells.
The duo also talked about Rannell’s recent spot as a guest judge on RuPaul’s Drag Race and the contestant who mistook him for Jonathan Groff.
