Jane Lynch and Kate Flannery earned fame as colorful and eccentric characters on TV, but the two are more than just sitcom icons.
Lynch, an Emmy winner for her portrayal of Sue Sylvester, the diabolical cheerleading coach on “Glee,” and Flannery, a fan favorite as boozy Meredith Palmer on “The Office,” also excel as a cabaret team.
The two combine music and stand-up comedy on their current tour, “The Trouble With Angels.” It promises audiences “an evening of mischief and music from two familiar faces.”
The show comes to Birmingham on March 1, 2026, at the Alys Stephens Center’s Jemison Concert Hall. Tickets are $59-$89 for the 7 p.m. performance, available on the Stephens Center website.
“It’s like the Rat Pack … but with a couple of broads,” the show’s description says. “With powerhouse vocals, razor-sharp wit, and more than a few surprises, these two beloved stars serve up a cocktail of classic tunes, campy banter and devilish charm. It’s part cabaret, part stand-up, and all sass.”
Lynch, 65, and Flannery, 61, have toured together in the past, traveling the country with “A Swingin’ Little Christmas” show during the holidays. They also teamed for another cabaret show, “Two Lost Souls.”
“We trust each other implicitly,” Lynch said in a 2022 interview with the Los Angeles Daily News. “That’s so important when you’re on stage. Right before we go out, we do this thing we saw in a movie once where we pat each other on the back and say ‘Got your back.’ We really support each other out there, and there’s just this inherent trust and you need to have that to feel safe out there. I know if I throw her the ball metaphorically, she’ll catch it and throw it back and vise versa.”
The two met in Chicago in the late 1980s while performing with The Second City improv troupe, Lynch said during a 2021 interview on “The Kelly Clarkson Show.” She and Flannery have been friends ever since, onstage and off.
“We started singing together,” Lynch told Clarkson. “First we did it for fun, and then we started to do it for real, like we started going to events and galas, and we’d do a song. And then when her show was canceled and my show, ‘Glee,’ was canceled at the same time, we said, ‘Hey, we used to be a tour de force, but now we’re forced to tour.’”
Actually, both have long lists of TV credits, including “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” “Hollywood Game Night,” “The Weakest Link” and “Only Murders in the Building” for Lynch, and stints on “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” “Young Sheldon,” “Dancing with the Stars” and “The Masked Singer” for Flannery.
Lynch also made her mark in movies such as “Best in Show,” “A Mighty Wind,” “For Your Consideration,” ”The 40-Year-Old Virgin” and ”Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby.” She’s appeared on Broadway in revivals of “Annie” and “Funny Girl,” as well.
Lynch has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and a trophy case filled with five Emmy Awards, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, a Golden Globe, a People’s Choice Award and more.
Lynch and Flannery haven’t performed often in Alabama, and they’ll be making a rare appearance together at the Stephens Center.
Lynch does have a connection to Birmingham, however: Her ex-wife, Lara Embry, is a Birmingham native. The two were married for about three years, 2010-2013, and Lynch told AL.com she enjoyed visiting Birmingham during a 2011 interview.
“We went to a good sushi place and we went to a good restaurant and I can’t remember anything,” Lynch said. “I love Birmingham. Everyone is so nice, and Lara’s family is just the best.”
Lynch and Flannery have several tour dates on their agenda for “The Trouble With Angels,” including about a dozen shows in August and September. “A Swingin’ Little Christmas” goes on the road again in December, according to Ticketmaster, and “The Trouble With Angels” will relaunch in January 2026.
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