Megan Mullally, free at last

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“Will & Grace’s� Megan Mullally is more than a star --- she’s a trouper.

Mullally, who plays the title role in “The Receptionist� at the Odyssey Theatre through Nov. 21, is on intimate terms with a challenging flip side of stardom that has nothing to do with aggressive paparazzi. She’s an avid stage actor, and live appearances for her can feel like running a marathon: She knows that audiences don’t want to see an understudy when they’ve paid to see a star.

“I felt that pressure when I was doing ‘Young Frankenstein’ � on Broadway, she said recently. “Since I was the most recognizable name in the show, I always felt like, oh, God. I can never get sick or miss a show, because there were ‘Will & Grace’ fans flying in from all over the world to see that. And I always thought, what if I miss a show and a guy came from India or a lot of people came from Finland, South American countries, everywhere. I’d go out and sign autographs every night and go, if I hadn’t been there tonight and you’d come all the way from Russia, that would have been a real bummer.�

In the 10 months Mullally appeared as Elizabeth in the Mel Brooks musical during 2007 and 2008, she showed up for 350 performances, taking off only two weeks --- one for vacation and another for the pilot of “In the Motherhood.�

“I always go on when I’m sick,� she said. “Unless you’re throwing up, because that can be really unpleasant for the audience.�

-- Irene Lacher

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