Meryl Streep & Tracey Ullman Joined Broken Social Scene On Stage

Canada’s favorite Indie rock collective Broken Social Scene is currently touring to celebrate their album You Forgot It In People’s 20th anniversary. On Sunday night, the group stopped at NYC’s Webster Hall, where they ended up surprising attendees with some special guests: Tracey Ullman and Meryl Streep. Fans would probably have guessed a million other people who might end up on stage that night, but based on the reaction, they would not have preferred anyone else.

“Life is a beautiful, wonderful thing,” singer Kevin Drew began in his introduction. “They try to sell you it's something else, but it's wonderful. It's about the people you meet and spend your time with. We've been so blessed to spend our time with all kinds of wonderful people. I certainly have been blessed with amazing people in my life. This lady is one of them. The band loves her, she loves the band. We're so blessed she came to the show tonight. Please give it up for Ms. Tracey Ullman, everybody!”

And Ullman brought Streep with her, making a surprise into a double surprise. The two famous friends ended up leading the audience in a singalong to the MySpace-era classic “Anthems for a Seventeen Year-Old Girl.”

Ullman and Streep have been friends for decades, and are often a delight when on stage together. In 2018, Ullman even broke out an impression of Streep at the Tribeca Film Festival, saying in the Oscar winner’s voice, “‘Oh, peanut!'...‘We’re off like a herd of turtles.’ She talks like something from 1942. ‘Hey peanut girl.'”

At that same event, Streep recounted how the pair met when they were both cast on the film Plenty.

“I met you when I was 32,” Streep said, “and I said to my husband, ‘I think I’ve made a new friend.’ It’s hard to make a new friend when you’re old and famous.”

“We had babies at the same time, shared life experiences,” Ullman said of their friendship. “People ask me, ‘do you and Meryl talk about acting when you get together?’ Are you kidding me?”