Alan Cumming is bringing his Sappy Songs to Seattle. His new cabaret show is getting rave reviews across the country. He shares fun experiences in his life, performs songs that resonate with him and generally delights audiences wherever he goes. He has one performance at Town Hall Seattle this Saturday, July 2nd at 8pm. Get tickets here! Alan took a couple of minutes to speak with Equality365 about the show, traveling, his new PETA campaign and more. Enjoy the interview below:
Earle Dutton: Could you tell me a little about your show, “Alan Cumming Sings Sappy Songs”?
Alan Cumming: Well, I was asked by the Café Carlyle do to a new show. I decided that if I were to do another cabaret show that I wanted it to be something really personal, honest and open. I feel like really connect with all of these songs in a really emotional way. I think some of the songs have been a bit maligned or we think we know them because of the artist that made them famous. They might have performed it only one way and I really want to do it again in my own way. I am also funny so I tell lots of funny stories. I think all of that together makes it a real cabaret. I think it is a great cabaret actually. It is based on changing expectations, changing thoughts and changing emotions all of the time. It is a smörgåsbord of theatrical experiences. That really excites me. I like changing the genres of performances and playing with the audiences emotions.
ED: How fun was it to do that condom commercial with Ricki Lake?
AC: It was a hoot. It was an absolute hoot. That is one of the things I talk about in the show. I talk a bit about some of the creative things that have happened to me. It was a total gas. I can’t believe they let us get away with it.
ED: You have been travelling around a bit with the show now. What is your favorite part at the moment?
AC: Well, I really enjoy going around to different places, especially places I don’t know. I like going into a new environment and doing the show. I like meeting new people, engaging new audience members and seeing what they enjoy most. I really love the touring life. I don’t do it constantly. I just do it a bit sporadically. I really like going to different venues, connecting with people and seeing how things shift in tone. I think that is really my favorite part.
ED: You have had a great career and worked with some amazing people. Is there someone that you would really like to collaborate with?
AC: I don’t know. I am not one of these people that has a list of people that I want to work with or direct. When people ask me what play I would like to do, I can never think of one. I am not a yearner. I am those people that always has a lot of things going on. I am never twiddling my thumbs thinking I would like to work with this person. There are definitely people I admire. I just think if it was meant to be then it will happen. I am always really excited about the people that gravitate toward me and ask me to do things with them. I always think that yearning too much or focusing too much on the list of who you want to collaborate with makes you not pay attention to the present.
ED: Could you tell me a little bit about your new PETA campaign? I love the “Not a Dairy Queen” shirts.
AC: They launched it at Gay Pride. It is supposed to highlight and encourage a vegan lifestyle. They want to highlight some of the terrible things that happen in the dairy industry. People drink so much milk and eat so much cheese. I am vegan and love being vegan. I actually feel that it’s helped my health a great deal. I was a vegetarian for so long and I feel that when you are vegetarian your life is just drenched in cheese. Cutting that out really changed my skin and my voice. It made a big difference in my life. The “Not a Dairy Queen” is just fun and quirky in several levels.
ED: In closing, do you have a message for LGBTQ youth? This must be a really weird time to be young and LGBTQ in this country.
AC: I think it is always a weird time for gay people. With every stride we get there is always someone that wants to take it away. I think that there is this onwards and upwards curve to be LGBT in this country. Please, try and remember that always. Remember when you are feeling lost and lonely, there are a lot of other people out there just like you. You will find them. The thing about being LGBT is that you are special. It is really important to be vocal about your experience. That is the only way other people will take notice and change. Speak your mind. Keep talking.
He has one performance at Town Hall Seattle this Saturday, July 2nd at 8pm. Get tickets here!
Alan Cumming info from Townhall Seattle:
Dubbed “a bawdy countercultural sprite” by The New York Times, actor and activist Cumming is bringing his renowned talents to Seattle. Well known for his award-winning roles in television shows like The Good Wife and Web Therapy, he is also a Tony Award-winning stage performer (Cabaret). This performance is part of a national tour celebrating his new album, Alan Cumming Sings Sappy Songs, which includes his interpretations of pop hits such as (Billy Joel’s “Goodnight Saigon,” Miley Cyrus’s “The Climb,”), musical theater songs (“The Ladies Who Lunch” from Company, “If Love Were All” by Noël Coward) and numbers that Cumming has collected from around the world (“Mother Glasgow” from Scotland, “La Complainte de la Butte” from France, “How Do Humans Live” from Germany). Cumming is backed by his longtime musical director Lance Horne on piano, Eleanor Norton on cello, and Chris Jago on drums
So
Great! And sweet to
Meet you at Alex’s place. -Karen