It's a bit of an understatement, but with Alan Cummingyou're never going to get bored.
The 51-year-old performer is provocative in the same way legends like Al Jolson, Judy Garland, and Hugh Jackmanare: Dangerous; sexually, kinetically, and vocally. Minnesota audiences will get a chance to watch him strut his stuff when he brings his " Alan Cumming Sings Sappy Songs" to Orchestra Hall Saturday at 8 p.m.
The show, which was recorded live last summer at New York's Café Carlyleand released on CD, shows off the Tony Award-winner to his best advantage.
There's a generous amount of Broadway showtunesfor theater mavens who who were turned on their heads, twice no less, when Cumming headlined revivals of Kander and Ebb's iconic musical " Cabaret," but the Sondheim and Coward standards are here partnered with a repertoire that includes everything from Annie Lennoxto Rufus Wainwright, and even medley of Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, and Adele(although, it should be noted that the Orchestra Hall program will be announced from the stage the night of the performance, according to press notes).
His performance at the Carlyle won him yet another award: Best Show by a Celebrity Male. Cumming is every inch the celebrity, one who isn't afraid to get down and dirty about his personal life, as well as with his carefully-selected material.
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And, while there's no money back guarantee, it's a sure bet that this volcanic countercultural activist won't let the Orchestra Hall audience out of his powerful grip. And, it's another sure bet that, in his gifted hands (and vocal chops), the songs will be anything but sappy.
(As much as it seems Cumming is his own, one-man band, he'll be joined here by his longtime collaborator and Emmy-winning musical director, Lance Horneon piano, and cellist Eleanor Norton. The orchestra has the night off.)
