Alan Cumming
Alan Cumming Sings Sappy Songs
Castro Theatre, San Francisco, CA, June 30, 2016
Reviewed by Steve Murray for Cabaret Scenes
With a devilish grin, Tony Award winner Alan Cumming took to the stage with a powerful, emotional cover of fellow Scot Annie Lennox’s “Why,” the tone for the evening was set. Reprising his critically acclaimed 2015 show that he had performed at the intimate Café Carlyle in New York City — and recorded as a live CD— Cumming intertwined covers of pop songs with intimate reminisces of his past in an evening that was anything but sappy.
Backed stunningly by longtime Musical Director Lance Horne on piano, Eleanor Norton on cello and Chris Jego on drums, Cumming is absolutely riveting onstage: funny, witty and extremely vulnerable and authentic.
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His choice of material was eclectic, from Jessi Alexander and Jon Mabe’s “The Climb” (a hit for Miley Cyrus) to English alternative rock band Keane’s haunting “Somewhere Only We Know” (Tim Rice-Oxley/Tom Chaplin/Richard Hughes) to Noël Coward’s “If Love Were All” to Rufus Wainwright’s “Dinner at Eight.”
Most songs would start quiet like a tender ballad, and then roll to a simmering boil, sometimes exploding with rage and anger. Billy Joel’s Vietnam opus “Goodnight Saigon” became a heartfelt tribute to Cumming’s late grandfather.
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There was a smart mashup of Adele/Dan Wilson’s “Someone Like You,” Katy Perry/StarGate/Sandy Vee/Ester Dean’s “Firework” and the Lady Gaga-recorded “Edge of Glory” (Stefani Germanotta/Fernando Garibay/Paul Blair) highlighted by Horne’s piano and Norton’s poignant cello accompaniment.
Cumming sings with his natural Scottish accent, thick at times, unlike his character, political consultant Eli Gold from the hit TV show The Good Wife. His family stories were moving, and a tale of Liza Minnelli concocting a mother-daughter memory was priceless.
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It’s too bad the sound system at the cavernous Castro movie theatre let Cumming down. The soft bits were exquisite, but when Cumming let loose, the echoing din drowned out some lyrics.
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Foregoing that glitch, Cumming’s show was a smash, with perfect amounts of talent, musicality, charm and humor.
