The actor and writer Alan Cumming was born in 1965 in Aberfeldy, Perthshire. His prolific acting career began in the mid-1980s and has included screen roles in Emma, The Good Wife and Schmigadoon!. On stage, he won an Olivier in 1991 for his performance in Accidental Death of an Anarchist and a Tony in 1998 for playing the Emcee in Cabaret. Cumming has published a novel, two children’s books and two memoirs. His latest book, written with his old comedy partner Forbes Masson, is Victor & Barry’s Kelvinside Compendium, published by 404 Ink; the pair will appear at Wigtown book festival on 6 October. Cumming lives between Scotland and New York with his husband, the illustrator Grant Shaffer.
1. Theatre
Oh, Mary!, Lyceum theatre, New York
This play is written by Cole Escola, a bitingly funny performer who’s been a New York cabaret scene fixture for years. I saw it off Broadway when it first opened and it blew my mind. It’s now on Broadway and I love that, because it’s the weirdest, downtowniest, queerest thing. It’s directed by Sam Pinkleton, and Escola plays Mary, the wife of Abraham Lincoln – the premise is that she always wanted to be a cabaret singer. It’s just nuts and brilliant and hilarious – and so dirty. I can’t wait to see it again.
2. YouTube
Full disclosure: I am obsessed with pressure washing. I own a pressure washer and it gives me so much satisfaction to make everything sparkling – concrete, fences, windows, awnings. I also follow some power-washing accounts on Instagram and YouTube. This guy, SB Pressure Washing, is just such a darling. He goes to people’s houses and washes their yards for free so he can use the videos on his channel. I love the fact that I chanced upon the Robin Hood of pressure washing via my obsession. So I say hurray to him.
3. TV
Just for Us (HBO)
This is a combination of a standup routine and a play – I saw it at the Beacon theatre in New York – that was filmed as a special for HBO. It’s a hilarious, moving and thought-provoking story about a young Jewish man, Alex Edelman, who was being trolled by antisemites on social media and ended up going to a meeting of white supremacists in Queens. It ping-pongs back and forwards between so many different scenarios but it’s so brilliantly paced and judged, with real tenderness as well as biting comedy. I would exhort everyone to watch it.
4. Art
Colin Davidson: Silent Testimony, National Portrait Gallery, London
I saw this a few weeks ago while killing time before a West End matinee. It’s a series of portraits by painter Colin Davidson of people affected by the Troubles in Northern Ireland. It’s an amazing example of the way that art can speak louder than mere facts and news reports. Davidson did all the paintings in quite a short time with a group of people whose pain has all come from the same root cause, and so it’s got this commonality to it, and it makes you feel more empathetic – you can see the pain etched into their features.
5. Album
Soweto Gospel Choir and Groove Terminator: History of House
A gospel choir from Soweto and an Australian electronic producer have combined to do this album which I just adore, with versions of house music hits performed by African voices. I really respond to familiar things interpreted in a way that makes us see them afresh and maybe even enjoy them more than the original. When I sing songs myself, I only do it if I feel I can bring something different and new. That’s partly why I’m so obsessed with this record. It’s connecting you to something that you understand but giving you a whole new way to appreciate it.
6. Magazine
This is a beautiful LGBTQ+ magazine in Scotland. I chanced upon it a couple of years ago and subscribed to it. They have great illustrations, photography and articles, and it’s a true community magazine, because it’s not just about Glasgow and Edinburgh but also what’s going on in the tiniest places in the Hebrides and Highlands. It’s a perfect example of what a community magazine should be, connecting people who might feel alone. I get it delivered to my house in Scotland and it feels like receiving an actual piece of art. I’m so full of admiration for the people who make it.
