Opening the season, actor, singer, author, and activist Alan Cumming brings his smash-hit stage show
AMHERST, Mass.—Eat. Art. Love. That’s the theme of the UMass Fine Arts Center’s 2016-17 season: Experience the nourishing power of the arts. Its inspiration comes from Les 7 Doigts de le Main’s Cuisine & Confessions, one of many exciting events in its line-up this season. As the actors/acrobats dance, bounce, flip, and soar their way through this dazzling show, they also manage to cook banana bread, omelets, and pasta onstage. The message is that life happens in the kitchen and onstage — and that art is food and drink for the soul.
Opening the season, actor, singer, author, and activist Alan Cumming brings his smash-hit stage show, Alan Cumming Sings Sappy Songs, to UMass on Saturday, September 24, at 8 p.m. Backed by a trio of musicians, he’ll perform his favorite covers, along with some pretty amazing stories. Ticket-holders are invited to the season opening party in the lobby at 6:30 p.m. with desserts and cash bar.
Cumming premiered Sappy Songs in 2015 at the legendary Café Carlyle in New York, then took it on an extensive tour to venues in the United States, Canada, and Australia, and Scotland. This past spring, the show returned to New York, where Cumming made his sold-out, solo debut at Carnegie Hall and released a live album of the same name.
An iconic performer of stage and screen, Cumming played Eli Gold on CBS’s The Good Wife stole the show as the Tony Award–winning Emcee in Cabaret, and currently hosts PBS’s Masterpiece Mystery. He is the author of two books; Tommy’s Tale and his memoir, a New York Times best-seller, Not My Father’s Son. A tireless champion for LGBT civil rights and HIV/AIDS charities, Cumming serves on the board of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and works closely with amfAR, The Trevor Project, and the Ali Forney Center, to name but a few.
Tickets for Alan Cumming Sings Sappy Songs are $75, $70, $30; Five College student and youth (17-and-under) tickets, $30, $25, $20; and are available for a subscription discount. For tickets, call the box office at 545-2511 or toll-free at 800-999-UMAS, or purchase them online at fineartscenter.com. This event is sponsored by The Rainbow Times, UMass Catering, and WGBY TV 57.
For a complete season listing, call the box office for a brochure or visit its website, where you can find videos, links to artists’ web and social sites, and visitor info.
Subscriptions and single tickets, on sale now, can be purchased by phone, 413- 545-2511 or 800-999-UMAS, or via its secure website, www.fineartscenter.com. For smart phone users, the FAC has a mobile site.
[From a News Release]
