Festival of New American Musicals Hosts Master Class with Composer Stephen Schwartz

On Monday, February 15 The Festival of New American Musicals' newly formed Academy for Young Professionals presented day-long master classes in vocal performance and auditioning at the Edgemar Theatre in Santa Monica. 42 high school and college students, ages 15-22, participated in this exciting new program that helps theatrically talented students prepare how to best market themselves for a very competitive musical theatre career. Casting director Michael Donovan, choreographer Joe Schenck, and musical theatre veterans Amanda McBroom and Karen Morrow presented classes from 10:00am to 3:00pm.

At 3:00pm multi-award winning composer, lyricist Stephen Schwartz, whose tremendous hits Wicked, Godspell and Pippin have placed him at the top of his game, offered a master class in vocal performance.

After a brief introduction by Festival co-executive producer Marcia Seligson, Schwartz poroceeded to randomly draw 10 names from a bowl that contained the names of all 42 participants. He explained that he would draw 4 names, that they would then perform consecutively and afterwards be critiqued. He would then proceed with 3 more, and then a final 3. So that all students would feel some degree of comfort and support one another, each performer sang and then sat with the others in a group, after which Schwartz gave individual comments, one at a time, to the members of that group (see photo above). Then, if time allowed, students were given the chance to rework their song based on the comments made. Accompanists were Gerry Sternbach and Brent Crayon. There was a very bright array of talent performing songs way beyond their young grasp, but in a very courageous manner, such as "100 Easy Ways to Lose a Man", "Something Beautiful", "Broadway Baby" and "It's Hard to Speak My Heart" from Parade.

Schwartz is a very good teacher with a droll sense of humor, putting the students at ease and making them aware of how important it is to know to whom you are singing and why. A good singer must be a good actor. One young lad named David chose a very difficult song from Parade where the man accused of murdering a young girl must prove he is not guilty or face death. Emphasizing what is at stake, Schwartz told the boy "You must convince me you're innocent or...die!" After successfully reinterpreting the verse, the boy asked "Am I going to die?" Schwartz paused and caringly replied "No!" to the delighted applause of the entire audience.

When the performance was technically right on target, Schwartz was praiseworthy, but still offered some constructive criticism. Alex Fragoso has a lovely soprano voice and did well with "Something Beautiful" by Ahrens and Flaherty. Schwartz made her aware of the repetition of the word 'silent' in the song and how a good singer must be aware of all the different nuances of a word.

There followed a short Q and A with the students after which Schwartz told them to persevere, quoting Woody Allen, "The secret to life is showing up". He then lovingly performed one of the closing tunes from Wicked "Changed For Good" (see photo above) to a standing ovation, bringing down the curtain on a wonderfully successful day for The Festival of New American Musicals.

Interview with Heather Lee

(Top photo: from 1941 film Tom, Dick and Harry - Ginger Rogers, center and far right, Lee's great aunt Jane Seymour; bottom photo: Lee as the detective's mother in the Colony's 2009 production of No Way To Treat a Lady)

Actress, singer, dancer Heather Lee has been nominated for an LADCC award for her outstanding performances as all the ladies in No Way to Treat a Lady

at the Colony Theatre in 2009. She is currently preparing to play Ginger Rogers' mother in Backwards in High Heels at ICT in Long Beach.
A very interesting bit of trivia is that Lee's Great Aunt Jane Seymour was a highly regarded Broadway actress. She did mostly theatre and early television. She only did a couple of films: one of them was Tom, Dick and Harry for RKO in 1941 in which she played Ginger Rogers' mother.... so the family actresses have come full circle so to speak.

Q: What is it like playing Ginger Rogers' mother? She was a classic Mama Rose, right? How have you been preparing for this role?

HL: Lela Rogers is Mama Rose-Lite. Lela was a stage mother and a very significant influence on Ginger’s career but was not quite as hungry/driven as Mama Rose. First of all she had her own career. She was a writer, initially for newspapers, then a screenwriter and after Ginger’s Hollywood career took off she became Head of New Talent at RKO Studios. Like Rose she was a survivor, a working woman and even though she was married twice, she basically was a single mother and raised Ginger on her own -quite a feat in those days.
As far as my research, I have been reading Ginger’s autobiography, digging around online and at the library and recently watched the one movie Lela appeared in with Ginger The Major and the Minor.

Q: What is your favorite role to date?

HL: That is a tough question. There have been many roles that have resonated with me for various reasons at different points in my career. Tessie Tura is certainly a highlight, the whole experience of doing the revival of GYPSY was a dream come true and I loved playing Tessie. April in Company, Cinderella in Into The Woods, Eustacia Fitch in Palm Beach….They are all unique and complex in their own ways. But I would have to say that Miss Adelaide in Guys & Dolls is right up there at the top. She is funny and strong and vulnerable and she can make you laugh and cry all at the same time.

Q: Do you prefer musicals to straight plays? If so, explain why. There are certainly more challenges involved!

HL: I love the musical theatre; it is probably my favorite medium. I love the people -There’s no people like show people- and I love the art form. That said, I love doing plays, especially well written comedies, but I have not had as much opportunity as I have in musical theatre. And you are correct; there are more challenges, which makes getting it right an even bigger reward.

Q: How difficult is it to do a show like Gypsy 8 times a week for such a long period of time? What do you do to keep it fresh night after night?

HL: I feel so very fortunate to have had the opportunity to originate the role Tessie Tura in the 2003-2004 Broadway revival of GYPSY starring Bernadette Peters and directed by Sam Mendes. It was a magical experience for me and I will cherish it forever. We ran for 14 months for a total of 484 performances and it felt too short. I could have done it forever. There was something new to discover in every performance. Part of that comes from our rehearsal process and the amazing cast and creatives. Lead by Mendes, we approached the show like a play with music. We did extensive scene work during rehearsals and I was fortunate enough to be working with some of the finest and funniest actors on Broadway. We had great respect for each other and no one ever phoned in a performance. We all continued to discover new things throughout the entire run of the show.

Bernadette is the most gracious leading lady in the business and a consummate professional and we all felt honored to share the stage with her at every performance. John Dossett, the quintessential leading man went to everyone in the cast and crew before every performance to wish them a good show. Brooks Ashmanskas, playing various roles, kept us all on our toes (and in stitches) with his ever changing choices each night. My fellow strippers Julie Halston and Kate Buddeke are brilliant actress/comediennes. We were an unlikely trio, which made both our on-stage and off-stage relationships that much richer. And we three were fortunate enough to be photographed by Richard Avedon for New York Magazine before he passed. The whole GYPSY experience was a dream come true. We had a very happy cast and are still extremely close today, which is very unique in my experience.

Q: That's super! Talk a little about No Way to Treat a Lady. You played about 6 different roles in that, right? Like Meryl Streep, you had the accents down to a tee. Was it a lot of fun?

HL: No Way To Treat A Lady was a welcome challenge for me. I actually played 5 characters, all different from each other and different from anything I had ever done. And yes, several accents were used in the making! Very sweet of you to compare me to Ms. Streep. The challenge for me was to make all five characters very distinctive, so that Heather was unrecognizable. I felt I had accomplished that when at a talk-back with the audience one night, a patron asked where the other actresses were who played the other roles. I assured her that I was all the other actresses. She insisted that I was not… I suggested she read her program….

Q: What is your all time favorite musical? Play? (You need not necessarily have done them!)

HL: Wow, that is tough. I think GYPSY is probably the finest crafted musical we have in terms of book, lyrics and score. I love almost everything Stephen Sondheim writes. Kaufman & Hart, Tennessee Williams..that question is too difficult to answer!

Q: Who are your favorite actresses? Film or stage!

HL: Billie Burke, Myrna Loy, Vivian Leigh, Goldie Hawn, Meryl Streep, Meg Ryan…Again, too difficult to answer!

Q: Do you yearn to play a certain role? Which one and why?

HL: I have been fortunate enough to play many of my dream roles. One that comes to mind that I have yet to play is Desiree in A Little Night Music and of course I would love to create a role in anything new.

Q: What do you believe is your mission as a truly great performer?

HL: Make ‘em laugh, make ‘em laugh!

Q: You were great as part of a cabaret at Sterling's about a year ago. You should do your own show. Are you considering that?

HL: Thank you. Many people have asked me that same question and I have been considering it but no plans for the immediate future!

Whatever is in store for Heather Lee she will take it and make it a tremendous success. She is one triple threat that you cannot affort to miss in Backwards in High Heels when it opens next week at ICT in Long Beach.

Backwards in High Heels Previews: February 23, 24 & 25 at 8 pm Performances: February 26 through March 21 Thursdays at 8 pm: February 25; March 4, 11, 18 Fridays at 8 pm: February 26 (Opening Night); March 5, 12, 19 Saturdays at 8 pm: February 27; March 6, 13, 20 Sundays at 2 pm: February 25; March, 7, 14, 21

@ INTERNATIONAL CITY THEATRE Long Beach Performing Arts Center 300 East Ocean Blvd.Long Beach CA 90802

(562) 436-4610 or http://www.internationalcitytheatre.org/

Interview - Gale Harold

Best known for his 6-year stint as Brian Kinney on Showtime's Queer as Folk, actor Gale Harold is currently treading the boards at Theatre/Theater in the rarely produced Orpheus Descending by Tennessee Williams through February 21. Talk about commitment to a role! On the night I attended the play the cast did a Q & A after the performance with audience at which time Harold shared a story about iconic teacher Stella Adler's script interpretation notes in which it was stated that she once shut a student down in scene study class for his "pedestrian interpretation" of Williams' lyric poetry in Valentine's monologue about the bird with no wings.

GH: She said something like "You cannot speak this as if you heard the story down on the dock." For an actor with great expectations, it gives you cold feet.

Q: You have obviously taken your preparation for this role to heart. As an actor, you are a very good listener, but so is Valentine. What do you feel this attribute contributes to his overall symbolism in the play? Is he a healer of sorts?

GH: I don't think Valentine's aware of that. Even though he's a hustler, he's had to survive by his wit and by his charm and by learning other things on the streets. When he communicates, I don't think what results he does consciously. I think it's just his spirit that's driving him. He loves to listen; he grew up all alone without family. There's that aspect of hearing things that probably most people couldn't hear. It's not what's coming through the words, but what's coming through your eyes and your heart. Like Stella (Adler) said, he listens to a voice, what's communicated through the soul. It's not something that we always come across.

Q: He's an unusual person. He's bigger than he knows.

GH: That's absolutely true. It's an allegory. He's a mythological character and a real person. You can't really be both if you know you're both. I'm treading very lightly on this, as I'm not really sophisticated to know.

Q: It's very complex and you're doing very well with it. What is the tune that Valentine keeps singing throughout?

GH: It's a poem that Williams wrote. The words of the poem...it's straightforward and simple. The meaning there is ...it's almost this country blues kind of song about this bird who is or is not this boy who is or is not this bird that used to be free. When he walked, he walked in a way on the grass that was growing in heaven. He was up in the stars and he watched the stars and he watched the sky, and one day he fell to earth. When he was given birth, he came out of his mother, but he's not himself in a different place. A beautiful image...the whole idea of it, I think!

Q: You played Dr. Cukrowicz in another Tennessee Williams play, in a New York production of Suddenly Last Summer. Would you compare this character to Valentine?

GH: I enjoyed playing him immensely. The characters themselves, even though they are both listeners, they're similar structurally in that a lot of their function in the piece is to listen. Listen to the memories, the ideas, and the passions. But they're incredibly different. Cukrowicz is young, somewhat ambitious, but still in his early stages, dealing with the procedure of lobotomy, which was very, very new. Not much was known about it. It was experimental, dangerous. That character is much more restrained, more about being the sounding board between the female characters. Valentine is much more involved. He's a transient and has some real problems in terms of the things he's done and up against. He's under scrutiny and gets put in a vey dangerous situation. He's a much more lyrical, active part of the story. The ideas are much more complicated in Orpheus Descending. In our production, Lou Pepe (director) has done a great job. When you take a great myth and incorporate it into a modern story, you get vastly different aspects, ambitious and compelling.

Q: Do you have a role that you really yearn to play?

GH: There are so many. I don't like to talk about it, actually. I let those ideas kind of percolate out there.

Q: Is there one part that you've played that stands out in your mind?

GH: There've been some great ones, but I'm still waiting for that one... Valentine is probably the most encompassing. You do the background work and it grows on you. It's quite a fire.

Q: You have a good singing voice. Have you done musicals? If not, do you want to do one?

GH: I haven't. I'm an extreme novice. I'm so out of my league.

Q: How did you enjoy your role in Desperate Housewives?

GH: I enjoyed it. It was something very different, very new for me. The way that Marc Cherry writes, the way that he sees what's going on...it was challenging. I'm not a comic and didn't have a lot of experience doing comedy. In that project, there's that fine line between comedy and dark drama. The things that are funny are not horrifying, but shocking or troubling. There's a very specific idea of timing and the way it works. And I immediately realized I had to say, "Marc, tell me, direct me, because I'm not sure where I'm really at!" It was fun.

Q: Are you more challenged with stage work than with doing film?

GH: In theatre, you go up, you do a performance each night, and you have things that change from night to night... the house, the way they're responding, the vibration that's coming back to you, or how they are not responding, your own nervousness, the fun of just being able to let it run every night. The other side is keeping your energy up, keeping your perspective clear. There's the challenge of making sure that you're playing each scene as if it's happening for the first time. On the other hand, I love films and working on film sets. And there's something that really fascinates me about getting into the light someone that may be over in 18 days or however long you're working. What seems banal is challenging. I love it all. If the material is good, and if the people that are putting it together are motivated and have a sense of humor and aren't afraid of really pushing each other to uncomfortable places, then there's nothing better.

Q: Good! What do you think is the real success of Queer as Folk? Why is it still so popular in rerun?

GH: It represents for many people something new and the way to have their voices expressed. There is a combination of...the way the original was (the British version), there's a bit of an anarchic: life is short, don't get put in a box, don't be scared to make choices that are not based on someone else's ideas, stay true to the things that you believe in whether they are good or bad, right or wrong. There's a bit of soul survivor, as in the role I was playing. That ideology was in the original and to some degree in ours, and also there's a lot of sex. Anytime you have something with a lot of sex, you're going to have fans. It's human nature. The American version had a bit of camp built into it. If you can hit the bullseye and make it funny and make it relevant, but still have some soul to it...

Q: What do you feel is your most important mission as an actor?

GH: Oh, God, I would hope it would be to ...on some level whatever the job is, whatever the part is ...to try and find the truth in whatever you're doing. Nonjudgmental truth. And then communicating it so that it is believable, even if it is a lie, and that it is true for each person that watches it. Everybody knows eveybody on some level. We can all imagine. And that's why the arts, drama is so important, because it continually tells our story. It allows us to revisit and live on through it. Be a storyteller and get it out there so that it can be understood, make sense and do its job.

Q: Anything up and coming for Gale Harold?

GH: It's all pretty much up in the air at the moment.

Based on seeing this man in Orpheus Descending and talking with him, I sense that it won't be up in the air for long. He's a serious actor who is not afraid of taking risks, big risks and is therefore bound for glory.

Squigs Shows MY Lines

Caricaturist Justin 'Squigs' Robertson shows my lines above. Be sure and check out my interview with him below and also @ http://www.broadwayworld.com/ los angeles
(Search under Don Grigware!)

Happy 2010 to all my readers and check out my new website design by Fred Barca @ Euro American Media!

2010 Interview with Justin "Squigs" Robertson

Actor Justin 'Squigs' Robertson is an amazing caricaturist of theatrical celebrities. Born in Corvallis, Oregon and raised in Lebanon, Oregon, he moved to Los Angeles in 1990 to attend college.

Q: When did you start drawing?
JR: I’ve drawn for as long as I can remember. All kids draw. Some just don’t stop. Dad has artistic abilities too and I think it was his encouragement early on that led to my passion for drawing. My folks were so great about getting lessons for whatever us kids showed an interest in, and so I took some painting courses at a local studio and won an award at the town fair. I just kept at it, and once I started performing semi-professionally in the theatre in 1993, I began giving cast sketches as closing night gifts. My vocation came directly from the word of mouth and support from many angels over the years.

Q: When did it become more than just a hobby?
JR: Over the years, the closing night gifts led to commissions, and gradually commission requests were not only coming from folks in my local Los Angeles theatre community but also from far-flung locales like Seattle and Chicago and Washington DC and then Broadway. It’s been gradual, but I would say that the career has taken a few steps forward with some extra self-promotional effort since 2006. And in 2009 I committed myself to the exercise of creating at least one fresh and timely sketch each week for posting on my Facebook page, “Squigs Knows His Lines.” It’s been a great exercise that has opened some doors, both professionally and, more importantly, in my own perception of my work.

Q: Is Hirschfeld your idol? How do you respond to people who say you are the next Hirschfeld?
JR: I would definitely say that he’s an idol. I own nearly all of the published books of his work and I own one of his lithographs. No matter how many times I look at his drawings, I’m always astounded by his potent economy and the dance of his line. I’m incredibly honored when folks see his influence in my work, but there will never be another. He’s a true legend. If I can fill even a portion of the void he left, with a fraction of the style in which he worked, I’d be happy.

Q: Who are other inspirational artists?
JR: I’m consistently blown away by Robert Risko, Sam Norkin, Bob Staake, John Kascht, Kristen Ulve, Steve Brodner, and the recently departed David Levine.

Q: Do you do anything besides caricatures?
JR: I play ukulele. And I can sort of juggle. Oh… the art. I have also dabbled in character and logo design, coloring books, storyboarding for short films, and educational illustration.

Q: Do you do work on both coasts or pretty much in California?
JR: I’ve lived in Los Angeles for almost 20 years (with one or two trips to the east coast each year for the past five years or so), but I’ll be in New York soon… May in fact (after a few months in chilly Milwaukee). But wherever I’m located, I work rather well from photos (and videos when available). So I feel grateful that I’m able to draw anyone anywhere with the right reference material.

Q: Who do you consider your best caricature?
JR: That’s really hard to pin down. There are so many factors. Each time I draw someone I do my best to capture not just their likeness, but their essence in a specific moment. And I try to do it in the fewest possible lines. If I’m successful at that, it makes me very happy.

Q: Things are going well for you!?
JR: I’m incredibly grateful to do what I love, and so many amazing folks have helped me along the journey. It has been quite a ride and we’re only picking up steam. Thank you Don for the opportunity to ramble a bit. Happy New Year everybody!

(Above left, the current New York revival of A Little Night Music with Alexander Hanson, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Angela Lansbury; right, T. R. Knight and Lara Pulver in the Taper's brilliant Parade this past season.)

Visit:

www.squigsink.com

for many more!!!!!!!!!!!

2010 interview with actor/producer Chad Borden

Actor/producing director of Havok Theatre Company Chad Borden has been treading the boards in LA theatre for many years, this year being Ovation nominated for his portrayal of Molina in Kiss of the Spider Woman (photo, above top).



Q: Tell me about Havok's new season and your opening production.
CB: THE STORY OF MY LIFE opens our new 2010 Havok Theatre Company season at the Lillian Theatre in Hollywood with previews beginning on February 25. Two years ago when our inaugural production of THRILL ME was running at the Hudson, several people said we should look at this new musical called THE STORY OF MY LIFE which was part of the NAMT Festival. Nick DeGruccio (our Havok Artistic Director) and I have multiple shows which are constantly swirling around our brains as potential production material. After producing something as ambitious as KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN to close our first season, we felt something small and simple would be best for our next show. We chose STORY because of no other reason than...the story. Nick and I always gravitate towards material with a moving core story. Written by Neil Bartram and Brian Hill and nominated for 4 2009 Drama Desk Awards including Outstanding Musical, it is a beautifully distilled treatment of two best friends who grow apart over the years for seemingly unknown reasons.

Q: How did you enjoy F*cking Men?
CB: I really enjoyed my first experience at the Celebration Theatre in F*CKING MEN. It was a great part, and a very different part for me. As an actor, I always relish the chance to dive into new material and new characters.

Q: Is your commitment to Havok the reason for your not being in the extension of it?
CB: Yes. I just finished playing the Grinch in the GRINCHMAS shows directed by Dan Mojica at Universal Studios while doing pre-production on THE STORY OF MY LIFE. Our Havok production and rehearsal schedule in January and February will require all of my time and focus.

Q: How was Fiddler at the Rubicon?
CB: I loved working at the Rubicon! James O'Neil and Karyl Lynn Burns create a wonderful family with each show up there in Ventura. FIDDLER is simply iconic, and I was so lucky to play Motel in a great production with lots of friends, new and old.

Q: Is Molina in Kiss your favorite role? If not, what is?
CB: Yes. Molina in SPIDER WOMAN is my favorite role. Also close to the top of the list are my roles in THE LARAMIE PROJECT and the Emcee in CABARET.

Q: Who is your favorite actor? actress? Film or stage!
CB: It's hard to name just one, but when I think of one actor who has affected me over the years in film, on television, AND on stage, I would definitely say Glenn Close. She always makes the unexpected choice, and that's thrilling to me.

Q: Do you have a favorite play or musical of all time?
CB: For musicals...anything Kander & Ebb...SPIDER WOMAN, CHICAGO, CABARET. I also love BIG RIVER, and I'm still a sucker for OKLAHOMA! As for plays, AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY is rooted in my recent memory, but I would still say ANGELS IN AMERICA is my favorite play of all time. I will never forget scoring a last-minute cancellation ticket on Broadway, and seeing that play front row center mezzanine with the original cast.

Q: Do you yearn to play a certain part?
CB: Albin in LA CAGE AUX FOLLES....someday....when I grow up!

visit http://www.havoktheatre.com/

December, 2009 Interview - Alan Cumming

Actor/singer Alan Cumming, Tony Award Winner for his role of Emcee in the smash revival of Cabaret (1998) is a singular performer and humanitarian. He reopens his brilliant cabaret solo show I Bought A Blue Car Today for one week only December 13-18 on the second stage of the Geffen Playhouse, where his initial engagement (end of September-beginning of October) was SRO for all performances.

I caught up with him after his return from Australia and his appearance on the Macy's Thanksgiving Day

Parade.

Q: What is the very favorite role on stage that you’ve played?

AC: It’s usually the role I am doing at the moment. (I’m a very in the moment kind of guy). So right now, I guess my favourite role would be me!!

Q: What role do you long to play?

AC: I have always wanted to play Jean in Miss Julie, and lately I’ve had a yearning for Iago in Othello.

Q: Were you trained in London or Scotland?

AC: I trained at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow, bonnie Scotland.

Q: What do you think is the advantage of your training over that which American actors receive? Do you encounter a big difference in acting styles between Americans and Europeans?

AC: I think the biggest difference is that we tend to get a more concentrated sort of training, more intense and then it’s done, rather than the idea that you go on training for years in little dollops here and there. I think American actors are victim to the over-analysis of acting and the various derivations of the Method, and consequently I think they tend to make it all a bit more difficult for themselves than it needs to be. I think Europeans tend to just dive off the cliff and get on with it rather than try and remember a sense memory of what it might feel like to jump off a cliff.

Q: You mention in the show that you were shy and it was difficult for you to sing, and for that reason, this show is a challenge for you. Enhance upon that for us!

AC: Well, I know I can sing a bit, but I also know that the way I sing is not the type of singing that you might expect from a Tony award winning musical actor, and so I think over the years I have worked myself into a frenzy about the increasing potential to disappoint an audience by doing a show like mine. Therefore it got more and more scary for me and when I finally decided to do it, it seemed an even bigger obstacle. But of course doing it, and singing my way (which is sort of just like how I speak but with a tune) and realizing that audiences respond to that and are refreshed by it has been a great thing for me.

Q: What is your favorite musical show of all time (not necessarily one that you’ve done) and why?

AC: Cabaret. It’s got it all. It’s got substance, something to say and great tunes.

Q: I thought your scene in Eyes Wide Shut was hilarious. How do you feel about gay roles in film? Do you think gays will ever get their proper recognition? Will they ever be represented properly on film or television sans stereotypes?

AC: I really believe that the train has left the station in terms of equality. It has already happened in some countries, like the Uk, even Catholic countries like Spain, and I believe it will happen soon in America. I think the sooner that happens the sooner people will be forced to confront their prejudices and the sooner gay people will no longer be feared and hopefully will be represented more positively. As for me playing gay roles, I really don’t make a distinction. It’s unusual that sexuality is the most important thing about a character.

Q: Who are your favorite actors on film and on stage?

AC: I adore Dianne Wiest, Meryl Streep, Jane Lynch, Chris Cooper, Bobby Canazale. But most of my favourite actors in the world you’d never have heard of like Laurence Spellman, Siobhan Redmond, people I have worked with in the UK.

Q: The thing I love about your show is that you go out on a limb to be you. You put it out there for the world to see and admire. For that reason I’ve picked you as Best Solo Show: Male on my website for 2009.
Elaborate a little on your political views and your choice for the title of the show.

AC: Gosh, thanks so much! My political views are pretty left-wing by American standards. I want MORE government. I want a socialized health service. I want free education for all. I want the rich to pay more taxes to help out the poor. And I believe everyone should be legally recognized as equal and deserving of everything society has to offer, regardless of their race, religion, gender or sexuality

Q: What’s up next for Alan Cumming? I read you are going to New York this spring to star in a new musical? Elaborate on that!

AC: I am going to play the Green Goblin in the musical Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark, directed by Julie Taymor, with music by Bono and the Edge. It’s very exciting, and I think will be a totally incredible spectacle. So that’s exciting. And before that I am doing a film called Burlesque with Cher and Christina Aguilera, and also doing some appearances to promote my record.

Q: You make your characters on film – the cartoon ones – bigger than life and you are ideally suited to that. I know the recognition off screen for them is immensely satisfying, but isn’t there some great dramatic role you see yourself playing at some point?

AC: Well you know, I’ve done my fair share. I think that the more commercial films and therefore the ones that people see you doing more tend to skewer their opinions of what the entire body of your work is like. But that’s ok. I just hope that if people like something I’ve done they’ll seek out the smaller and more weirdy work too. Go to http://www.alancumming.com/ for the full skinny.

Q: Care to advise our readers on anything?

AC: Wear a condom! Come and see my show! My record is the perfect holiday gift! Call your mother!