Photography: Francis Hill
Why I love Adelaide: Alan Cumming
For the first time, the Adelaide Cabaret Festival has an International Artistic Director. Alan Cumming is a Scottish actor, singer, actor, writer and filmmaker who can now add artistic director to his long and impressive resume. He is also performing during the Cabaret Festival, and you can watch Alan in his two shows, Alan Cumming Is Not Acting His Age and Club Cumming. Alan first visited Adelaide in 1989 and made an immediate connection that meant he has traveled back to Adelaide many times in the last three decades. Read what is was about Adelaide that made him form such a connection with our city.
Tell us about your visits to Adelaide?
I would say my relationship with Adelaide is like an intense and sporadic lover. I first came here 32 years ago to perform at the Adelaide Festival Centre for the cabaret show that I was touring Australia with a friend of mine who I started off at drama school called Victor and Barry. The last time I was here was a few years ago to perform at the Her Majesty’s Theatre during the Adelaide Cabaret Festival and I’ve been a few other times as well for fun, including once on a road trip. Over the years I have visited Australia quite a few times but I have always had a soft spot for Adelaide because I had such a lovely time when I first stayed here for two weeks, 32 years ago. I stayed in Glenelg, caught the tram to the city and it was so lovely. It made a big impression on me.
You have said you have made a proper connection with Adelaide, why is that?
I think it was the welcome I got. I had been in Sydney before that and I feel like in most countries there’s always like a big two city rivalry – it’s Sydney and Melbourne and New York and LA. I feel like Adelaide doesn’t have to compete in that way, it’s got its own personality. I like that, I think that was the biggest difference.
What is your best memory in Adelaide?
The discovery of the pie floater. That was literally the first thing I asked for as Artistic Director of Cabaret, that we had to have vegan pie floaters, they will be available to purchase in a truck outside the Adelaide Festival Centre.
What are the shows you’re most looking forward to seeing at the Adelaide Cabaret Festival?
I’ve got so many favourites I’m looking forward to. Johnny Young’s Talent Time 50th anniversary, that is going to be exciting. I can’t quite believe that such an iconic Australian performance is coming at all. I love magic and there’s a show called Poof that James Galea is doing this weekend and then there’s a really great show about the Ern Malley Affair literary hoax. It’s all over the shop, there’s some knitting, there’s some penis painting, there’s a lot of stuff going on. There’s also my show of course, I would say my show is the best show.
Some of your favourite Australian talent featuring at the Festival?
I’ve got a few really good Australian friends who I have invited to come. Mark Trevorrow does Bob Downe. He’s doing this night show with Willsy called Adelaide Tonight, that’s really exciting – I’ve loved him and known him for 33 years. Bojana Novakovic, she was my co-star in Instinct, a TV show in America, she is an Aussie and she is here doing her Blind Date Project and then there is Kim David Smith, he’s doing his Mostly Marlene show. There’s a lot, that’s what has been lovely about doing this, I’ve been able to bring a lot of Aussie friends to the festival.
Why did you decide to take on the role of Artistic Director in Adelaide?
I always love coming to Australia I just thought it would be a really great thing to do. When I took on the job of course it was pre-covid so the world kind of changed dramatically during the course of it. I just thought it would be a really fun experience – I love the form of cabaret, I love coming to Adelaide and to get to curate an entire festival is something I’ve never done before and I’m always game for new experiences.
What are some of your favourite places/events you’ve been to in Adelaide outside of the Cabaret?
I got out of quarantine on Saturday and went straight (although there was nothing straight about it) to Mary’s Poppin, the drag club. We had such a laugh there because there was a few of us in quarantine together and we were able to go let off steam so that was fun. Apart from that though I’ve just been to the Adelaide Festival Centre so once the rain stops, I will get out and about and experience more.
