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Tony winner @AlanCumming (Twitter)/@AlanCummingSnaps (Instagram) & renowned journalist and singer @AriShapiro join forces for Och & Oy! A Considered Cabaret at the @KimmelCC (Twitter)/@KimmelCulturalCampus (Facebook and Instagram) on 10/17! For more information, please visit kimmelculturalcampus.org.
Press Contacts:
Lauren Hall Hannah Clough
484-832-1963 267-765-3726
lhall@kimmelcenter.org hclough@alliedglobalmarketing.com
KIMMEL CULTURAL CAMPUS PRESENTS
TONY AWARD® WINNER ALAN CUMMING AND RENOWNED JOURNALIST & SINGER ARI SHAPIRO FOR OCH & OY! A CONSIDERED CABARET
ON OCTOBER 17
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (September 2, 2021) - The Kimmel Cultural Campus presents Tony Award® winner Alan Cumming and renowned journalist and singer Ari Shapiro on its Merriam Theater stage on Sunday, October 17, 2021, at 8:00 p.m. for Och & Oy! A Considered Cabaret.
Alan Cumming (Cabaret on Broadway, CBS’ The Good Wife) and Ari Shapiro (NPR’s All Things Considered, Pink Martini band) both transport audiences to other worlds through their stories. Now, they’re joining forces in SONG. Witness the exclusive debut of their new evening of tunes and tall tales, with musical direction by Henry Koperski.
“The Kimmel Cultural Campus is home to so many art forms – from Broadway to comedy, rock to jazz, family-friendly to classical, and everything in between,” said Ed Cambron, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the Kimmel Cultural Campus. “This is a unique opportunity to see two individuals, both exemplary in their work across a range of media, combine their talents for a refreshing new stage experience.”
In a statement, Cumming said, “I’ve got to know Ari over the last few years, both socially and when he interviewed me for a couple of events. The last time was an evening in D.C., and by the end of it I realized our chemistry and the unusual combo of us, as well as the fact that Ari has an amazing voice, would make for a really great cabaret show. And kapow! We’re doing it! What I love most is it’s fresh and ever-changing.”
Shapiro added, “When Alan first suggested that we create a show together, I didn't quite believe him. Then as we started to dig into this collaboration, I realized how much our professional lives actually complement each other. We’re both storytellers who try to help audiences better understand themselves and the world around them. This show lets us explore those shared ideals on stage together, through stories and songs.”
Alan Cumming has performed with Jay Z and Liza with a Z; he has won a Tony, hosted the Tony Awards®, and been nominated for an Emmy for doing so; he has a bar called Club Cumming and a soap called Cumming In A Bar; and he made back-to-back films with Stanley Kubrick and the Spice Girls. He has played God, the Devil, Hitler, the Pope, a teleporting superhero, Hamlet, all the parts in Macbeth, General Batista of Cuba, a goat opposite Sean Connery, Dionysus, a Smurf (twice) the EmCee in Cabaret (thrice), a James Bond baddie – oh, and political spinmeister Eli Gold on seven seasons of The Good Wife, for which he received multiple Golden Globe, Emmy, and SAG award nominations.
He is the author of five books, including a #1 New York Times best-selling memoir and his latest memoir Baggage will be published on October 26th; he played the first ever gay leading role on an U.S. network drama, CBS’s Instinct. He appeared on Sesame Street, Dora the Explorer, topless in Playgirl, and naked on the cover of his second album.
He has received over forty awards for his humanitarianism and social activism, three honorary doctorates, both the Great Scot and Icon of Scotland awards from his homeland, and was made an OBE (Officer of the British Empire) for his contributions to the arts and LBGT equality by the Queen, whose portrait was taken down when his was unveiled at the Scottish National Portrait Gallery in 2014.
He has sung in concert halls across the globe, including the Sydney Opera House, the London Palladium, the Hollywood Bowl and Carnegie Hall, and Billboard said of his show Alan Cumming Sings Sappy Songs “he's an icon to behold - he is unapologetically himself, and with a talent like that, he has no need to apologize."
Ari Shapiro has been one of the hosts of All Things Considered, NPR's award-winning afternoon newsmagazine, since 2015. During his first two years on the program, listenership to All Things Considered grew at an unprecedented rate, with more people tuning in during a typical quarter-hour than any other program on the radio.
Shapiro has reported from above the Arctic Circle and aboard Air Force One. He has covered wars in Iraq, Ukraine, and Israel, and he has filed stories from dozens of countries and most of the 50 states.
Shapiro spent two years as NPR's International Correspondent based in London, traveling the world to cover a wide range of topics for NPR's news programs. His overseas move came after four years as NPR's White House Correspondent during President Barack Obama's first and second terms.
Shapiro also embedded with the campaign of Republican Mitt Romney for the duration of the 2012 presidential race. He was NPR's Justice Correspondent for five years during the George W. Bush Administration, covering debates over surveillance, detention, and interrogation in the years after Sept. 11.
Shapiro's reporting has been consistently recognized by his peers. He has won two national Edward R. Murrow awards; one for his reporting on the life and death of Breonna Taylor, and another for his coverage of the Trump Administration's asylum policies on the US-Mexico border.
The Columbia Journalism Review honored him with a laurel for his investigation into disability benefits for injured American veterans. The American Bar Association awarded him the Silver Gavel for exposing the failures of Louisiana's detention system after Hurricane Katrina. He was the first recipient of the American Judges' Association American Gavel Award for his work on U.S. courts and the American justice system. And at age 25, Shapiro won the Daniel Schorr Journalism Prize for an investigation of methamphetamine use and HIV transmission.
An occasional singer, Shapiro makes frequent guest appearances with the "little orchestra" Pink Martini, whose recent albums feature several of his contributions, in multiple languages. Since his debut at the Hollywood Bowl in 2009, Shapiro has performed live at many of the world's most storied venues, including Carnegie Hall in New York, The Royal Albert Hall in London, and L'Olympia in Paris.
Shapiro was born in Fargo, North Dakota, and grew up in Portland, Oregon. He is a magna cum laude graduate of Yale. He began his journalism career as an intern for NPR Legal Affairs Correspondent Nina Totenberg, who has also occasionally been known to sing in public.
Other featured upcoming performances at the Kimmel Cultural Campus include: Mike Birbiglia Live! (October 2, 2021, Merriam Theater), John Mulaney: From Scratch (October 1-12, 2021, Academy of Music), Heather McMahan: The Farewell Tour (October 15, 2021, Merriam Theater), Alton Brown Live: Beyond The Eats (October 23, 2021, Merriam Theater), Django Festival Allstars (November 6, 2021, Perelman Theater), and The Princess Bride: An Inconceivable Evening with Cary Elwes (November 13, 2021, Merriam Theater).
Tickets
Tickets can be purchased by calling 215-893-1999 or online at www.kimmelculturalcampus.org. The Kimmel Box Office is currently closed, as the Kimmel Cultural Campus prepares to reopen to the public after 18 months on September 18, 2021.In-person ticket sales can be conducted at the Academy of Music Box Office, located at 240 S. Broad Street. Group sales are available for groups of 10 or more and can be purchased by calling 215-790-5883. See www.kimmelculturalcampus.org for more information.
ALAN CUMMING AND ARI SHAPIRO – OCH & OY! A CONSIDERED CABARET
Kimmel Cultural Campus’ Merriam Theater
October 17, 2021, 8:00 p.m.
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Safe & Clean Commitment
We will always put the safety of our guests, artists, and staff first, and we have worked closely with partners, producers, artists, guests and other performing arts centers around the nation to develop the most comprehensive plan to safely reopen our doors. We are committing to a healthy and clean environment with increased disinfection, enhanced ventilation, and will enforce recommended health authority guidelines, including masks and vaccinations upon reopening.
For more information on our Safe & Clean Commitment, please visit kimmelculturalcampus.org.
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In response to the City of Philadelphia’s mask mandate, masks will be required when inside our buildings. Masks are required to be worn at all times when on the Kimmel Cultural Campus, except when actively consuming food or beverage in designated locations. Prolonged periods of mask removal are not permitted.
Effective September 18, all attendees for public events must show proof of full vaccination at the time of entry. Proof of negative COVID-19 tests will not be accepted, with the exception of children under the age of 12; children under 12 will be required to show a negative PCR test result taken within 72 hours of the event. This policy is subject to change based upon guidance from the CDC and local health authorities. Details and procedures are in development and will be rolled out to the public and ticket holders ahead of the September 18 reopening event.
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KIMMEL CULTURAL CAMPUS
Located in the heart of Center City, Philadelphia, our mission is to engage the region's diverse communities with art through performance and education. Our Cultural Campus serves more than 1-million guests per year and includes Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, the Academy of Music, and the Merriam Theater – representing more than 160 years of rich history for the performing arts along Philadelphia's Avenue of the Arts. We are home to eight esteemed Resident Companies: The Philadelphia Orchestra, Opera Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Ballet, The Philly POPS, PHILADANCO, The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, The Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, and Curtis Institute of Music. With nearly 9,000 seats per night, we are the region's most impactful performing arts center, and the second largest in the country. Our Cultural Campus serves as a preeminent and inclusive place to enjoy exceptional experiences that reflect the spirit of our region by cultivating a creative and socially responsible environment where our community shares experiences that are delivered with pride, integrity, and respect. As a 501 c 3 nonprofit organization, we collaborate on, present, and produce a broad range of relevant and meaningful events, we serve as an active gathering space for social and community events, we educate the region's young people through access to quality arts experiences, and we provide support to artists in the creation of new work. TD Bank, America’s Most Convenient Bank, is the proud Kimmel Cultural Campus Season Sponsor. Read Kimmel Cultural Campus' vision statement, world view, and mission statement here. Learn more about our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion and how it encompasses our mission, co-workers, and programs here.
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For photography, please visit https://kcccpress.smugmug.com