A Singtacular Evening of Alan Cumming and Ari Shapiro at Cabot Theater

Be the authentic you.

On a fabulous evening at the historic Cabot Theater in Beverly, a sold-out crowd eagerly gathered to enjoy Alan Cumming and Ari Shapiro's cabaret performance.

Alan Cumming and Ari Shapiro: Och & Oy! A Considered Cabaret delivers a delightful mix of beloved songs, playful banter, and funny stories. Alan Cumming (Cabaret, The Good Wife) and Ari Shapiro (NPR’s All Things Considered) have been seen on stage, in film, and written in journals, showcasing their dynamic talents and charm.

Cumming and Shapiro entered the stage singing, ‘Anything You Could Do (I Can Do Better).’ They are a talented duo with excellent singing voices. Cabot Theater’s acoustics perfectly amplified their rich vocals beautifully. They had a fantastic rapport, burning each other with humorous jokes. They had audiences laughing up a storm.

“You all look nothing like I imagined,” Cumming joked when he greeted the full house. He and Shapiro couldn’t believe they were here on the Beverly stage. With the audience's reaction, that was a fair statement. It’s an overwhelming feeling when you’re in the same room as a celebrity you’ve watched or followed for years.

“What am I doing here with Alan Cumming?” Shapiro jokingly asked, regarding his singing comrade. Both Cumming and Shapiro have admired each other from afar for many years. They first met in 2014 when Cumming was performing in Cabaret; Shapiro got invited backstage by a childhood friend to meet Cumming and the rest is history. They started performing their show, Och & Oy!, together in 2019.

Although the oddball stars come from different entertainment spectrums, they realized that they have a lot more in common than they thought. “Our list of things in common has grown,” Cumming happily stated. “We have each dipped a toe in the other’s waters.” Before becoming a star, Alan Cumming did journalism work for a year before entering drama school in Scotland. He was a sub-editor and wrote horoscopes for a local newspaper. Meanwhile, Ari Shapiro began working as an intern for NPR in 2001 before becoming a regional reporter, eventually working his way up to being the news organization’s London correspondent.

Shapiro shared that his first-ever singing experience took place at the Hollywood Bowl in 2009 with the song ‘But Now I’m Back,’ which he sang alongside the band Pink Martini. “That’s starting small,” he stated at the irony. The Hollywood Bowl is an outdoor amphitheater that seats 18,000, so it was an intimidating debut. “Nothing is scary after that.”

Under colorful beaming lights, Cumming and Shapiro removed their jackets to sing in white button-down, sleeveless shirts. Accompanied by Henry Koperski on piano, they performed several songs including Ben Folds’s ‘The Luckiest,’ Kristin Chenoweth’s ‘Taylor the Latte Boy,’ and ‘Nowadays’ from the Chicago musical. They also did a rendition of Barbara Streisand and Judy Garland’s song, “Get Happy/Happy Days Are Here Again.’

Their stories spanned their early careers, unforgettable moments singing alongside celebrities, and their journeys embracing their sexualities. Both recounted their coming-out experiences and also spoke openly about their marriages. Shapiro’s wedding even made headlines on NBC news stations in 2004. Despite the challenges they’ve faced, they have both proudly continued to create, perform, and love with unwavering authenticity.

Their conversations were particularly inspiring for one audience member. “During (the show), Cumming and Shapiro made many references to LGBTQ culture and history, which I enjoyed hearing about,” the audience member relayed. “I felt like I was in a room with people I could relate to.”

Their final skit was a game of celebrity roulette. This was my favorite and had audiences laughing with the countless stories Cumming told. Shapiro asked Cumming for tales with Liza Minelli, Kristin Chenoweth, Ian McKellen, and the late Chita Rivera. The story about McKellen and a nude beach now lives in my head rent-free!

“Be the authentic you.” That is the moral of Alan Cumming and Ari Shapiro’s cabaret show. For their final song, audiences joined in with Cumming and Shapiro to sing Bonnie Tyler’s ‘Total Eclipse of the Heart.’ It was a wonderful night out at Cabot Theater made memorable by the talents and uplifting stories of Alan Cumming and Ari Shapiro.