Review: Alan Cumming’s UNCUT

I had the pleasure of seeing Alan Cumming’s 2nd official performance of his new cabaret, UNCUT, in Fort Lauderdale Florida this past April. Here is my review:

Wearing his kilt and boots in an ode to his Scottish heritage, Alan comes out only with his musical director and pianist, Henry Koperski, and proceeds to put on an hour-long half-narrated, half-sung-and-danced summation of his life. Through the highs and lows, from his early childhood traumas to making it big on Broadway, Alan bares his soul to the audience in a way that is uniquely Alan — raw and unapologetic.

Pictured: Adam Zeldis, Alan Cumming, and Judy Kirkwood.

For me, and Alan would probably agree, the show reaches its climax near the end when he addresses the titular subject of his production. First, he regales the audience with his shock upon coming to the US and discovering the genitalia of most men are surgically altered at birth. Next, he discusses his ongoing intactivism work with multiple organizations, including Intact America. He then asks for the house lights to be turned on and for any ‘men who have their foreskins to raise their hands’! At my performance, only a few did. Empowered with his claim being validated using the sample size of our audience, Alan goes on to call circumcision what it is: mutilation. To offset this highly uncomfortable moment for most of the men there, Alan continues with a humorous story about showing his foreskin to his old makeup artist because she simply had never seen one before and wanted to know what it looked like.

The show wraps up shortly after this with the crowd at their feet and Alan playing his accordion, an important prop that is referenced multiple times throughout the show.

All in all, UNCUT was a great performance by one of the most famous, most consistently outspoken intactivists that you will find on this Earth — a must-see for any Alan Cumming fan or those who want to support his dedication to the cause!

—Adam Zeldis