The actor Alan Cumming cooked up this solo show-cum-concert to help him overcome his fear of singing in public. It's hard not to conclude that the fear was justified. Cumming works hard to charm us, but over two hours it becomes apparent that his singing voice runs the gamut from acceptable to reedy. He's at his best with Mein Herr (a turn in Cabaret kick-started his career). His more intimate croonings give you more to wince at: there's a flattish rendition of Every Time We Say Goodbye and, bizarrely, he sometimes sounds like Mr Burns from The Simpsons. The songs are sandwiched by perilously thin banter, with plenty of name-dropping but little dirt when Cumming talks about his time in Hollywood. He can be a potent stage presence, especially when he's unleashing his mischievous, come-hither smile, but I have two words for those thinking about seeing his self-indulgent show: think twice.
Vaudeville Theatre, WC2