Every third Wednesday of the month, a fabulous actor/singer/dancer fills out contributor Tom Mizer’s nosey little questionnaire and offers a glimpse of what he looks like from a bit closer than the mezzanine. For November, we are especially thankful for this handsome, talented and verbally dexterous man of the month…
Evan Siegel. Photo by Mark Jenkins.
Name: Evan Siegel
Hometown: Delmar, NY
Current Show/Role: Cabaret; Han/Rudy
The best part of the show I’m working on now is: The incredible cast and crew. I am beyond fortunate to work with such a warm, close-knit, and caring group of people. It is truly a joy to go to work every day, and to tell a timely and poignant story alongside people for whom I have boundless admiration, respect, and love.
The most challenging job in show business I ever had was: A few years ago, I was in Miami rehearsing for a cruise ship contract. I was required to learn mountains of material, including solos in Italian, Spanish, German, and Swahili. To complicate matters, I also had to miss 10 days of rehearsal to sing a series of benefit concerts in Zimbabwe with Teatro, an international platinum-selling vocal quartet. So one morning, I desperately rehearsed my daunting multi-lingual ship repertoire for a few hours, and then began a 50-hour voyage from Miami to New York to London to Johannesburg to Zimbabwe. This was my first time performing with Teatro, so I learned the entire 90-minute set in the airspace between North America, Europe, and Africa. Zimbabwe was mind-blowing, and we raised $50,000 for a child cancer relief organization called Kidzcan. Then I flew from Zimbabwe to Johannesburg to Cairo to New York to Miami, slept for a few hours, was back at rehearsal by 8 a.m., and a few days later flew to Italy for six months through the Mediterranean, Arabia, India, and Africa. I think I’m still recovering!
Evan Siegel. Photo by Kevin B. Winebold.
If I wasn’t a performer, I would be: A forensic linguist. My college degree is actually in linguistics, and while the field can be quite cerebral, it also has some fascinating practical applications. Analyzing language to help serve justice is towards the very top of the list. And in an alternate universe somewhere, I’m pretty sure that I am a zip line guide in Costa Rica.
Places, Intermission or Curtain Call? I have to go with curtain call. I prefer satisfied afterglow to eager anticipation, in general…
The best post-show cocktail in New York City is at: Club Cumming, of course! Alan’s dressing room is sponsored by a liquor company, and he is without a doubt the world’s most welcoming, generous, energetic, and all-around spectacular host. He even chops vegetables and makes soup in his crock pot every Wednesday between shows in preparation for our weekly “Soup Night”. The guest list is unfathomably eclectic, and within the hallowed halls of Club Cumming I have hung out with a dizzying array of celebrities, artists, models, authors, designers, and other fascinating people. Club Cumming is not just a place for post-show cocktails; it is an immersive celebratory experience that is without equal!
Evan Siegel. Photo by Peter D. Brown.
After you’ve hit all the traditional sites of New York City, you should totally go to: Fort Tryon Park, up in Washington Heights. I have long since exchanged the sprawling affordable apartments of Upper Manhattan for a frigid, extravagantly overpriced shoebox in Midtown, but I will still make the journey uptown to visit Fort Tryon Park. The gardens are exquisite, the views stunning, and the atmosphere serene and rejuvenating.
If I could live anywhere else in the world it would be: This is a tough one! I would have to say Cape Town, South Africa. Any place where I can go on safari by day—seeing lions, zebras, and rhinos in their natural habitat—then dine in great restaurants by night, is okay by me!
When it starts to get cold in the city, I start dreaming of: The pink sand beaches of Bermuda, or a crackling fireplace.
My workout “secret” is: As my younger brother/fitness guru tells me: “lift to failure, eat to failure.” It’s pretty self-explanatory.
Evan Siegel. Photo by Kevin B. Winebold.
When I’m looking for a date, nothing attracts me more than: A willingness to go someplace with a great burger!
My favorite website to visit that you may not have heard of is: Sporcle.com. It has great puzzles and quizzes that force you to stretch your brain in new and interesting ways.
Board shorts, speedo or skinny dip? Skinny dip, for sure. Darkness is preferable, but not required.
People would be surprised to learn that I: Used to lead guided and transcendental meditation, was a GMAT verbal instructor for businesspeople worldwide, and even once taught Biblical Archaeology at a Jewish sleep away camp.
When I was 10, I wanted to be just like: Wayne Gretzky. I went through a passionate, albeit mercifully brief, hockey phase. I even signed my name “Evan Siegel, #99”, accompanied by a little sketch of crossed hockey sticks.
Ten years from now I’d like to be: Happy. It sounds cliché, but it’s true. The specifics are hazy at this point, but I know that I want to feel fulfilled, enjoy the companionship of good friends, and have no regrets.
If I were a balloon in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade, I would be: An actor/saxophonist with his arms outstretched and a giant smile on his face.
Catch Evan and the rest of the Kit Kat Klub’s best in Cabaret, starring Alan Cumming and Emma Stone, at Studio 54!
Evan Siegel. Photo by Mark Jenkins.