Alan Cumming and Ari Shapiro make surprise appearance at Halifax bar

Broadway actor Alan Cumming stops by a Halifax bar for a karaoke cameo.

Scottish actor Alan Cumming made a big impression on a fan during his recent visit to Halifax.

In town to perform his cabaret show “Och & Oy!” with Ari Shapiro, Cumming received an Instagram message from a woman who had seen his performance Monday night.

“We went with a few friends and then afterwards, my wife hosts a weekly karaoke night at Charlie’s Club in the North End,” Emily LeBlanc told CTV Tuesday.

“Why not send them a message and see? Maybe they’re looking for something to do.”

About 25 minutes later, LeBlanc was shocked to see Cumming and Shapiro show up at Charlie’s Club.

“He (Cumming) said ‘Yes, I saw your message, thank you,’” she recalled.

LeBlanc said the pair sang songs, played pool, drank and even took photos at the end of the night.

Cumming answered some questions about movies but, for the most part, the crowd just enjoyed the moment with the celebrities.

“They just hung out like anyone else. They’re super charming, super lovely people. They greeted everyone and shook hands,” said LeBlanc.

LeBlanc has been a fan of Cumming for years. She’s read one of his books and enjoyed his movies, but says her admiration is based on more than just his body of work.

“I just really enjoy what he and Ari Shapiro stand for in terms of pride and queer rights and they spoke about their coming out stories at the show and they spoke about getting same-sex married before it was legal in the U.S.”

Seeing Cumming in action is a night LeBlanc says she won’t soon forget.

“They really kind of brought us all together in the spirit of community and I really enjoy him, just as a person and as an icon. So, I’m walking on a cloud today, it’s amazing.”

LeBlanc wasn’t the only one who had a good time Monday night – Cumming posted the group singing on his social media, writing “We found the fun last night.”

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