David Cumming (actor)

David Cumming
Cumming in 2025
Born1987 (age 37–38)
Newcastle upon Tyne
Occupation(s)Actor, writer

David Cumming (born 1987)[1] is a British writer and actor best known for the musical Operation Mincemeat, which is currently running on both the West End and Broadway.

Early life and education

Cumming was born in Newcastle upon Tyne.[1] He attended the University of Warwick, where he studied Theatre and Performance Studies.[1][2]

Career

Cumming co-founded the comedy group Kill the Beast in 2012 alongside Natasha Hodgson, Zoë Roberts, Ollie Jones, and Clem Garritty.[3] Kill the Beast produced four stage productions, including The Boy Who Kicked Pigs[4] (2013), He Had Hairy Hands[5] (2014), Don't Wake The Damp[6] (2016), and Director's Cut[7] (2019).

Hodgson, Cumming, and Roberts, with newcomer Felix Hagan, split off the group in 2017 to form SpitLip with the intention of creating "big dumb musicals."[8] SpitLip's first musical, Operation Mincemeat, eventually transferred to the West End[9] and later Broadway,[10] winning the 2024 Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Musical.[11] He also received three Tony Award nominations for his creative work on the show for Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical & Best Original Score.[12] In addition to co-writing and co-composing the musical, Cumming also originated the role of "Charles Cholmondeley & Others," which he has played in every production of the show and was nominated for the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical for his performance.[13]

In 2018, Cumming and Conrad Murray, in collaboration with Battersea Arts Centre's Beatbox Academy, co-directed the critically acclaimed production of Frankenstein: How to Make a Monster.[14] The production was later adapted for television by BBC Four.[3][15]

Cumming joined drag performance group Sink the Pink for two holiday-themed shows including How to Catch a Krampus in 2018[16] and Escape From Trash Planet in 2019.[17] In 2021, Cumming and Sink the Pink collaborator Ginger Johnson wrote and directed Dog Show, a canine-themed queer cabaret which ran at the Pleasance for a month.[18]

In 2023, Cumming took up the role of Guest Artistic Director at the King's Head Theatre, where he presented "QUEER FUTURES: A FESTIVAL OF THE NOW WHICH IS YET TO COME."[19] He returned in 2024 to join the cast of Outings, an anthology of coming out stories performed as a fundraiser for the LGBTQ+ Switchboard charity.[20]

Personal life

One week before Operation Mincemeat premiered at Riverside Studios, Cumming broke his collarbone in a biking accident. His replacement in the role of Charles Cholmondeley, Sean Carey, had to learn the entire musical in a week.[21][22]

Cumming is queer.[23]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c "Theatremaker David Cumming: 'I've always had a strong voice, now I'm branching out'". The Stage. Archived from the original on 6 October 2023. Retrieved 2025-04-08.
  2. ^ "'Operation Mincemeat' Crosses the Pond and Takes Broadway by Storm | All Of It". WNYC. Retrieved 2025-04-08.
  3. ^ a b "Who is David Cumming". TheaterMania. 2025-01-30. Retrieved 2025-04-15.
  4. ^ Wicker, Tom (March 16, 2013). "The Boy Who Kicked Pigs". Exeunt. Retrieved 2025-04-06.
  5. ^ "He Had Hairy Hands". Kill the Beast. Retrieved 2025-04-06.
  6. ^ "Don't Wake The Damp". Kill the Beast. Retrieved 2025-04-06.
  7. ^ Worsley-Carter, Lorraine (2019-10-31). "Kill The Beast: Director's Cut at The Lowry: Review". Quays Life. Retrieved 2025-04-06.
  8. ^ "Who is SpitLip? Musicals, Operation Mincemeat and more". 2024-09-30. Retrieved 2025-04-14.
  9. ^ Wild, Stephi. "OPERATION MINCEMEAT Transfers To Southwark Playhouse". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 2025-04-14.
  10. ^ Wild, Stephi. "Meet the Cast of OPERATION MINCEMEAT, Now in Previews on Broadway". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 2025-04-14.
  11. ^ "Winners announced for 2024 Olivier Awards including Sunset Boulevard, Sarah Snook and Operation Mincemeat". 2024-04-14. Retrieved 2025-04-14.
  12. ^ Evans, Greg (2025-05-01). "Tony Awards Nominations: 'Buena Vista Social Club', 'Maybe Happy Ending' And 'Death Becomes Her' Lead Way – Complete List". Deadline. Retrieved 2025-05-01.
  13. ^ "David Cumming Biography". Broadway Buzz. Retrieved 2025-04-08.
  14. ^ Clapp, Susannah (2018-04-01). "The week in theatre: The Inheritance; Frankenstein: Making a Monster – review". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved 2025-04-15.
  15. ^ "BBC Four - Frankenstein: How to Make a Monster". BBC. Retrieved 2025-04-15.
  16. ^ "How to Catch a Krampus! – Pleasance Theatre | Musical Theatre Review". Musical Theatre Review. 29 November 2018. Retrieved 2025-04-14.
  17. ^ "Sink the Pink announce drag sci-fi b-movie Christmas adventure Escape From Planet Trash". Theatre-News.com. Retrieved 2025-04-15.
  18. ^ Thefry, Chloe (2021-11-30). "Interview: David Cumming – Dog Show @ The Plesance". CentreStage. Retrieved 2025-04-15.
  19. ^ Wild, Stephi. "David Cumming's QUEER FUTURES: A FESTIVAL OF THE NOW WHICH IS YET TO COME Comes To The King's Head Theatre In July". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 2025-04-14.
  20. ^ Millward, Tom (2024-05-21). "King's Head Theatre announces Outings – a Pride fundraiser". WhatsOnStage. Retrieved 2025-04-14.
  21. ^ "David Cumming from Operation Mincemeat - Random 8". British Comedy Guide. 2022-06-21. Retrieved 2025-04-15.
  22. ^ Loveridge, Lizzie (2022-08-20). "REVIEW: Operation Mincemeat, Riverside Studios (2022)". TheatreVibe. Retrieved 2025-04-15.
  23. ^ Selman, Chris (2023-09-11). ""People are coming to the show and adding new levels of queer joy" - David Cumming on West End hit Operation Mincemeat". GAY TIMES. Retrieved 2025-04-08.
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