North Ogden native Alan Palmer is coming home to present his new cabaret show, which celebrates in song and storytelling the “trials and tribulations of being an actor.”
Palmer premieres his new show, “Alan Palmer: My Life So Far,” on Saturday, July 7, during a dinner-theater-style performance at Boccia’s D’ITALIA restaurant in North Ogden.
Palmer’s career has spanned the gamut of the entertainment industry. A versatile actor and singer, Palmer’s most recent cabaret acts were “Fabulous Divas of Broadway” and “Fabulous Divas of Hollywood.” The shows, which won Palmer critical acclaim from media outlets including the New York Times, demonstrated his gifts of mimicry and comedy in irreverent but loving salutes to stage and screen legends such as Judy Garland, Barbra Streisand, Cher, Liza Minnelli, Carol Channing and Audrey Hepburn.
Palmer isn’t pulling out all of his wigs and dresses for his new show, but instead will be telling his stories in rather casual attire as himself.
“I tell stories of the biz and sing songs from shows I have done, should have done and hopefully one day will do,” Palmer said. “It will be nice to not have heels on for a bit!”
Over the course of his career, Palmer has worked a number of unusual jobs — including a gig with Club Med, an international tour with Chippendales in which he worked “as a singer, not as a stripper,” and even a stint as a “singing telegram person.” Palmer has also worked and/or interacted with a number of celebrities, including Madeline Kahn, Elton John, Janet Jackson and Faye Dunaway.
“It’s kind of neat to tell the crazy things that happen in this business when you just have no clue where your next job is going to be,” he said.
Palmer counts himself as one of the lucky few able to sustain a career in the highly competitive entertainment industry. He attributes that to a philosophical approach about show business.
“I’ve just tried to rely upon the fact that it will happen and enjoy the ride, instead of worrying about where I wanted to be,” Palmer said. “When people focus on ‘I need to be doing this or that,’ I think they miss out on all the real cool adventures and the great jobs that they normally would have passed up.”
The son of T.E. and Maxine Palmer of North Ogden, Palmer’s talents were apparent from an early age when he mounted productions for his family.
A graduate of Weber High School, Palmer attended Weber State University and the University of Utah, where he was involved in theater. His early work in Utah included numerous productions along the Wasatch Front with organizations such as the Salt Lake Acting Company, Promised Valley Playhouse, Lagoon Opera House and Park City’s Egyptian Theater.
Palmer has worked extensively in the entertainment industry both in front of audiences and behind the scenes. He lives in Los Angeles, where he is raising his son and daughter with his partner James Carter. Palmer also crisscrosses the country on a fairly regular basis teaching acting workshops and is involved in a number of upcoming television projects — one of which he said will feature his career and family.
“Gosh, it has been a really amazing journey,” Palmer said.