It has been a good year for stage and screen star Alan Cumming (pictured above). His latest movie Any Day Now has become a favorite of the film festival circuit, winning several Audience Awards. The movie, which is now in limited release, is based on the true story of a gay couple trying to adopt an abandoned child with Down syndrome. Cumming, who also plays a recurring part in TV’s The Good Wife, will return to Broadway in April. He will star in his acclaimed, one-man adaptation of Shakespeare’s Macbeth, which was seen in New York last summer as part of the Lincoln Center Festival. Cumming won a Tony Award in 1998 for playing the Emcee in the long-running revival of Cabaret. That was also his Broadway debut. He turned 48 last week.

Shaun Sheley will return to Buffalo to play the title role in Shakespeare in Delaware Park’s production of Hamlet (June 20-July 14). Directed by Saul Elkin, the play will also star Tim Newell as Claudio. The other play in the season will be Measure for Measure, directed by Brian Cavanagh (July 25-August 18). And mark your calendar, the 19th annual Fabulous Feast will be held on March 23 at the Connecticut Street Armory.

Coming up sooner, on February 22, the Irish Classical Theatre Company holds its annual fundraiser, The Wake. “The party to die for” begins at 7pm at the Karpeles Manuscript Library Museum (453 Porter Ave.). For tickets, call 853-ICTC.

And on February 12, 7pm-midnight, American Repertory Theatre of WNY holds its sixth annual Mardi Gras Celebration with readings, music, and food. This year the festivities will be at the company’s new space, the Church of the Ascension (16 Linwood Avenue). Tickets are available at the door, with on-line specials at www.artofwny.org.

Mark Donahue, Sharon Strait, Patrick Moltane, Matt Witten, Jessica Wegrzyn, Kurt Erb, and Tim Joyce will star in the upcoming Torn Space production of Sam Shepard’s Buried Child. Directed by David Oliver, the play will run February 21-March 16 at the Adam Mickiewicz Dramatic Circle.

Coming up next for Theater Jugend, Cannibal! The Musical. Directed by Drew McCabe, with musical direction by Don Jenczka, the production will star, among others, Jacob Albarella, Jenny Kulwicki, Nick Lama, and Steven Brachmann. Written by Trey Parker (one of the creators of The Book of Mormon), the show will run March 14-30 at Buffalo East (Main Street near Utica).

Buffalo’s own annual V-Day production of Eve Ensler’s The Vagina Monologues will be presented at the Unitarian Universalist Church (695 Elmwood Avenue) on February 15 and 16 at 8pm. The production, directed by Kelly Beuth, is part of Ensler’s global movement One Billion Rising to end violence against women and girls and will raise money for the Crisis Services Advocate Program. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased at the door.

Donna Hoke’s new play Seeds will have its world premiere on March 1 at Road Less Traveled Productions. Directed by Kristin Tripp Kelley, the productions will star Kelly Jakiel, Diane Curley, Todd Benzin, Diane DiBernardo, and Pamela Rosa Mangus. Hoke will join Jon Elston, Darryl Schneider, and other local playwrights for Buffalo Rises, a world-premiere evening of original 10-minute plays which will open on September 13, kicking off the company’s 10th anniversary season. The season will also include the much celebrated Clybourne Park (2011 Pulitzer Prize winner and 2012 Tony Award winner), David Mamet’s Race, the one-man show An Iliad, starring Matt Witten, and the world premiere of Mark Witteveen’s A Very Fine Use of a Grenade.

Tony award-winning book writer/lyricist Joe DiPietro (pictured below) and composer David Bryan, creators of the musical Memphis, have a new musical in the works, Chasing the Song. The musical just had a reading at the LaJolla Playhouse in California. DiPietro also wrote the popular I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change, which the Kavinoky will present in June under the direction of Joe Demerly, with musical direction by Mark Vona, choreography by Doug Weyand, starring Brian Riggs and Charmagne Chi. DiPietro is also the author of Fucking Men, currently at BUA through February 22.