Actor Kevin Spacey surprised a local audience this week when he channeled Frank Sinatra during an unannounced singing appearance at the Keystone Korner Baltimore jazz club and restaurant in Harbor East.
Spacey, 63, took the stage on Sunday and sang two Sinatra favorites in a performance that wasn’t advertised in advance.
He was introduced by pianist Monty Alexander, the scheduled performer, who was celebrating the 50th anniversary of his appearance with the Left Bank Jazz Society at The Famous Ballroom in Baltimore, with a concert entitled “Left Bank Memories.”
“Mr. Kevin Spacey, the famous actor, did sit in and sing a few tunes with his dear long-time friend Monty Alexander during the second (7:30) set on Sunday night,” confirmed club co-owner Todd Barkan, in an email message.
“Kevin is a permanent resident of Baltimore and he is also a professional singer and avid jazz fan who regularly attends shows at the Keystone Korner Baltimore,” Barkan said. “The songs that Kevin sang with Monty were done as a tribute to their mutual friend, Frank Sinatra: Send in the Clowns and Angel Eyes.” Barkan called it a “very special occasion.”
It was a rare public appearance for Spacey, also known as Kevin Spacey Fowler, who has kept a low profile since taking up residence in Baltimore several years ago — and is facing numerous sexual misconduct allegations.
Spacey lives in one of the Pier Homes at Harborview, a waterfront community off Key Highway in south Baltimore. It was purchased by his manager through a limited liability company for $5.65 million in 2017, while Spacey was starring as Frank Underwood in House of Cards, a Netflix series that was filmed in and around Baltimore. He is also well known as the winner of two Academy Awards – Best Actor in a Supporting Role for “The Usual Suspects” in 1996 and Best Actor in a Leading Role for “American Beauty” in 2000.
Since 2017, more than 20 men have accused Spacey of sexual misconduct in the United States and Great Britain. Last fall, in a sexual abuse case brought by actor Anthony Rapp, jurors in a civil trial found that the accuser didn’t prove his claim.
Spacey still faces a dozen sex offense charges related to four men in Great Britain, accusations he has denied. A trial is expected to start in June and last three to four weeks at the Old Bailey, the venue reserved for the country’s highest-profile criminal trials. Spacey has maintained his innocence and hasn’t been convicted of any crimes.
Netflix dropped Spacey from the “House of Cards” series in 2017 and Christopher Plummer replaced him in the role of J. Paul Getty in “All the Money in the World” shortly before its release the same year.
Spacey hasn’t been completely absent from public life. When newspaper photographers were staking out his Baltimore residence before a scheduled court appearance in 2018, he brought them a pizza and wished them Happy New Year. In 2018, 2019 and 2020, he taped Christmas Eve videos for his fans and posted them on social media.
In 2021, Spacey landed his first movie role since the sexual assault allegations surfaced, playing a police officer in an Italian film called “L’uomo Che Disegno Dio,” or “The Man Who Drew God.” Directed by Franco Nero and co-starring Nero and Faye Dunaway, the film was released this month in Italy.
In January, Spacey traveled to Italy to accept a lifetime achievement award from the National Museum of Cinema in Turin and gave a speech thanking the museum’s leaders for having “the guts” to honor him.
Spacey did not respond to a request for comment sent to his website, kevinspacey.com.
An audience member said in an email message that Spacey took the stage partway through Alexander’s late show on Sunday.
“He was a bit off key but he sort of imitated Sinatra’s style and swagger,” the audience member said of Spacey. “He wore a dark blue suit and tie appropriate to an old 33LP album cover by Sinatra.”
The audience member said Spacey was accompanied by Alexander, 78, and other members of his trio, Luke Sellick on bass and Jason Brown on drums. He said Spacey got “enthusiastic applause,” after which Alexander’s trio played several more songs.
Alexander’s next scheduled appearances include the Terrassa Jazz Festival in Spain on March 26 and three shows in France in May. An American release date for “The Man Who Drew God” has not been announced.
Gross