Craig Winberry grew up watching George Michael and WHAM! on MTV. Now, the singer and actor is on a national tour starring as the iconic pop star in “The Life and Music of George Michael,” coming to the Palace Theater in Greensburg this Tuesday, September 17.
Winberry said, “We started the tour in 2022. We went all over.”
The performer recently returned from an international leg of the tour in Australia, hitting Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, and additional cities Down Under.
“The Life and Music of George Michael” pays tribute to the pop superstar and AIDS activist in an immersive show that spans four decades of his career, from the early days in Wham! to his international solo success.
Winberry performs many of George Michael’s chart-topping songs, including “Wake Me Up Before You Go Go,” “Freedom,” “Faith,” “Careless Whisper,” “Father Figure,” and many more. Songs from his days as part of the iconic 80s pop duo WHAM! to his boundary-breaking solo career. George Michael died in 2016.
Winberry said, “George Michael has such a great catalog of music.”
When asked to pick a favorite song, he listed multiple choices, including “Freedom,” “Flawless,” and the smash-hit WHAM! song, “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go.”
One thing Winberry wants people to know about the late pop star is that he was a generous soul. “Not a lot of people know about his philanthropy. He was involved with several nonprofits, and he used to pay to keep on the Christmas lights of his hometown [East Finchley, a small town north of London].”
Winberry, a New York City-based singer and actor, is one half of the dance music duo, BaseSuite, with Nolan Doran. The duo first collaborated in 2019 for NYC World Pride. The band was born out of a shared love of queer history and music. In June, BaseSuite released a cover of “Club Tropicana,” a WHAM! song.
LGBTQ+ fans are likely to recognize Winberry from his role in the Off-Broadway show,
“The Golden Girls Musical Parody.”
Winberry loves being part of the national tour. The actor said, “I love America. It’s vast and huge, but my favorite part of the tour is the fans. I have women who grew up with him bringing their daughters to the show. Creating new fans of his music.”
“The Life and Music of George Michael” is at the Palace Theatre, 21 West Otterman Street, Greensburg, PA 15601, on September 17th at 7:30 PM.
