While Cabaret calls for a certain level of showmanship, it also requires a rawness and truth to each individual on stage. He plays the character as just that a character. Unfortunately, his performance as the Emcee, while vocally stunning, is lacking in depth. (In all honesty, I might have watched the videos of his Cabaret performances a few more times than strictly needed.) He also breaks the mold of "skinny, slightly toned, and pale" that most other Emcees seem to follow, which is a feat within itself given Broadway's penchant for type-casting. Stamos at least brought a new side to the Emcee and made it his own.Īs a Cuban-American singer and songwriter, Jon Sedeca's figure is almost as impressive as his voice. One must give credit where credit is due, however the roll is not an easy one to portray, and Mr. After a while, it's unclear if you're supposed to be laughing with him or at him. He gets some props for not trying to force it as much as others, but every moment he tries for even a hint of androgyny feels stiff and awkward. He's also lacking a feminine energy that I think the Emcee requires. A lot of manly stomping around and showing off the goodies for the housewives in the audience, as if he's wearing his costume for them rather than because he wants to, and in the narrative of Cabaret, that just doesn't work. He parades around the stage in a way that reminds me a bit of Magic Mike. His ranking on this list is low for a few reasons, the main one being that he is very aware of the fact that he's John Stamos, and he wants the audience to be in on the joke a little too much. His Emcee is one to make you laugh, which is exactly what the role is meant to do (at first). His singing ability is solid, and his comedic timing is excellent. So if you want your childhood image of him to remain intact, keep scrolling. But less sweater and sideburns and more leather and lingerie. Wait, John Stamos? Full House's John Stamos? Uncle Jesse John Stamos?! Yes. What praise can I find for his portrayal? He put on the costume and hit his cues, and that is something not many people could do. His Emcee seems to be a caricature of a West End party boy/sugar baby with none of the real grit that the Emcee requires, and certainly none of the easy flamboyance that makes the role so loveable. but he sure does his damnedest to prove that sentiment wrong. I'd encourage him to stick to TV (and please non-musical roles) because his performance on the stage seems to stem from the idea that "too much is never enough". Mind you this was well before he landed his breakout role in Six Feet Under, and even longer before he became known for his role as Dexter. The accent is inconsistent, and when he does manage to slip into it, it sounds forced and exaggerated, his voice is nothing spectacular and he compensates for this by over or under enunciating words, which in turn makes the accent worse and doesn't help the songs at all, and his actual acting is. The reasons I dislike his Emcee are numerous. However, one of the reasons I'm not a fan of him is his performance as the Emcee, so I'm not sure if that counts as bias or not. In the spirit of journalistic transparency, I will say this I am not a fan of Michael C.
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