Rankings and Ratings of Emcees — Page 2

I only saw the show once. Raul, as always, was amazing. He have yet to see him be anything but spectacular.

1. Alan Cumming - simply perfect
2. Neil Patrick Harris - subtle and deeply angry and mournful
3. John Stamos - surprisingly fun and moving
4. Adam Pascal - he just surprised me with how good he was
5. Raul Esparza - over rated, but still good.
6. Michael Hall - not bad for a TV guy =)
7. Vance Avery - forgetable
8. Matt McGrath - painfully sung, uninteresting acting
9. Jon Secada = pain

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touchmeinthemorning-How could you say Raul is overrated?

bwayboy...overrated...well, go through this website and count the number of positive comments on Raul and compare them to the number of negative comments, and you'll see that he gets a lot of positive talk. When I saw him in the show, and when I saw him in other shows, he didn't seem to be doing anything particularly interesting or new -- he was just copying previous performers who were considered "edgy." I also think his voice was great for "Rocky Horror," but doesn't fit with most everything else...his vibrato is way too fast, and his stage persona remains the same no matter what role he plays. i'm just not a fan.

With that said, I would not avoid seeing a show he is in...I think he is a good performer, just not a great one. I prefer a lot of people to him. I also prefer him to a lot of people. I just don't get the deification that people have wrought on him.

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Thank you very much for not flaming.

Anyone?

Saw every Emcee from Oct 2000 on....so no Alan Cumming or Michael Hall. Does Robert Sella count as an understudy or actual replacement? Hmm. In order....

Matt McGrath: 5. Was my first, saw him 11 times, couldn't get enough of his sinister and quietly maniacal performance. Those eyes and smile...oh my god. Could flick from happy mischievous youth to evil in a blink. Still my favorite. It's so hard for me to speak of him b/c not a lot of people saw him, remembers him well, or feels the way I do.

Raul Esparza: 5. Perfect as well, but in a different way than Matt. It was a real adjustment going from subtle to overtly decadent and loud. His audience interaction was hilarious. He had everyone in that room laughing or uncomfortable. Through the combo of his runs, I saw him 12 times. Raul was brilliant, and I've tried to find something wrong with his performance but can't.

John Stamos: 2. Yeah, I used to think his performance was spawned by the devil (and not in a good way) until I saw one Mr Secada. Nothing against the Stamos personally, I just HATED his Emcee. He smugly and mockingly flitted around with the attitude of Look at meeee, I'm a star, I'm touching boys, oooooh, I'm a dress, eeeeee.....he was way better when it was more serious, but even then he couldn't find the depth. He needed to loosen the hell up. Saw him 4 times.

Neil Patrick Harris: 4. Yeah, I absolutely adored NPH in this role. It was my first time seeing him in anything besides the show that shall not be named, and my friend and I just gaped at each other during Willkommen (his 4th performance ever). He just glided across that stage, at ease with himself and everyone else. His singing was great and the little touches he added were really different. He just needed more presence when in the catwalk or boxes. Saw him only 4 times due to lack of funds, which really disappointed me.

Jon Secada: 1. Horrifying. I don't know what the casting director was smoking. I still can't believe they extended him. One of the worst bits of stunt casting EVER. He shouldn't be remembered....just know I almost bolted from the theatre during I Don't Care Much, one of my favorite songs. Saw him 4 times-- 1st out of curiosity and so I could see Heather Laws one last time as Sally. 2nd to see Melina Kanakaredes (who I LOVED and was so pissed I couldn't see more). 3rd b/c my friend who loved the show couldn't believe such a bad Emcee existed. 4th, b/c the show had announced closing (this was pre-extension) and I wanted to see Katrina Yaukey. Little did I know I'd end up seeing her 3 more times.

Adam Pascal: 4. Adam was absolutely fantastic, and this is coming from someone who never saw Aida and only listened to some of the Rent recording. He was without a doubt the sexiest Emcee to hit that stage. My god. I'm still out of breath thinking of my first time seeing him. Total: 7 times, and oh how I wished it could be more. I loved his character development. The second act was so completely different. He was still charming, but he just kept getting more rundown. It was similar to Raul's development but more subtle, therefore more effective when you realize what you just witnessed.

Vance Avery: 3 when I first saw him in early '02, 4 when I last saw him in late '03. He was adorable and such a clown. His second act was way more effective when I last saw him. The ensemble seemed to be happy whenever he was on. I enjoyed Vance a lot. Excellent understudy.

Derek Isetti: 3. The one who practically no one ever saw on Broadway or the tour....I don't think he even went on a total of 10 times? Anyway, he was swing during the summer of Stamos while Jon Peterson (2nd tour) was the u/s, and Derek took over when he left. This went through the first half of Raul's 2nd run, which is how I saw him. I liked him fine. He didn't bring anything new to the role and kept his hair brown and short...but he was pleasant and effective enough. I wish I saw Michael O'Donnell though. He went on what, 4 or 5 times?

I miss Cabaret like mad. This memory lane has me even sadder now considering it's coming up to a year.

Just heading off to work, so I'll get back to this great topic later (thanks, Insomniak):

My favorite Emcee is Neil Patrick Harris. I loved Cabaret and the revival must be one of, if not my favorite show of all time. Neil Patrick Harris was perfect in every way. His I Don't Care Much blew me away, I've never heard a better version before or after that. What I really liked about him was that he was different. Too many other actors (Vance, Raul etc) tried to be a bit too much like Alan, in my opinion.

I'll get back to this about the other Emcees later

EDITED TO ADD: Just re-read some of the posts and someone mentioned that NPH was a real ass at the stage-door. That comment really suprised me. I have heard nothing but good things about meeting him and he was very gracious to me... strange.

QM

QM

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Updated On: 11/28/04 at 12:39 PM

I had something I really liked typed out, then I lost it. I'm trying to remember it all, but it's not working too well. Oh, well, here:

Okay, I'll play. Alan had you gripped from the first SECOND on that CD. I was too young to have seen him, but it's one of the most powerful performances that you can grasp on a recording, IMO. You can HEAR the mysteriousness, and so many of the nuances that allowed him to make that part his own.

I saw Jon Secada, and at the time had nothing with which to compare him, so I thought he did a passable job. In retrospect, though, not good. He gave a pretty flat portrayal, but I don't think I can knock him completely, because I did get a lot from the show my first time, in many ways because of everything that Emcee was. Vocally, he really wasn't too awful, and I'll admit to (the night I was there, anyway - Broadway on Broadway being another issue) liking his I Don't Care Much, quite a bit, actually. But he was definitely playing a part that in many ways, he did not work for.

Okay, now for the coveted Adam/Raul battle. The day I saw Adam up there I don't think I'll ever forget. I remember finding out he was cast, when he still "Radames" to me, and thinking it wouldn't work. I could barely recognize him up there - total transformation. I was more impressed with him than I ever, ever thought I could be, even as one of his biggest fans. His portrayal was simply dripping with sex appeal, but he really nailed the part, I thought. He showed such a broad range of emotion, and it was obvious how much he was enjoying a part with which he could just let loose. Vocally, I'd pick him for tops any day; that voice never fails to pull me in. His I Don't Care Much gave me chills every time. Perhaps the best thing about his performance to me was simply witnessing the unexpected, and witnessing the unexpected WORK. He really proved himself as much more than a good-looking guy with a killer set of pipes in those few months. Now, Raul. Raul is quite possibly one of the only people who could act his way out of a paper bag. I am thoroughly convinced that this is a man who can do anything, and who can make anything good. He was sexy, mysterious, and haunting - and had many of the qualtiies that I really loved in Adam's performance, but because he's a better actor, they were more pronounced in his performance. His finale left me speechless for a pretty long while. I could hardly even watch it. I felt a bit more of the "creepiness" that the Emcee eludes in Raul's performance. It's always hard for me to say this, but he did give a more solid performance than Adam; I think I lessen the fact that I've made that concession in saying that vocally, I preferred Adam, but for simply playing the role, Raul has to take the cake. Perfection.

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"Raul is quite possibly one of the only people who could act his way out of a paper bag."

I ought to charge you a nickle for using that...

Matt, what did you dislike about Peterson, Adam and Raul? And that's a nice way to describe Secada.

I really loved the performances of all of the performers I mentioned, except for Secada. If my numbers seem a little low, it's more attribute to the way I rank things. One of my big pet peeves is the overly-liberal rankings of things for the sake of having higher numbers- it leaves you with little room for improvement. I consider 10 to be reserved for the single best of something you will ever see in your life. Alan got a 9 because he was that close to perfect for me, and very few of my fave actors in other roles have higher than a 7 or 8.

Norbert and Raul were absolutely incredible. I have no complaints about their portrayals other than the fact that they just aren't Alan Cumming and can't give the same type of performance he did- one of the most unique reinventions of a character I've seen.

Pascal sounded fabulous but his acting was less defined, much more subdued and generic. The accent was a little odd at times, and the dancing (though better than I expected) was...well... silly.

Peterson also did a very admirable job, with an all-around strong performance both times I saw him (McArdle was sick, so I had to go again). But what puts him lower on the list is the fact that nothing stood out as with the other actors. Pascal had the voice, Norbert had the funniest audience interactions and best dancing IMHO, Esparza performed (acted) the songs the best, and Alan was Alan. Peterson was in the same ballpark as these guys on every level, but didn't exceed them on any level.

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it was the sort of accent you'd hear from a Belgian who'd been living in Vietnam for a few years.

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nah, Matt's got it. *shakes head*

Ah, well. Can't have it all. I suppose in two and a half weeks there was only so much that could be perfected.

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*dies laughing*

aw, poor Adam. But yes. His I Don't Care Much was a small piece of heaven.

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