Ricky Martin As the Emcee in Cabaret - Page 2

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 3/22/13 at 10:31am

No. I love me some Ricky Martin but no.

[ABitOnTheSide]

Posted: 3/22/13 at 11:08am

"Sasha Baron Cohen is a funny man when he does his own stuff.. Borat or That gay model guy. Given a real script that another person wrote........ such as Les Miserables. He just doesn't quite cut it."

Yes, but the Emcee demands originality from the person playing the part. The Emcee IS a sketch artist. Half the charm of the Emcess is what's not in the script. Nearly every single Emcee after Alan Cumming was an imitation. The best stuff to come out of the Emcee was ad-libbed. Sascha didn't have as much freedom with Thenardier as he would with the Emcee. I'm not even a fan of him, I just think it would be really fascinating to see what he could do with the role, IF he did a bang-up job.



Updated On: 3/22/13 at 11:08 AM

[g.d.e.l.g.i.]

Posted: 3/22/13 at 11:11am

As the '98 revival version is light on singing for Cliff's character, might Joseph Gordon-Levitt make an interesting choice for that role?

[all that jazz]

Posted: 3/22/13 at 11:14am

What exactly do you think Ricky is lacking for the role?

[g.d.e.l.g.i.]

Posted: 3/22/13 at 11:26am

Acting skills come to mind.

[all that jazz]

Posted: 3/22/13 at 12:06pm

Besides Evita, in what else have you seen him?

He was an actor in mexican musical theatre and films winning several prestigious awards and to tremendous acclaim.

He also received rave reviews for his performance as Marius in the original Broadway run of Les Mis.

Ricky's persona in concerts is sometimes extremely similar to the emcee's. To anyone who saw his last tour live, he would be an obvious choice.

[Kristie-K2]

Posted: 3/22/13 at 12:32pm

I don't understand the dislike of Ricky...I flew across country to see Evita and I thought he was Great...If they cast him in Cabaret I am sure he will be fabulous...I LOVE RICKY MARTIN!!!!

[all that jazz]

Posted: 3/22/13 at 2:38pm

I can't understand it either! How can a person that extraordinarily talented be looked down upon.

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 3/22/13 at 2:49pm

I don't think anyone is calling him untalented. It's not like he couldn't hit any of the notes or his singing was painful to listen to. He just did not play the role of Che in a way that made any kind of contextual sense. He was supposed to be a revolutionary with a fire under his ass, not a beaming, wide-eyed chorus boy.

I personally wouldn't have a problem with him coming back to Broadway, but I would like for it to be in a less complicated role. I think he could be strong, given the right role. Che wasn't it. Neither is The MC. As I said, I think his talents as an actor are limited.

[all that jazz]

Posted: 3/22/13 at 3:52pm

It wasn't his chioice to play Che the way he did, he was directed to go into "Ricky" mode so they could sell tickets. Once again if you've seen him on concert you'd know he's capable of waaaay more, and how dark he could be on stage. You can't judge a performer based on ONE performance. I actually loved him on Evita, mainly because it was Ricky Martin, but can see why everyone feels it was a bad performance, he wasn't being Che, and if it were any other actor I'd be furious because I honnestly love that role.

True Ricky fans should know how brilliant he'd be as the Emcee.

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 3/22/13 at 4:50pm

What "prestigious awards" did he exactly win? It's not like he was Antonio Banderas, Penelope Cruz or Javier Bardem before he hit it big. And who did he get rave reviews from in LES MIS? I thought most people on the board who saw him have pretty bad memories of him in the show.
I'm sure there are roles he could play, roles that call for a showman more than an actor.

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 3/22/13 at 4:53pm

It wasn't his chioice to play Che the way he did, he was directed to go into "Ricky" mode so they could sell tickets.

Sorry, but I do not buy this. Not at all. Firstly, it's coming from Perez Hilton, who isn't exactly a hard-hitting (or even reliable) journalist. He's a joke. Secondly, why would him going "into Ricky mode" sell tickets? His presence in the show alone sold tickets. Whether or not he actually played, oh I don't know, the role he's supposed to play instead of playing himself would have no effect on ticket sales. He sold tickets because he's Ricky Martin. People want to see celebrities onstage, regardless of the caliber of their performance or the caliber of the show itself.

In fact, I'd venture to say that had he actually been good in the role, dug deep, and gave a fully-formed performance, he would've actually sold more tickets, to people who beforehand weren't interested in seeing "another celebrity" on Broadway.

My personal hunch is that he couldn't hack it playing Che as a hard-assed, fiery revolutionary so he just fell back on what he does best...charm and smiles.

I'm actually in the minority in that I really enjoyed EVITA, but I was not a fan of his performance. At least Elena Roger (not to open another can of worms) acted the hell out of the part, even if some of the songs were way over her head.
Updated On: 3/22/13 at 04:53 PM

[Rainbowhigh23]

Posted: 3/22/13 at 5:23pm

The role of Che in the revival was changed to "Everyman" Che (patterned after the movie) and was so watered down even Matt Rawle in London barely had the bite of Mandy's Che.

I was able to see Max Von Essen after seeing Ricky and thought I'd see the magic of the original Che but no. Max did his best with what has been reduced to a bland character and sounded great but alas, no magic, no bite. Ricky may have some theater and Broadway in his background but he clearly does not have the musical theater chops that actors who have studied theater have. He looked overwhelmed with the singing and the acting was non-existent; he may have made it through each performance but it was painful to watch; his charisma and star power is what carried him in this role, and what definitely sold tickets. I got a little excited when he popped out at the start for his entrance for Oh What a Circus but afterward would wish I could go back in time to 1979.




Updated On: 3/22/13 at 05:23 PM

[all that jazz]

Posted: 3/22/13 at 5:36pm

Ray, among the awards was El Heraldo for Alcanzar una estrella. He ws by no means a Javier Bardem but he definately was HIGHLY acclaimed by the Latin community.

I can't find the reviews for his Marius but have read they're mainly very positive, and I do recall reading in his book that he was the favorite Marius of somebody in the creative team, I don't remember who. And while I completely disagree with you on the matter, wouldn't you say that Emcee of all roles, calls for a showman?

WickedRocks, weather we like it or not, most of audience was there to see Ricky, not Che. People flew from all over Latin America just to see him. Here in Puerto Rico everyone went wild for it, even people who had never in their life's heard of Evita, were going to see HIM. The night I was there most of the people I saw in the audience were Latinos, and they were all talking about the same thing, Ricky! Even people who didn't understand English were there to see him. They could had taken out all of Eva's solos and they would still be raving about Ricky. Just for the record I don't like or agree with any of this, Evita is one of my favorite shows, but facts are facts.

If you see think Ricky is just charm and smiles, then clearly you've never gone past She Bangs or Livin la Vida Loca.

I agree with you on Elena though. Updated On: 3/22/13 at 05:36 PM

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 3/22/13 at 6:42pm

All That Jazz, we'll just have to agree to disagree. It's great that you find him to be such a great actor. As someone who was born and grew up in Latin America, I certainly have a lot of admiration for him and I think he's a really fantastic showman, I'd never call him an actor, I just don't think he has the ability to create a character in any way. He's never more than just a mediocre actor, IMO, which is fine, he doesn't need to be a good actor, he has so many other talents. When you hear Antonio Banderas sing Che (with spite and passion, even when he was asked to play it as the "everyman" rather than Che Guevara) and you hear Martin sing Che (one of the blandest Ches I've heard), there's a clear difference in the level of acting skill each performer is able to add to the songs. Banderas knows how to transform, how to give himself to a role and come out on the other side as a character, Martin sings it like he is recording one of his albums.
And while I get your statement that the EmCee needs a showman, I'd argue that on paper the role might need a showman, but when you really look at the role, the person playing the EmCee needs to be able to act the role. He has to be able to go dark, to transform their entire body to perform the songs, and he needs to decide how much information to reveal to the audience and find that in the details because there's nothing there in terms of typical book scenes. Martin would be better suited for Bert in MARY POPPINS, he'd be wonderful, I'd never want to see him play the MC.

[random person 112]

Posted: 3/22/13 at 8:19pm

Martin also had political considerations to worry about when he played Che. Martin is a close friend of Argentine president Cristina Fernadez de Kirchner who is a wannabe Eva Peron figure in Argentina. Mrs. Krichner is also a very big fan of the movie version of Evita, due to its loving portrayal of Evita and came to see the revival in New York. You can't very well attack a friend every night during your job and for Martin that would have been what it would have been like to play a 'critical' che.

[Playbilly]

Posted: 3/22/13 at 8:29pm

If "attacking a friend every night" is going to prevent you from giving a true performance, then step aside and let someone else take the role.

[AEA AGMA SM]

Posted: 3/22/13 at 8:35pm

I agree with Playbilly. The history of performance is filled with people who have given brilliant performances as characters who do and say things that go against what they believe in. I'm not seeing anything but a bunch of excuses for why Ricky gave a rather subdued performance in Evita, and nothing that really rings true enough to convince me that he could have done better.

[all that jazz]

Posted: 3/22/13 at 8:52pm

I'm not saying Ricky did a good job on Evita, I'm not trying to convince anyone that he was a good Che. However as I said before you cannot judge an actor based merely on one role. Every actor has a bad performance, that doesn't mean they're not good actors. When I'm attacking someone, which I barely do, I try to immerse myself in that person, I read and watch every single YouTube clip I can find. I'd never judge a person's talents without knowing what they're really capable of because that to me that seems ignorant.

I invite you all to really immerse yourselves into his art, listen to his music, go to his concerts or at least watch clips on YouTube. Then you can judge him.

BTW, If you get a chance, read his autobiography it's beyond inspiring.

[Reginald Tresilian]

Posted: 3/22/13 at 10:16pm

All That Jazz, I take your point. But I think my reaction, and possibly those of others, is based specifically on the ways in which one can compare the roles--the biting, undercutting, Brechtian figure who comments sardonically and aggressively on the action.

And many people (and I confess I'm one) think Ricky Martin, despite his many talents, failed to do that in "Evita."

Obviously I don't think the characters are the same, but I do think Martin failed to make that happen. And Rawles, in essentially the same production, did. Not that I think he was a Che for the ages, but he did seem to "get it" in a way Martin didn't. And it was under the same director.

All that being said, I'd love for Ricky Martin to come back and surprise us all (or, at least, surprise the naysayers).