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When I entered Michael McQuary’s studio apartment in Greenwich Village, I stood there thinking, “Where’s my program?” For this accomplished actor and award winning cabaret artist lives in an environment as theatrical and inventive as the worlds he creates on stage and film. An array of exotic artifacts (ancient oriental weaponry, Egyptian sphinx, small tapestries that would have done Scheherazade’s boudoir proud) immediately caught my level eye. Looking up, I noticed that the ceiling consisted entirely of broken pieces of glass arranged in a mosaic of daunting intricacy.
Welcoming me into his “art installation, my living canvas,” was this lithe, diminutive dynamo of enthusiasm, who is quickly establishing himself on the internet as “the new man of a thousand faces.”
His latest project, Fu Manchu’s Weapon of Evil, a webisode series starring Michael in the title role, pays homage to the movie serials of the 1930’s and 40's, that had audiences of all ages waiting each week to see “what happens next.” Michael’s life and career could very well be the basis of one of those cliffhangers.
Born and raised in Portland, Oregon in the 1960s, he remembers that his first love, at the age of 4, was Bela Lugosi as Count Dracula. “Look how he holds his cape!” he told his mother, and from then on, Michael’s childhood was focused on “creating my own universe. I would do imitations, sort of like the girl in Little Voice, and perform entire solo shows for my mother’s boy friends.”Arriving in New York at the age of 18 to attend the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, he found himself drawn to the burgeoning downtown 
Off-Off-Broadway and nightclub scene, performing at the legendary Boy Bar, Bon Soir and Trocadero. It was there that he conceived and developed Matinee Idol, a one-man cinematic collage of classic films ranging from Sunset Boulevard to Clash of the Titans. Veteran cabaret impresario Erv Raible invited McQuary to bring his show to the now fabled Eighty-Eights, where Michael worked his magic for five years, mutating into dozens of characters and earning two 1988 Back Stage Bistro Awards for Outstanding Cabaret Debut and Best Characterization Show. This was followed by four consecutive MAC nominations. Access cable icon Miss Sybil Bruncheon (a/k/a John Burke) invited McQuary to perform in his stage show Café Berlin, where Michael’s roles ranged from Marlene Dietrich to Cab Calloway to, yes, Bela Lugosi. His latest cabaret show, Back Then They Had Faces, played the Duplex, Judy’s Chelsea and Joe’s Pub at the Public Theatre.
After spending much of his career bringing movies to life on stage, it was inevitable that Michael would eventually bring his theatrical expertise to film. Director Marc Briatack of Dynamarc Films saw Michael perform at the Public and began photographing him in many of his elaborate disguises. They were excited with the results and began to plan an internet serial. The result: Fu Manchu's Weapon of Evil.
For a little background on Fu Manchu, here’s the helpful first paragraph from Wikipedia.com: “A fictional character first featured in a series of novels by English author Sax Rohmer during the first half of the 20th century, the character was also featured extensively in cinema, television, radio, comic strips and comic books for over 90 years, and has become an archetype of the evil criminal genius while inspiring the Fu Manchu moustache.” It has also inspired controversy and consistent claims of “negative stereotyping” by the Asian-American community. I asked Michael (and Marc, who joined us for our conversation) why they were drawn to this material and how they dealt with its potential pitfalls.
My take on the material was to play it as a sexy, funny, dangerous Disney cartoon with Fu Manchu as a whirling dervish of theatrical energy who truly believed that his mission of world domination was a positive thing. He thinks he’s helping the world! Of course I was aware of the controversy connected to the character and thought to myself, 'Okay. I’m Caucasian and Irish. How do I minimize the risk of offending people?' One answer was to take great care in my make-up. No skin-pulling, plastic or eye cut-outs and I grew a true Fu Manchu moustache, which I wore for five months. Ultimately, I hoped that the artistic integrity of the piece would speak for itself. Well, during one performance, I noticed a group of women seated in the front row – members of the Asian-American Coalition. Afterwards, they greeted me with words of praise and approval. I also have permission to play the role from the Rohmer Estate Administrator, Al T. Longden.”
Adapting Michael’s take on the character to film presented practical challenges for Marc and his production team, including writer James Sexton. Says the director, “Since our financial resources were limited, we decided to create a stylish homage to the look and feel of vintage serials, which themselves had miniscule budgets by Hollywood standards. Michael’s unique apartment came in handy for interior shooting and exteriors were done in such locations as Sag Harbor and the Asian Pavilion. And special thanks must be paid to Rubie’s Costume Company!”
The result has drawn critical praise and attention not only from web viewers, but also from comic book aficionados and fantasy film fans. So, “What’s next?” I asked them. “We’ve edited the episodes into one hour long DVD and hope to release it when we’ve cleared those rights,” says Michael. In the meantime he and Marc are tackling another comic book/fantasy icon in their new short film, Batman: Beyond the Senses, and are preparing their first feature for the film festival circuit, a spoof of Russ Meyer’s work, tentatively titled Stronger! Harder! Give Me More!
Given his past success in theatre and cabaret, I asked Michael if he planned to return to live performing. “I wouldn’t be surprised. I do miss 
the energy of an audience. But I’m always focused on what I’m doing now. In fact, I perform each piece as if it’s the last thing I’ll ever do. I guess it’s because I know that I’ll never have children. My work is it. These are my children.” As I looked around the room filled with photos of Michael in all of various guises, I nodded in agreement and thought to myself, “I’ve never seen a prouder parent. And what a large family!”
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