The Official Raúl E. Esparza "Spread the Love" Thread- Page 209

[thetheatrekook]

Posted: 10/10/05 at 11:23pm

i totally agree. and i think having finally seen him live, i think that it has reassured me about why i love theatre so much. HE is the reason. I mean yes, him personally, but knowing that there are people out there who actually still care about the ART FORM...that was something that in the past has really kept me awake some nights...fearing that Broadway has turned into...as ttB would say, "a shameless commercial whore." and yes, i know that Broadway is commercial theatre, but i could never understand why commerical theatre and living breathing art couldn't coexist under one label. but he reminds me that it can...and unlike some shows that i think tried that and finacially failed and had to leave Broadway, I know that he'll fight for what he believes in till his dying day, and that as long as performers like Raúl Esparza exist, art on Broadway will still exist too.

[Chrysanthemum62001]

Posted: 10/10/05 at 11:23pm

I too agree with you all!

And, I also feel blessed to see him perform. That's what I don't get. Musical theatre majors, who have NEVER seen him in a show. All I can do is say "get thee to the Hilton." Really, he's got such a grasp on the art. There is so much to learn from just WATCHING him.

AAAAAAND. On that note. I'm so fortunate I even know who Raul Esparza IS. I grew up in a small town in Georgia, and NEVER thought about being on Broadway, much less coming to New York. And a love for Alan Cumming led me to a love for Cabaret, which led me to a love of Raul Esparza. And well, he is the best actor I've ever seen. Ever.

[greatdct]

Posted: 10/10/05 at 11:52pm

"The watcher watched is still the watcher."

I think that's a really beautiful way of putting it!

[thetheatrekook]

Posted: 10/11/05 at 12:02am

i completely agree.

guys - i love it when the thread gets all deep like this sometimes. i mean, it's all fun and games when it's dirty talk, but for some reason i always get so empassioned (is that even a word? it is now!!) when we get into the deep, meaningful reason why we love this man. :)

[greatdct]

Posted: 10/11/05 at 12:07am

I like it too. I think it's amazing that he's had such a profound impact on all of our lives. So much so that we feel the need to talk about him all the time.

[thetheatrekook]

Posted: 10/11/05 at 12:10am

sometimes i want to print out this thread (at times like this, when we have really profound things to say) but i don't want him to know this thread exists and get interested and come and read it when we're being silly!!! haha. G - when you talk to him about all this, you gotta represent, yo! :)

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 10/11/05 at 12:11am

Sometimes, I feel like I'm required to prove that, because I crack the (not-so) occasional joke. Like... I have to validate/justify his meaning to me, or something. Such a complex fellow isn't difficult to discuss in depth, though.

Okay. Being that I just used "complex fellow" (one of Chandler Bing's better phrases) I think I'm going to go to sleep.

Updated On: 10/11/05 at 12:11 AM

[thetheatrekook]

Posted: 10/11/05 at 12:13am

complex fellow! i love it. night, Em!

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 10/11/05 at 12:14am

The end of the phrase went that Chandler was "a complex fellow who is unlikely to take a wife." Which... is why I cut it off where I did.

[greatdct]

Posted: 10/11/05 at 12:14am

It's so pathetic how I'm like... already stressing about what to say to him. I mean, I know exactly what I want to say to him but that could take hours. So I have to think of the most important things and focus on making it short and sweet so I don't keep him.

[greatdct]

Posted: 10/11/05 at 12:18am

Haha. Good move, Em. I think you were right to cut it off!

[thetheatrekook]

Posted: 10/11/05 at 12:29am

haha i love that episode!!! such a great quote in it's entirety, even if half of it doesn't apply here. lol.

G - don't stress too much! although what should i talk...i stress about saying "hello." to him.

[Chrysanthemum62001]

Posted: 10/11/05 at 12:39am

Wow, you guys have been busy. I thought I killed the thread.

"The watcher watched is still the watcher." Yeah, I love it. I don't know if Michael actually took that from somewhere, or if he made it up. He is very wise though, and does have a lot of Michaelisms.

And G, I think that as long as you know what you want to say to Raul, you will be fine. Approach him with the determination to really bless him with what you have to say. You know, not "what can I get out of telling him this?" but, how am I gonna say this in a way that is going to bless his life. Becuase I know that's what you want to do. And that way, it will be easier to not get caught up in gushing, but rather just sharing your heart with him.

[angelic1]

Posted: 10/11/05 at 1:16am

Ugh, I need to recharge. I have my first brutal midterm tomorrow, followed by class, an appointment with my TA over why she murdered my paper, and then a Psych experiment. Not looking forward to it. Wish me luck...or just think happy thoughts my way.

G - You'll be fine. Like everyone says, he's a nice guy and easy to talk to. Like Nike, Just Do It!! And on that note, I need to crawl under the covers and hide from tomorrow.

[Chrysanthemum62001]

Posted: 10/11/05 at 2:34am

Oh Ang, I want to crawl under the covers too! It is now past 2:30 and I have a voice lesson at 10 am tomorrow! My first voice lesson in two weeks! It wouldn't be so bad, but I haven't practiced in a very long time. Right now, Raúl would laugh in my face and tell me I don't deserve to be on Braodway. Which is true. Must get better at that practicing thing. It's just so damn easy to put off. Especially with BWW....

[Alix7272]

Posted: 10/11/05 at 2:40am

I'm here with you Chrysanthemum! This is my first check all night - a group project kept me away but I couldn't resist. I just have one more push of work to go and then I can go to sleep, but my eyes are starting to want to close.

I love the way you all expressed your Raul love before. He's so...well, all of that and beyond.

[angelic1]

Posted: 10/11/05 at 8:07am

On my way out the door. Still not really ready for the midterm, but whatever. I'm sure the voice lessons will go beautifully, Chrys!

[thetheatrekook]

Posted: 10/11/05 at 8:25am

good luck with the midterm Ang, and the voice lesson Chrys! I need the luck too...TWO midterms today...gahhhhh. my eye is twitching from stress already! haha.

[ElphieDefiesGravity]

Posted: 10/11/05 at 9:16am

I had to go to bed last night, but I guess I'd like to now try and put into words what is so special about him. I think it's going to be impossible...

I've only ever seen Raul in Chitty, and it was my first exposure to him, though I had, of course, heard about him, mainly from Emcee. Sitting in the back of the theatre, Row W, I knew there was something special about him, I knew he had a gorgeous voice. I was sad when he didn't come out of the stage door. These were the first seedlings of my realization of how great he is. I wanted to see the show again. The second time, sitting in Row J, was a cmpletely different story. This time, instead of focusing on the entire piece, the spectacle, I focused on him. What I realized is that he really *does* love his work. Staring at his eyes during "Me Ol Bamboo," I saw such...passion and fire within them. That's when I knew he truly was one of a kind. Now I've listened to him sing many types of music from lots of shows, and I've come to realize that he is quite possibly the most versatile performer I will ever see. Every character, every song he sings, reveals a different part of himself. It astounds me how he is able to sound so different in each song. It is one of my dearest wishes to see him, somehow, live in The Normal Heart. Somehow. It has become one of my favorite plays just from reading it, and it won't be complete without my favorite actor.
The end (though I could go on). I hope that wasn't really sappy.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 10/11/05 at 10:24am

Maybe if I can hear about g's (I love it, the nickname!) experience telling him something meaningful and not "dude, sign this," I'll be able to get up the courage one day. The first time I saw him I did it in a one-performance based way, because that was all I knew. Now there's so much more, but... it's so HARD.

Good luck to you guys with whatever you're doing today. I have an essay due at 5 pm that I haven't touched. I have to find two articles and comparable newspapers and compare them. meh.

[Chrysanthemum62001]

Posted: 10/11/05 at 11:32am

Wow, it seems like all the ladies are in for a rough day! I hope everyone does well with their test-taking, and paper-writing. May the gift of knowledge grace you all in your time of need.

I hope everyone can relax more tomorrow!

For once, I have nothing Raul related to say. How odd.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 10/11/05 at 11:33am

Thank you.

And, may my registration to online access to the NY post come through! It says "a few minutes" and it's been like twenty. *whiiine*

Nice subject heading.

Updated On: 10/11/05 at 11:33 AM

[mebice]

Posted: 10/11/05 at 12:38pm

Yeah, I was introduced to Raul in Taboo, and although I keep forgeting about him in that production because the entire production was life changing for me, when I go back into my memory's organized drawers, I do remember how amazing he was. That performance led me to Tick, tick boom and beyond. I hope one day I also get a chance to express my awe at what he does and his passion. I love passionate people. I think they are becoming less and less apparent. You know? Like we aren't allowed to love things anymore. I love that he has such an amazing work ethic and enthusiasm for his craft. That is what makes him so amazing with his characters. Even Potts, a very minimilized father figure, has become a true 3-d person with emotions and specific charactersitics, rather than just a stand in figure for a theme. Broadway should welcome him into its VIP club, because he truly does have it all. I actually take his acting methods and use them in my theatre history essays. We were discussing Dada, and I explained their art as "if you are afraid of it, you have to do it," which is somewhat how they are. I am not even an actor, but you can learn different techniques from him.
On a side note- I am a Public Relations minor and we are studying the history of PR, and PT Barnum is the leader of a certain model of PR, and when I came across the question of who was known to say "A sucker is born every minute" I kind of chuckled during my midterm because I thought of his performance of that song. Needless to say, I got that one right because of none other than Raul E. Esparza.
:)

[greatdct]

Posted: 10/11/05 at 1:20pm

Thanks for all the support about my "talk", guys! I'm actually really excited about it and I can't wait for that moment to get here. And, of course, I'll let you all know how it goes!

Have a good day, everyone. Since you all seem to have a busy one ahead of you!

Oh, and I love the nickname G!

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 10/11/05 at 1:24pm

Do you have a day planned for this yet?