The Official Raúl E. Esparza "Spread the Love" Thread, Part 3- Page 103

[antiandrewx]

Posted: 8/19/07 at 12:17am

Thanks for the report, Miss Chung. Sounds like it was a great time. I'm really bummed I had to miss it. Glad you had a fun time!

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 8/19/07 at 12:54am

Hi, we just got back. I'm tired -- two long, laughter-filled days with very little sleep have done quite a number on my ability to be in any way coherent or eloquent. I have two friends interning at the festival, so this was sort of a multi-purpose trip: we spent the night with my friends, and then saw a show this afternoon before heading home. Raúl's performance was fantastic, and I'm really glad I was able to go. I expected him to be very straightfoward and serious, which he was when he needed to be, but he was very hammy and silly and funny -- which surprised me. It worked because he really goes for ironic humor on stage, and there's quite a bit of that to be found in the play. I need to have dinner and get some sleep, though, so I'll catch up on what I missed in the thread and post more about Our Town tomorrow.

To my three lovely road-trip companions -- thank you for a great weekend. You guys are the best.

[misschung]

Posted: 8/19/07 at 11:02am

I second that, Emcee. A fun weekend indeed

Anyway, a tidbit to sum up the weekend:



We have no live Raul pictures, unfortunately I couldn't get my camera out of my bag before they all fled the stage after a very quick curtain call.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 8/19/07 at 11:56am

I still think that was entirely too perfect.

Oh God, it felt so amazing to sleep.

[misschung]

Posted: 8/19/07 at 12:09pm

Sleep. Bed. Quiet. Good.

And you can see the corner of that flyer is torn off from where I peeled it off the wall, lol.

I'm kicking myself for not having my camera out during the reading, but I love the ending of that play so much that I was just kind of like 'wowwww' hehe

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 8/19/07 at 12:11pm

Yeah, one of mine looks like I bit it. I didn't even think to take pictures during the reading or bows or whatever -- they didnt' say you couldn't, but for some reason that never clicked.

[misschung]

Posted: 8/19/07 at 12:17pm

I was planning to take at least one during their bows, but it went too fast. I wish I had at least one, because Raul looked great. Was he wearing the jacket from the Sardi's unveiling? I couldn't tell if it was the same one or just very similar. But he had on a white oxford shirt underneath and his mom jeans, lol. I really liked his longer hair

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 8/19/07 at 12:20pm

One of my first thoughts when he walked out on stage was, "it's the jacket!" It's that mustard colored jacket that's like, everywhere. But it's actually not bad at ALL in person. I guess it just doesn't photograph well. I loved his hair (a LOT), loved the scruffiness, loved the button-down. And omgmomjeans.

I just woke up. I'll post about the show later.

[misschung]

Posted: 8/19/07 at 12:24pm

It's definitely not bad in person at all. For some reason I really liked his shoes yesterday, I think he has those in black too. And his hair was....attractive. He had that little flip/curl in the front

I showed my mom the flyer and she was like "oh, that's beautiful!" lol.

Raul definitely had fans follow him up there, I recognized someone from the Company stagedoor. Not to mention the woman wearing the Company tee shirt..

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 8/19/07 at 12:27pm

To be blunt, I really wanted to just run up to him and run my fingers through it.

I was glad to know we weren't the only ones who went up for him. I didn't think we would be.

[opiv]

Posted: 8/19/07 at 1:06pm

Sounds like it was a lot of fun! I just borrowed Our Town from the english teacher I TA for, so I'll probably read it later this week.

And I'm glad that the jacket, like the red tie from the SF benefit, isn't as bad in person.

[ElphieDefiesGravity]

Posted: 8/19/07 at 3:40pm

I'm glad it was fun! We have very sporadic internet access, so I'm a bit out of the loop.

My sister just told me that Raul is on the Broadway station on XM radio, or something. "Hello, this Raul Esparza and you're listening to the Broadway channel..." Something like that. Does anyone get that channel? I wish I did.

[humbugfoto]

Posted: 8/19/07 at 4:27pm

I do! I get XM with my DISH Satellite, and the Broadway channel (6077) is my default music channel. They have those airchecks done by just everybody, but I've never heard Raúl's! Waaaa!!

Glad Williamstown went well, although I'm still puzzling over missching's comment that he "swallowed a lot of his words". That just doesn't sound like him (er, no pun intended).

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 8/19/07 at 5:00pm

I don't think they were mic'ed. It was a small theater and the acoustics carried the actors' voices well enough, but it did make Raúl sound like he was swallowing some of his words, since he often spoke kind of quickly.

[humbugfoto]

Posted: 8/19/07 at 5:08pm

This sounds kind of awkward, but is it possible Raúl has never worked/performed without some sort of electronic amplification?

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 8/19/07 at 5:25pm

I think he probably has. I guess it's possible that whatever acoustics were set up in the theater weren't great, or something. He got better as the play went on, but at the beginning, I wanted to be like, "Raul. LOUDER."

[misschung]

Posted: 8/19/07 at 5:27pm

It's possible, save those productions that he did in his Jesuit school in Miami back in the day.

He enunciates really well on stage - it wasn't that he mumbled, but like emcee said, he got excited and sometimes talked really fast so some lines were buried a bit.

I have to say that this reading gave me a little taste of what he can do in a straight play, and while I'm worried about his scenery chewing, I am really really excited to see what he does with the Pinter play. He's got such a magnetic presence on stage.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 8/19/07 at 5:33pm

I think his scenery chewing habits will work really well for The Homecoming, so I'm not really worried, per se. But yeah, you guys who haven't seen him in a straight play yet are in for a treat. Even though this was just a reading, I was really thrilled to see him in one again, because it reminded me of what great things he can do.

[keen on kean]

Posted: 8/19/07 at 5:34pm

I am intrigued too - I have only seen Raul in COMPANY so HOMECOMING will be my first non-musical experience. WIll I keep expecting him to sing, I wonder. (With Pinter? NOT.)

[humbugfoto]

Posted: 8/19/07 at 5:36pm

Hmmm. I have to admit I'm of the old school - I'm not fond of mic-ing. It didn't exist when I was a kid. An actor had to learn to project his/her voice to the back row without any electronic aid.

So....how does an actor learn to do that today? Or...=do= they? It =has= to be a vastly different technique from working with amplification, and since everything is amp'd these days, has natural projection become a lost art?

[humbugfoto]

Posted: 8/19/07 at 5:39pm

Sing.....PINTER?????? AHHHH!!!!! Oh, the horror!!
(runs screaming from room at the very thought!)

Updated On: 8/19/07 at 05:39 PM

[misschung]

Posted: 8/19/07 at 5:40pm

Maybe. I know this was discussed on the Broadway: The Golden Age documentary, and I agree with you, humbug. I love natural amplification if the actors are capable, but I'm not sure that mics take away from the effect of the theatrical experience.

I'm assuming that they learn to do that in the same way that a singer learns how to project their voice without screaming and doing damage to their vocal cords.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 8/19/07 at 5:43pm

I think he's better in straight plays... which I know is like, fan blashpey. I mean, I connected really deeply with Company, so I will always love Bobby -- but his acting is even stronger in a straight play setting.

[keen on kean]

Posted: 8/19/07 at 5:45pm

Do you think Raul is letting his hair grow for the Pinter, or something else? Or just because?

[humbugfoto]

Posted: 8/19/07 at 5:45pm

I guess I was thinking more along the lines of where do they find the opportunity to learn, if everything today is amp'd. And if everything is amp'd, does anyone bother to learn the technique? I think they all =should=, but in the practical reality of modern theatre, I'm guessing not too many do.