LOL! Someone has quite the appreciative pair of lungs!
Perhaps a bit pretentious, yes, but I don't think Raúl has ever had to do that before, has he? Since neither Sondheim or Doyle were available (I'm assuming about Doyle) I guess Raúl was the...default speaker. And yes, it was very clear how genuine his feelings were, and how deep they ran, especially at the end when he got so passionate about the future of Broadway.
I also found myself wondering if at least some of what he said could have been from....his Tony speech.
Sarcasm is an allergic reaction to stupid people.