The Official Raúl E. Esparza "Spread the Love" Thread, Part 3- Page 92

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 8/2/07 at 3:37pm

He looks like some sort of twisted, evil elf.

[humbugfoto]

Posted: 8/2/07 at 3:44pm

Those eyebrows deserve their own zip code...
Damn, I wish I remembered seeing him in Cabaret.

Updated On: 8/2/07 at 03:44 PM

[misschung]

Posted: 8/2/07 at 3:48pm

I'm excited for Cabaret anyway, even if sans Raul. I wish I had seen him in it too, though

[humbugfoto]

Posted: 8/3/07 at 12:33am

Has there been any more info about who is going to be reading Our Town with Raúl in Williamstown? It's only 2 weeks away, you'd think they'd have the rest of the cast set by now?

[misschung]

Posted: 8/3/07 at 12:38am

I know. I looked, but haven't found anything.

[keen on kean]

Posted: 8/3/07 at 11:51am

Just read OUR TOWN to refresh my recollection. Hate to admit this, but with the exception of a couple of clever parts, I still don't "get" this play. Anyone want to help educate me? Is there some spark that comes across in a production? The message is touching but as a dramatic exercise it seems lacking.

The stage manager role is an intriguing one - I can't help but wonder if Raul will attempt an accent of some sort. Certain lines seem to require one.
Updated On: 8/3/07 at 11:51 AM

[MotorTink]

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

I started reading OUR TOWN last night, and my copy of Homecoming came in the mail today, yeehaw!

[misschung]

Posted: 8/3/07 at 5:19pm

Kean, for me, on a general level, the show really speaks to what we take for granted in our everyday life. It seems to be a celebration of the mundane, about raising pedestrian activity to greater significance, and about the passing of time. For me, the beauty of the play comes forth in Wilder's oscillation between death and life, sentimentality and cynicism. I feel like the end of the play is not unlike the end of Company, because the audience is put in a place where they (hopefully) see how fast it all goes, and how you need to be a part of it even though it's hard, and scary, and messy.

I have less than no background in drama studies, but I can guess that as a dramatic exercise, the Stage Manager needs to balance a sense of aloofness and objectivity with an underlying affection for the town and all its characters. I think the key is not to be overtly sappy and hokey - which frankly, is hard, given the text.

[keen on kean]

Posted: 8/4/07 at 1:00am

misschung - that makes sense. The version I have of OUR TOWN has some notes on the earliest productions, and Wilder was apparently upset that director Jed Harris leaned heavily on the side of bathos - with the result of too many tears at the end and not enough reflection. I actually relate pretty well to some of the cynicism - the remark about how little culture there is refers to Handel's Largo, and then it is played in the wedding scene. Also the waste of young talent - George not being able to pursue baseball, and Emily being bright but marrying and then dying young.

[misschung]

Posted: 8/4/07 at 1:16am

the pbs character studies series also just featured our town a few weeks ago. the website has some nice interviews and insight:
http://www.pbs.org/previews/characterstudies-ourtown/

[humbugfoto]

Posted: 8/4/07 at 3:24pm

Um, over on the main board they're talking rather fiercely about "what happened last night". I'm probably being both dense and naive, but, can someone explain just what it is that "happened"?

[MotorTink]

Posted: 8/4/07 at 3:25pm

A bunch of posters went nuts and totally spammed the boards. In one of the threads there is a screencap of what the board looked like at 4 am or something.

ETA - n/m, looks like that thread was deleted while I was away. there were literally 40 or so threads started blasting and making fun of Xanadu, their fans, and it's cast. Some were just meaningless fluff, but others were downright vulgar. And the threads were all started by the same few people/sock puppets.

Updated On: 8/4/07 at 03:25 PM

[humbugfoto]

Posted: 8/4/07 at 3:42pm

Good god, how moronic! Presumably the powers that be can/have taken steps to prevent a re-occurrence?

Thank you for the explanation. (Um, what does "ETA" stand for? I mean, it's obvious what it's used for, but what does the acronym mean? Anal-retentive minds want to know. )

[MotorTink]

Posted: 8/4/07 at 3:45pm

Edited to Add

Well there is no real way to prevent it because the mods do need to sleep lol. If they are banned, it is very easy to bounce off another IP address and re join under another name and start the same trouble over again. That is the risk with a free public message board. It's a shame since the board is very reputable in the industry I've heard.

[keen on kean]

Posted: 8/5/07 at 11:55am

Performance day on the West Coast for Raul! Attendees - be sure to give us a full report, pretty please.

[MotorTink]

Posted: 8/5/07 at 11:56am

yay! So exciting. Anyone wanna refresh my memory of what exactly the performance is for?

[cortolau]

Posted: 8/5/07 at 12:17pm

"Help Is On The Way" fundraiser for SF Bay Area AIDS service provider agencies. Bunches of performances from all sorts of entertainers...kind of like the Ed Sullivan Show (oops, I think I'm dating myself here).
event webpage

[MotorTink]

Posted: 8/5/07 at 12:22pm

yes, that's right! Thanks for refreshing my memory! It will be interesting to see what he chose to sing.

[opiv]

Posted: 8/5/07 at 12:37pm

Yes it's tonight!

Because I wasn't going to pay 175$, we're in the third to last row, but hey--it's Raul. I'm just glad we got tickets

[misschung]

Posted: 8/5/07 at 1:14pm

holy crow, that's a lot of money. But it's for a good cause, not to mention the nice eye/ear candy

I forgot how much I love his new headshot.

Updated On: 8/5/07 at 01:14 PM

[keen on kean]

Posted: 8/5/07 at 1:21pm

Don't worry, opiv - if there is anyone who can make an impression reach to the last row, it's probably Raul.

Do love that headshot - boy, does he look thin.

[misschung]

Posted: 8/5/07 at 1:26pm

imagine being that photographer...lol

[Ariella]

Posted: 8/5/07 at 2:43pm

I have the big version of that picture, and his eyes are absolutely lovely.

I hope you'll write a very detailed description of the event, opiv!

[misschung]

Posted: 8/5/07 at 3:33pm

I'm excited for opiv! Raul probably looks dashing in his California wear

I have a big print copy of that headshot, it's so distracting, hehe

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 8/5/07 at 5:22pm

Yeah, I have that headshot in HQ; it's frighteningly large, but really pretty.

I read The Homecoming this afternoon. I loved it. I think I need to read it again to fully absorb it, but it's a relatively quick read. I love quirky plays, and he's going to be perfect!

Have a great time, opiv!