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

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#2279

re: The Official Raúl E. Esparza 'Spread the Love' Thread, Part 3

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?
Sarcasm is an allergic reaction to stupid people.
#2281

re: The Official Raúl E. Esparza 'Spread the Love' Thread, Part 3

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

#2282

re: The Official Raúl E. Esparza 'Spread the Love' Thread, Part 3

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

BroadwayBoobs: I'll give all of you who weren't there a hint of who took the pictures ...it rhymes with shameless

SOMMS: I knew it was Tink!
#2283

re: The Official Raúl E. Esparza 'Spread the Love' Thread, Part 3

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.
The morning star always gets wonderful bright the minute before it has to go --doesn't it?
#2284

re: The Official Raúl E. Esparza 'Spread the Love' Thread, Part 3

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.
#2286

re: The Official Raúl E. Esparza 'Spread the Love' Thread, Part 3

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"?
Sarcasm is an allergic reaction to stupid people.
#2287

re: The Official Raúl E. Esparza 'Spread the Love' Thread, Part 3

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.

BroadwayBoobs: I'll give all of you who weren't there a hint of who took the pictures ...it rhymes with shameless

SOMMS: I knew it was Tink!

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

#2288

re: The Official Raúl E. Esparza 'Spread the Love' Thread, Part 3

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. re: The Official Raúl E. Esparza 'Spread the Love' Thread, Part 3 )
Sarcasm is an allergic reaction to stupid people.
#2289

re: The Official Raúl E. Esparza 'Spread the Love' Thread, Part 3

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.

BroadwayBoobs: I'll give all of you who weren't there a hint of who took the pictures ...it rhymes with shameless

SOMMS: I knew it was Tink!
#2291

re: The Official Raúl E. Esparza 'Spread the Love' Thread, Part 3

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

BroadwayBoobs: I'll give all of you who weren't there a hint of who took the pictures ...it rhymes with shameless

SOMMS: I knew it was Tink!
#2293

re: The Official Raúl E. Esparza 'Spread the Love' Thread, Part 3

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

BroadwayBoobs: I'll give all of you who weren't there a hint of who took the pictures ...it rhymes with shameless

SOMMS: I knew it was Tink!
#2295

re: The Official Raúl E. Esparza 'Spread the Love' Thread, Part 3

re: The Official Raúl E. Esparza 'Spread the Love' Thread, Part 3

holy crow, that's a lot of money. But it's for a good cause, not to mention the nice eye/ear candy re: The Official Raúl E. Esparza 'Spread the Love' Thread, Part 3

I forgot how much I love his new headshot.


The morning star always gets wonderful bright the minute before it has to go --doesn't it?

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

#2299

re: The Official Raúl E. Esparza 'Spread the Love' Thread, Part 3

I'm excited for opiv! Raul probably looks dashing in his California wear re: The Official Raúl E. Esparza 'Spread the Love' Thread, Part 3

I have a big print copy of that headshot, it's so distracting, hehe
The morning star always gets wonderful bright the minute before it has to go --doesn't it?
#2300

re: The Official Raúl E. Esparza 'Spread the Love' Thread, Part 3

Yeah, I have that headshot in HQ; it's frighteningly large, but really pretty. re: The Official Raúl E. Esparza 'Spread the Love' Thread, Part 3

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!
A work of art is an invitation to love.

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