The Official Raúl E. Esparza "Spread the Love" Thread, Part 3- Page 93

[misschung]

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

I haven't finished reading it yet. I think this is the type of play that I'll have to see in order to really absorb it. It seems so much relies on how the actors approach these characters. I can't wait to see what Raul does with Lenny

Updated On: 8/5/07 at 05:43 PM

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 8/5/07 at 5:50pm

Hee. It's a perfect play for a bunch of scenery-chewing actors.

[misschung]

Posted: 8/5/07 at 5:57pm

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 8/5/07 at 6:01pm

What's that?

[misschung]

Posted: 8/5/07 at 6:04pm

Michael Jackson. For some reason the phrase "scenery chewer" brought him to mind, hehe.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 8/5/07 at 6:06pm

I have no idea how to respond to that, heh!

[misschung]

Posted: 8/5/07 at 6:13pm

yeah, that's because it's the result of my odd stream of consciousness - as well as my brain being fried from being out in the sun all weekend. didn't Raul do the moonwalk during Company once?

I wonder what he's performing tonight.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 8/5/07 at 6:50pm

He did. It actually kind of bugged me, but he wasn't half bad.

So do I. I wonder if he'll perform the song that's called "Help Is On the Way." I mean, someone probably will.

[misschung]

Posted: 8/5/07 at 6:56pm

I really like that song.

Well, he can definitely dance, even if chewing on scenery. I'm not sure we'll get any in The Homecoming, though. And a dancing Stage Manager probably won't work. oh well

Updated On: 8/5/07 at 06:56 PM

[opiv]

Posted: 8/6/07 at 4:12am

Just got home, and I'm exhausted so I'll post more tomorrow (or today I guess). But, it was amazing. And I got to meet him.

[polly2]

Posted: 8/6/07 at 7:59am

i'm jealous opiv! and waiting. impatiently, but waiting :)

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 8/6/07 at 10:44am

Awww, yay, opiv! I can't wait to hear about it.

[misschung]

Posted: 8/6/07 at 10:54am

I'm so glad you got to meet him! yay!

[opiv]

Posted: 8/6/07 at 11:19am

I must be too excited to sleep. Ha.

This is going to be way too long, so I apologize in advance.

My friend, her dad and I were waiting in the lobby to go into the main reception area that only the premium ticket holders were in at this point. All of a sudden my friend looks up, stops talking and is just standing there with her mouth open. I look up and sure enough Raul is walking out the reception doors into the area we were in, and then out the front doors. I was just staring at him with my mouth open the entire time. Then she and I walked out see where he was going and erm...admire him from a far I guess. The building is circle-shaped, and he seemed to walk about 20 feet away to the stage door to smoke and talk on the phone. My friends dad kept insisting I
go up to him when he was off the phone, which was not gonna happen. So I paced around (I'm pretty certain he was watching me do this) and resorted to my nervous habit of playing with my phone. A couple minutes later Raul was walking up to me, smiling, with my friends dad saying "She's a huge fan of yours" and stuff like that. I almost died.

Ok--just a brief moment of shallowness. He's really attractive in person. I was swooning.

So I started walking towards him nervously smiling like an idiot. It was surreal. He said "Hi I'm Raul" (really? I had NO idea) and shook my hand. My friends dad and her then told him about how they went to Sardi's when they visited NY and got a picture by his caricature. He seemed to understand how big something like that is to Californians who never go to NY. Ha.

So then someone mentioned I brought some stuff for him to sign, to which he said "Oh cool" or something like that. I got out my copy of The Homecoming and the Company recording. He
asked me if I had read the play yet and when I said I had, he said "It's weird huh?". I said it got...interesting in the second act and he said something like "I read it thinking everyone's gonna hate me in this. I always seem to choose those roles." Then he signed the Company cd and said how much he loved doing that show and mentioned how it was recorded for Great Performances. I told him how excited I was that
that happened. I was literally shocked at how he seemed like he really wanted to be talking to us and sign my stuff. He was incredible, and way nicer than he had to be.

So he signed the play "To Katie, thank you so much" and wrote "and the best" on the cd. I think he then asked us if we were from here and we told him Sacramento. He said he was singing an Elvis Costello song and I thought about mentioning Brilliant Mistakes but didn't. I said I'd been wondering what he was going to sing (the theme of the show was "At the Movies") and he said something along the lines of not being
good at picking songs from old movie musicals, and that the Elvis Costello song happened to be in a movie. Then he shook our hands and said "Thanks so much Katie." I was suprised at how composed I was the whole time but now I wish I had thought of something approaching intelligent to say to him. He was so sweet the entire time and acted genuinely happy to be talking to us.

The performance--he sang God Give Me Strength, which I found midly amusing (the song choice, not the performance). It was amazing. We were pretty far back, but the theater was on the small side so it was a great view. He sang the hell out of that song. He didn't seem to get as into it with his facial expressions as he did at Brilliant Mistakes (well, the clips I've seen of it). It was so powerful, I literally almost cried. I really hope I'll get to see him perform in a show someday.

Sorry this is turning into a novel, but there's one more thing worth mentioning. The stage had a red carpet type thing set up going to the center. After the finale, Raul went up to Jai Rodriguez and they hugged and such. Then as all the performers were walking off the stage and everyone was leaving, they had what I can only describe as a Red Carpet Diva-off. They both kinda walked down it shimmying and swaying their hips. It was adorable.

Updated On: 8/6/07 at 11:19 AM

[MotorTink]

Posted: 8/6/07 at 11:22am

opiv - that is awesome!!!

[misschung]

Posted: 8/6/07 at 11:24am

What a nice night you had, opiv! It's great that you got to meet and talk to him one on one for so long.

I love the "Hi, I'm Raul" comment, lol

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 8/6/07 at 11:31am

Awww, what an adorable post. I'm sitting here with a big smile on my face. And yeah, he's like ten times more beautiful in person.

You're lucky to have seen God Give Me Strength in person! It's really something. I saw Brilliant Mistake, and I'll never forget it.

He said "Hi I'm Raul" (really? I had NO idea) and shook my hand.

lol. We've had formal introductions two or three times, and I always have the same reaction. It's obviously just a polite gesture, but I can never help laughing a little inside, because I'm just like, "um, I know. That's why I'm here."

Anyway, yay, I'm really happy for you!

[opiv]

Posted: 8/6/07 at 11:38am

Yeah it worked out really perfectly. No picture though, because my friends dad took about 27 candids of us walking around and his camera died. Oh well

[misschung]

Posted: 8/6/07 at 12:21pm

That happens to me all the time. Well, you have a mental picture - that's the most important thing

and you got stuff signed! Your post made me excited for Our Town and the Homecoming. I have to finish writing this paper and then I'm home free for the rest of the summer. Which is all of...two weeks. But still, hehe

[keen on kean]

Posted: 8/6/07 at 1:18pm

opiv - Thanks for the details! I am so happy you had the chance to meet Raul - stay up on that cloud as long as you can! I think he really does like meeting his "fans" - and his reaction to the Pinter play is so interesting. I have said before that he is one of two men I have ever met who are gorgeous in person and rarely take a photograph that conveys that. Except maybe that headshot.

Next stop - OUR TOWN. And I won't be there for that either. But the Raul Grapevine will come through.

[misschung]

Posted: 8/6/07 at 1:28pm

see I think he looks great in a most pictures. Some, definitely NOT (aka, the Our Town announcement), but I've got a whole collection of amazing ones on my comp lol. I think you mean that he looks better in person than he does in pictures though, which I agree with.

[Ariella]

Posted: 8/6/07 at 1:33pm

Thank you, opiv! That was wonderful to read about, and I'm glad you had such a great encounter with him. There's nothing shallow about observing that Raul is rather lovely in person

It always cracks me up when he introduces himself. He seems to do that every time and I'm not sure if I'm supposed to look politely incredulous at the revelation.

[opiv]

Posted: 8/6/07 at 1:34pm

Yeah, I think he looks really good in most pictures. But I had heard he looks even better in person, which he did.

I'm hoping there'll be some pictures from last night, because he had on an interesting tie. It was red with some other stuff on it which I can't remember.

[polly2]

Posted: 8/6/07 at 3:04pm

it's so sweet that he introduces himself every time. I'm glad you had a good time opiv.

[misschung]

Posted: 8/6/07 at 3:20pm

I'd like to see pics from last night, too! One more way I can avoid finishing this stupid paper.

I wonder if anyone's ever like "no ****, sherlock" when he says that, lol. That was like when obsessedjb was waiting at the stagedoor in the rain, and he came out and was like "oh, you're all wet" heh