The Official Raúl E. Esparza "Spread the Love" Thread, Part 3 — Page 94

Sorry, not a regular here…but I loved Opiv’s account and can completely relate to her anticipation, as I was there last night as well. I actually had the great, unexpected fortune of chatting with Raul twice since I was at the gala and silent auction beforehand and at the dessert party afterward.

This was my first “Help Is on the Way” event, but once I got educated on the cause and history, I got very excited about the evening, all the more so since Raul was performing. I was told by the organizers that none of the performers would be there during the pre-performance, so I was just looking at the things laid out on the tables. Literally right after perusing a Raul Esparza gift set (an autographed photo and a cast-signed Company CD and program) going for $250, my partner pointed in the opposite direction and said, “Isn’t that him?”. In a spit take I’m sure would be worthy of Nathan Lane, I coughed out my ahi tuna taco out of shock.

He was engaged in an animated conversation with someone I thought was a dedicated fan (It turned out to be the program director). When he broke away causally, I simply said, “Excuse me, Mr. Esparza?”, and without missing a beat, he said, “Raul…Mr. Esparza is my father.” I laughed hesitantly, and he said pointedly, “And you are...?”. I forgot my name, so my partner said, “Ed. His name is Ed and mine is Jamie.” Luckily, two out of three of us were lucid. We ended up chatting for a while since no one else seemed to recognize him, so I went on about how much I loved his work in “Company”, how I could relate to Bobby’s plight (before Jamie, of course), and then I started realizing I was having an actual conversation with this man. He talked about the Pinter play and how excited he is to play the part and that they have not been able to cast the girl’s part. And then a big scoop – he is prepping for a “big musical” after “The Homecoming”. He could not divulge anything but did say it will be something “really, really exciting”. Somehow, I took it for granted that he would be nice. What struck me was how he really made me feel like a person with thoughts and opinions. He won about a thousand bonus points when he repeated our names at the end – “So nice to meet both of you, Ed, Jamie. I really hope you like the show”. He remembered.

As it turned out, the whole show was great, hugely entertaining, a lot of it campy and fun. Late in the second half, Raul’s performance was incredible. I happen to be a huge fan of the Bacharach-Costello CD, “Painted from Memory”, so I have been more than familiar with this knockout song for years (Audra does a lovely version, too). I also saw the brief clip of his performance of “God Give Me Strength” on Broadway.com, so I was a bit worried about some of the raspiness I heard in that performance. Nope, he modulated everything beautifully as he perched himself on a stool. He even got spontaneous applause in the middle of the bridge.

After the show, it seemed about three times as crowded with everyone hovering around the celebrities and the fancy dessert tables. From behind, I spotted Raul with three rabid fans (at least)…I could tell because none of them blinked while he talked. It was actually funny and ghoulish at the same time. I did catch his eye at which point I whispered in his ear…”You were brilliant.” He said he was happy I loved the song at which point I confessed to him…”I just want to let you know you’re the primary reason I am here tonight.” He thanked me very sweetly and said “Gee, I hope I delivered it to your expectation.” That’s the point where I about lost it…”Did you deliver it to MY expectation?? Holy…” Such a wonderful, generous person he is.

I did get a picture of us, which if people are interested, I will post when I get home from work.

Ohhh, a "big musical"!! How incredibly tantalizing!

But -- doesn't that makes it sound like they already know The Homecoming is going to have a....limited run?

---

Maybe...maybe another Sondheim?? Didn't BOUNCE get pushed back to the '08-09 season? I know we shouldn't speculate, but...oh GOD it's fun!!!

---

opiv -- I was in the same row as you last night, a few seats to your right. I had a feeling it was you...I saw you holding your copy of the Company DVD. What a terrific trip report! I'm so glad that you got the opportunity to talk to Raul--it definitely made the long drive and expensive ticket worth it. And your friend and her dad were so great, encouraging you to stick around and "priming the pump" by telling Raul that you're a fan.

Before the show, when we were walking to the theater, we saw Raul talking on his cell phone and smoking, and I had to stop and take his photo...but I didn't want to intrude too much on his privacy, so I kept my distance when I snapped a pic. I apologized and told him I was a big fan, and he looked at me and laughed and smiled. I took that gesture as his giving me permission to snap another pic. I wish I had had the nerve to wait around for him to finish his phone call, but I started getting that stalker-ish feeling and just had to leave.

I had brought binoculars to watch him during his performance, and I was amused by the expressions on his face during the brief instrumental interlude before the end of his song. He looked anxious, his eyes scouring the audience--did you get that impression, too?

Below are the pix I snapped. Like the last one I posted (Raul's high school photo), I don't know how to shrink them into a more manageable size nor sharpen the image, so if anybody can help me here, I'd appreciate it.

[IMG]

Nice suit. Nice shoes. Looks relaxed.

That tie is....I'm not sure there =are= words! Although paired with the striped shirt....fascinating. Oh, well, at least his drink matched the tie.

---

I wasn't gonna say anything about the tie/striped shirt combination, but... well, yeah. Heh.

---

I'm terribly curious about this "big musical" project now.

And I'm beginning to worry that Raul is heading for the category of men who should not be allowed to dress themselves.

I wouldn't put him the Adam dressing category quite yet.

He looks like Scott Cohen more than ever in those pictures!

---

Or a game show host?

Granted, a solid tie would have been rather awful, but....let's just say he certainly did make quite the statement with that tie!

---

Seriously. He should climb back in that closet and find a better coordinating ensemble. I mean, I have the worst fashion sense, but I'm not under the same pressure that he is, lol

Anyway, those pictures...the cigarette, the drink, the suit. I'm in heaven, don't know about you guys, hehe.

I don't know if the musical he's talking about is the one we'd heard about before. If it is, I'm glad he's excited about it!

---

he's been tanning!

psst...Raul - if you are going to be a smoker, invest in whitening strips. Ask Adam, he has stock in them probably!

---