The Official Raúl E. Esparza "Spread the Love" Thread, part two- Page 170

[ElphieDefiesGravity]

Posted: 1/1/07 at 9:01pm

Sorry! :-0 I didn't mean to! And I'll try not to do it in real life. :-P


I find it interesting that I've been wanting to dream about Raul for like, ever, and I finally did and it wasn't even remotely inappropriate. Unless you count meeting him in the bathroom...

[sweetestsiren]

Posted: 1/1/07 at 9:58pm

Hehe, that's an awesome dream, Elphie! The flying car does seem Chitty-related. I'm excited for you to get to see Company!

The last Raul dream that I had featured him going on The Daily Show to promote Company and having really cute banter with Jon Stewart. Which, come to think of it, would be about the most amazing thing ever were it to come to fruition.

No inappropriate dreams for me, either...

[ElphieDefiesGravity]

Posted: 1/1/07 at 10:11pm

I have had *one* inappropriate Raul dream. And it was really short.

[Allie]

Posted: 1/2/07 at 11:12am

I finally found Find Me Guilty in my little local video rental place the other night! I thought it looked pretty good from the trailer, and I'd been wanting to see Raúl on my big TV, heh. And Vin Diesel with ridiculous hair and an extra 30 pounds? Yes, please (don't judge me). And the movie was so good! Even better than I thought it would be. Raúl's little speech impediment thing was so funny, and he had a much larger part than I thought he would. Also, Vin Diesel is somehow more attractive in this than when he's all ripped and shaved and whatnot (you're judging me, aren't you?).

So, yes, Find Me Guilty. I watched it twice.

[Shiksa Goddess]

Posted: 1/2/07 at 9:19pm

No judgment on the Raul thread! I saw the movie in theaters, and I own it now, so I definitly liked it for more than Raul. He was great though, there were a LOT of great actors in that film.

[ElphieDefiesGravity]

Posted: 1/8/07 at 8:20pm

Raul was on like, the 6th page!

ANYWAY. There was an article in yesterday's Times talking about Company and opera and singers playing instruments and Anthony Tomassini(?) was very complimentary to the show and to Raul. He called him "a Bobby for the ages".
Also mentioned some other actors in the show, Kristin and her husband (what's his name? Keith?).

Updated On: 1/8/07 at 08:20 PM

[sweetestsiren]

Posted: 1/8/07 at 8:39pm

Thanks for the heads up, Elphie!

[Perfectly Marvelous]

Posted: 1/8/07 at 8:54pm

I just wanted to quickly say that Raul's "I Don't Care Much" is probably one of the best renditions I have ever heard. I've been listening to that song a lot as of late, and I have many recordings of it, but his is definitely the most heart-wrenching.

[ElphieDefiesGravity]

Posted: 1/8/07 at 8:55pm

You're welcome!

OOH! I forgot! There are two pictures as well, one with them all playing their instruments and Raul kind of standing above them, and one with Raul playing the piano.

[Ariella]

Posted: 1/8/07 at 9:30pm

Thanks, Elphie - I managed to dig it out of the recycling. The pictures were an added bonus. I was looking at Brantley's review again, and the picture where he's standing behind Elizabeth, Kelly, and Angel is funny. You can't really see the glass cube, so he appears to be floating a foot above the ground.

[ElphieDefiesGravity]

Posted: 1/8/07 at 10:53pm

You're welcome. I'm glad you found it.

Perfectly Marvelous- Nothing about Raul need be said quickly on this thread. Some people aren't huge fans of his IDCM, but I happen to love it. I think it's heart-breaking, at least the version I saw on that forbidden site...

[sweetestsiren]

Posted: 1/9/07 at 1:46am

Speaking of the forbidden site, if you haven't checked it lately, you might want to. Don't forget the accent mark.

Anyway, Raul's IDCM is a little too intense (and by intense I might just mean.. overplayed) for me. I think it's a song that requires a lighter, subtler take to be at its most effective. Even with that, though, Raul's still my favorite (besides Alan, of course) of the Cabaret revival's Emcees.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 1/9/07 at 10:01am

I don't really go for the version from Seth's Chatterbox, because if Raul's vibrato was too harsh for the song before, without the accent, it's like... ouch. There are some versions I can't take at all, and some that are beautiful from him, though. It's very bizarre. I think he's a little too forward and intense for the song, but he does sing it well.

[Perfectly Marvelous]

Posted: 1/9/07 at 10:45am

Aw okay.
I didn't want to barge in and ruin your conversation!


As for "I Don't Care Much", I always feel it's a song that's sung on the verge of a mental breakdown. Or at least that's how it comes off sometimes. When I worked on Cabaret, we had Jon Peterson as the Emcee, so pretty much every night I got to hear him sing it. But I never got to see the scene itself [because I was on deck crew, so I couldn't see him]. When I was on that site, I was able to see it - y'know, from more of an audience perspective. Raul does have an intensity that others don't really have, but it's just amazing because it's so raw.

Updated On: 1/9/07 at 10:45 AM

[papalovesmambo]

Posted: 1/9/07 at 10:47am

holy sh*t, there's a raul esparza bww message board.
raul

[ElphieDefiesGravity]

Posted: 1/9/07 at 11:04am

siren- AHHHHH! Thank you! Oh no, what do I do? *frets*

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 1/9/07 at 1:32pm

I think there's a message board for almost every actor who has some sort of fanbase.

I agree with you about the context of IDCM, Perfectly Marvelous.

[Zyla]

Posted: 1/9/07 at 2:24pm

I'm sure that "I Don't Care Much" has been discussed to death and beyond, so I hope you don't mind me stretching this conversation a little longer.

I haven't had the fortune to see a stage production of Cabaret, so I'm not too familiar with the context of the song. However, I think Esparza's vibratto, intense as it is, contributes effectively to the haunting, disturbing tone of the song. I think the raw quality of his voice really suits the song - I'm guessing that it's not meant to be a precise, polished piece.

There's a rough demo of "I Don't Care Much" on the 1966 OBCR, and the original idea was to have it sung by a Berlin streetwalker. The demo is performed by Kander and Ebb themselves, and, oddly enough, I find it one of the most effective versions I've heard.

[Perfectly Marvelous]

Posted: 1/9/07 at 6:30pm

Oh, I have that recording!

I remember when I first heard it, I was a bit thrown off by the tempo -- it's a little more 'upbeat' [if you will] than the revival version. It's also in a different context on the OBC. Like the street-walker could be a mirror image for all of Berlin at the time. Yet when the Emcee sings it, he is not only a mirror image, but also describing the relationship of Sally and Cliff.

And you're exactly right, Zyla, it's definitely not supposed to be polished. That's why I think it's such a wonderful song is because it's so raw and haunting.

On Jon's CD [he's the one I mentioned in my initial post], he sings "I Don't Care Much" and this is his little note on the song -
"I Don't Care Much reappeared in the musical Cabaret recently, reflecting the denial of those who blindly stayed in Berlin and continued their old lives as the Nazis took hold. It shouts its sturbonness and denial..."

[Fantabulous428]

Posted: 1/9/07 at 10:00pm

Broadway.com Photo OP from Company Recording

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 1/9/07 at 10:21pm

He is so very adorable.

[ElphieDefiesGravity]

Posted: 1/10/07 at 12:27am

He really really is. My favorite is the picture of him and Barbara Walsh.

[gertrudejessalynn]

Posted: 1/10/07 at 1:58pm

Aww, those pictures are adorable.

It appears I'll be seeing Company again this coming Monday. Can't wait.

[Ariella]

Posted: 1/10/07 at 5:44pm

You're so lucky! I hope you enjoy it...

There are some very cute pictures in there

[Jiffy Pop]

Posted: 1/10/07 at 6:00pm

Hello. Just thought that I'd post to say that I saw Company this weekend. I absolutely loved every minute of it, and I really hope that I can see it again.

I got to talk to Raul at the stagedoor and he was so nice. He was talking about his dog which was cute.

And here's the picture I took with him. He looks kinda tired and his hair is all over the place, but still cute.