The Official Raúl E. Esparza "Spread the Love" Thread, part two — Page 172

I'm watching "Find Me Guilty" right now. I can't say much about the rest of the movie, but Raul's performance is excellent!

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Yay! When are you seeing it?

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Aww! Nice picture. Thanks for sharing it!

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Threeeeee daaaaaaaays!



(Sorry, I'm sure this must be annoying. I'm a tad bit excited.)

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Hey guys! I just got back from NYC (I went there Thurs-Sat night cuz I had an audition) and I saw Company! It was, in one word: amazing. I won't lie, I wanted to squeal or freak out when Raul came out on stage, it was pretty surreal (don't worry, I didn't ). I loved the show so much, I've been telling everyone about it haha It was absolutely wonderful to see Raul live, I've never seen him live before. :o) There are tons of highlights from the show, but for me the most memorable one was defintely "Being Alive"...it was SO emotional and unbelievable. If Raul doesn't get a Tony for this, I don't know what I'll do. He definitely deserves it! :o)

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Thank goodness for Seth's Broadway Chatterbox. Raul's version of Defying Gravity is the only bright spot in a somewhat miserable day.

How big is his part in Find Me Guilty?

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His part in FMG isn't huge, but his character is really important to the plot; he's basically the case's star witness. He has two big scenes: the opening in which he shoots Vin Diesel's character, and his courtoom testimony. The latter is a pretty lengthy scene. He's just as electrifying on camera as he is on stage.

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There are clips in the recordings section of his website (raulesparza.com).

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Has the release date for the cast album been moved back?

The PS Classics site says it's available February 6th; I e-mailed them and they said that as of now, that's the date on which it'll be available in stores, on iTunes and through their site, but that all of the information will be finalized within the next few days. They were really, really nice and very helpful.

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Updated On: 1/22/07 at 09:14 PM

So, Raul is incredible. I know most of you have seen Company already, but I wanted to comment without starting a new thread on the main board.
He made me cry. Three times. I often cry at the theatre, but it's always because something sad is happening in the story. In Company, there is nothing overtly *sad* that would actually make me cry under normal circumstances. There is something about Raul and his performace that is transporting (if that is even a word). The entire show is just beautiful, and I cried during "Someone is Waiting", simply because of the beauty of it; how Raul is all alone in that pool of light. It took me a bit to really get into the show, but once I did, I really loved it. I need to see it again. There's so much I wasn't able to appreciate and pick up on.
Raul, Raul, Raul. That scream. I had been warned that he screamed, but, having not seen TNH, I didn't really have any idea of what it could be like. It's so...impossibly heartbreaking and terrifying. My jaw literally dropped open and I just started to sob. I have never, ever experienced such raw emotion in the theatre. As he began Being Alive, I was shaking, convulsing, rather. I literally could not stop shivering and shaking. (Granted, I was a little cold, but still.) I couldn't take my eyes off of Raul, and though I didn't cry during the song, as soon as it was over, I began to cry again, (as Fantab can attest to ) and couldn't even clap wildly. I could only clap mechanically, rather slowly and, well, oddly. I have never been so effected by a performance before, and most likely never will, although I won't rule out any possibilities. I can only hope that the show is still around this summer so I can enjoy it again. (And again.)

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I'm so glad that you loved Company, Elphie! His performance really is that fantastic, and I always love hearing what people think after seeing the show. I miss it -- hopefully I'll be able to swing a trip back to New York to see it soon.

I think that "Someone is Waiting" is one of the more underrated numbers in this production. When I saw it in Cincinnati, that as the scene that made me cry... there's just this heartwrenching sense of longing, and I can't really think of a production I've heard that has captured that before. Raul's performance there, and throughout the show, really, is gorgeous.

You always get THE best pictures with Raul, by the way!

I've said this before, but I think the spikey "let me take my hat off" hair is really sexy.

In other news, I finally asked him to sign my copy of the Normal Heart. Yay.

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