The Official Raúl E. Esparza "Spread the Love" Thread, part two- Page 49

[Chrysanthemum62001]

Posted: 3/18/06 at 1:19am

So glad you enjoyed the performance. And I'm sorry for his mood. I can't imagine how much doing that show would take out of someone, but I'm sure it's exhausting. And he has definitaely admitted that his work has effects his mood.

I'm so glad he's loved working with John Doyle. Also not a surprise. I think my new dream is working with this man. Especially because everyone speaks so highly of him.

I have to ask...was there any cool props a la baby coffin-esque?

[wickedrentq]

Posted: 3/18/06 at 1:24am

Well, I was gonna reply to the review on the main board, but I'll feel silly if I'm just being way too much of a pit geek and there's not much more to say, so I figured I'd be less embarassed here.

For Em or Skittles, any more details, specifics, comments about the instruments/musician aspect of it?

I'm actually glad I came here to ask it, sounds like those of you who have seen it had a great time. I went back to the night at Symphony Space...why am I not surprised Skittles talked more than Em? Glad he's happier now than in Chitty, and I still remember the way he spoke about the production and Doyle and Sondheim and Sweeney, you could tell he was passionate and I'm sure he's loving this. Very happy for him.

I'm sorry he wasn't in the greatest of moods, but I'm glad it was around you guys, who are understanding and not too upset, and won't write on livejournal how it was so rude of him and that he should be obligated to talk with you for half an hour since you travelled out...

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 3/18/06 at 9:17am

My mom keeps getting on my case about it. She's like "I don't understand why you like him, he's not even that nice to you girls," or "you flew ALL THE WAY out here, he should be more appreciative." He knew. I think he appreciated it, and showed it in his own weird Raul way. She just sort of watched us interact with him from the sidelines, so she didn't see his face or hear him speak. Yeah, he was spacey, but he was still nice and he was flattered, I believe that. I keep telling her that he's usually much nicer than that, but rarely all that warm and fuzzy with his fans, even though he's usually much sweeter. And honestly, that's just the way he is. It's just kind of a damper because I loved the performance, was kind of disappointed by him, won't let that get to me, and she won't shut up about it. THAT'S not gonna make her like him any better. I recognize that that's how he is, and I'm fine with it. I like him 'cause he's brilliant, not because he's nice all the time. And he was certainly not not nice. Just didn't want to hang around, clearly.

Chrys, they have a pillar, a couple of stools and a piano for the main set pieces. I guess I'd *sort of* compare the piano to the coffin. Raul stands on it a lot, people sit on it, it kind of doubles as a bed (the love scene before Barcelona is only implied with a KILLER makeout scene), etc.

wrq, I guess you read my review. I wrote about the concept as a whole. I'm not sure what else you want to know... they were there, they were good, they didn't add anything for me, but they didn't take anything away. They were all good, but none brilliant, as instrumentalists.

And again, about his mood, I don't think it's a personal thing, you know? He was certainly up front and honest with us, which is something I don't often expect of him. Yeah, I'm disappointed, but I know I'll see him again, he gave a knock-out performance, and I knew ahead of time that him being kinda out of it was definitely a possibility -- I was disappointed, but not exactly shocked. I'm not gonna go hate him now. :)

Updated On: 3/18/06 at 09:17 AM

[gboogie]

Posted: 3/18/06 at 9:52am

He's moody, but that's why we love him! I'm glad you had fun, though! I can't wait to see the show.

I'm in Cincy, btw. I just got here. I'm off to go explore the city and maybe rush?

[opiv]

Posted: 3/18/06 at 10:12am

Glad you had fun Em, sorry your mom won't leave it alone.

[wickedrentq]

Posted: 3/18/06 at 2:00pm

Well Em I guess you're a better person than me. One time when I first met Idina, she only took 2 pictures with me (the first one didn't come out), when she should have taken 10! And at one of Anthony's booksignings, I made him sandwiches and he didn't seem completely ecstatic about it. It was so incredibly rude of both of them, I hate that both now

Well, what instruments did everyone play? Particularly, those who played more than one? It's awesome to find out when people play such different instruments as...violin and clarinet for example

And anything else I guess I'd want to know instrument-wise is silly things that I'd be one of the few people to care about/notice. Like when I saw Sweeney the first time, I watched how they went about conducting, the amazingness of playing and singing such different rhythms, etc. But you said it best...the purpose is for it not to be too distracting--normal people unlike me don't want to be distracted by the instruments or pay particularly close attention to just them, and not to the action of the show.

Well, you know how I feel about fakeness, so I think being upright and honest is more than you can expect from most people. What did he do/say in that manner? And the way you guys are, I'm sure makes him appreciate you more. I'm sure he can see that you're wonderful loyal fans who travel to see him, but understand that he's not obligated to stay with you and stuff...should definitely be great for you guys when you catch him in a better mood

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 3/18/06 at 4:11pm

To be perfectly honest, this is the ONLY less-than-great experience I've ever had with him, and it wasn't bad by any measure. He was sweet, just not all there. He wasn't bitchy or anything, which we all KNOW he can be. I think my mom probably wanted him to like, scoop me up in his arms and give me a big bear hug for flying several hundred miles for him. I think it would be difficult to explain to her that I didn't make the trip for him. I didn't fly out there to tug on his sleeve and be like "hey, Raul. I'm here. I flew here to see you. Love me." I made the trip to see him perform, not to get anything from him for it. He honestly seemed preoccupied and exhausted, not unfriendly.

He was just really up-front about his feelings about the show, about Chitty, illegalvideosandsuch, etc. He's usually quieter than that. He was interested, but not very animated, if that makes sense. Honestly, I think he can sort of take it or leave it with the whole fan thing -- if people want to talk to him and take pictures, etc, fine. If not, that's okay, too. He said more than once how flattered he was. That's all I could ask for.

I'll have to look in the playbill thing when I unpack, but I don't think they list the instrumentation. I wasn't sitting all that close, and to tell you the truth, Raul is on stage for 95% of that show -- I couldn't take my eyes off of him, so for those two reasons, I don't think I can accurately tell you who played what.

btw, my mother commented on Raul's FEET halfway through intermission. She was like "wow, he has really big feet for such a small guy." I almost choked.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 3/18/06 at 4:18pm

Heee!

[wickedrentq]

Posted: 3/18/06 at 4:39pm

Ah okay. Heh, the same production I wouldn't be able to take my eyes off the instruments, and you wouldn't be able to take your eyes off Raul :-P

No, as I was joking around in my earlier post, I wasn't even referring to people having a bad experience, just moreso the "less than great" experiences like this one that people bitch about if they're not amazingly great.

Well, I think he seemed really upfront and honest about Symphony Space in terms of both issues, especially the latter (again thank goodness the first time I met him he laughed about it).

No instrumentation in the playbill? That's weird. I should send a formal complaint. Well I see a flute in the picture below. Happen to remember a clarinet at all?

Odd that she would notice his feet if you weren't sitting that close...

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 3/18/06 at 4:43pm

He looks sexy as all sin in that suit. I wouldn't kick him off my piano.

And yeah, this was just a fluke. So many times I've heard that if he's weird to you, you can't take it personally; he's just moody.

There wasn't a lot of clarinet. But if they release production pictures we might be able to tell. It might also be buried in the actor bios; I'll look.

His feet. are. huge.

Posted: 3/18/06 at 4:49pm

Em, honestly, I think you're taking all of this so well. Personally, I'd be pissed off as hell if I traveled from NYC to Cincy and the man wasn't 100% sweet. I know, I know, he's under no true obligation to be extremely personable, but if I were in his position, I'd make sure that I was an absolute sweetheart to someone who presumably spent a lot of money to come see me perform miles away in regional theatre. Regardless if it's his in his personality to be moody at times, I think the very least he could have done was smile and put on a happy face for people who so obviously admire him THAT much.

::awaits flames::

Props to you, though, for feeling the way you do. You're a hell of a lot more mature than I am.

[wickedrentq]

Posted: 3/18/06 at 4:56pm

Ah okay, thanks (re: clarinet). Maybe if I search google or something, I'll find something...you never know. Oboe or English Horn would be pretty cool to have integrated as well.

I don't think there's many actors who if they are "moody" or not the most friendliest, that one should take it personally. I mean they'd really have to know you well, I would think, and be mad/annoyed with you enough to purposely act unkind towards YOU, you know? Just you always catch people in different moods, temperaments, situations, level of tiredness, etc.

Updated On: 3/18/06 at 04:56 PM

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 3/18/06 at 4:56pm

I think the fact that I know they've been rehearsing day in and day out also makes it more excusable. They're all tired, understandably so.

I hestitate to say it, but I think his take on fandom is that he just doesn't care all that much what he's "supposed" to do. That's just the way he is; he has far more important things on his mind than which teenaged girls he should be nice to.

And again, he wasn't bitchy or ungrateful or anything like that. He just wasn't as warm and bubbly as I've seen him in the past. But I guess now I'm on the recieving end of the kinds of experiences that people have once as their ONLY experience with an actor -- the kind that make people go "ew, he's so mean." I know he's not, he was just having an off day. And he really wasn't that bad. He just wasn't all smiles and giggles and... you know, wrist-flippy. I'm disappointed, but he wasn't not nice enough to make me mad at him. He was still very kind.

wrq -- oboe was there.

That reminds me, though. I thought he was going to be a very flambuoyant Bobby, like he just can't un-limp his wrists. He has them under SUCH control. I thought they'd be everywhere. He was subtle, and... not exactly butch, but so... well, playboy.

Edited for clarity.

Updated On: 3/18/06 at 04:56 PM

Posted: 3/18/06 at 4:59pm

No, I know he might not care as much about his fandom as much as he should/is supposed to/whatever, but it's like... even if you don't care, make the damn effort for people who traveled so far to see you. Even if he doesn't truly care that you traveled from NYC to Cincy to see him, he should know that you probably do care about your interaction with him.

I don't know. It's just my opinion, I suppose, and I often expect too much out of people. Like I said, I'm glad you're at peace with it, because that's all that truly matters. I wasn't the one meeting him.
Updated On: 3/18/06 at 04:59 PM

[wickedrentq]

Posted: 3/18/06 at 5:01pm

ROTFL about the wrist comment.

I think the "supposed to do" factor plays out on both ends. At the same time, at Symphony Space, though I was encouraging you guys to approach him while in his seat, I don't know if I would have done so myself--I don't feel comfortable being a "fan" in a dominion other than where fans are supposed to be (stage doors, etc). But when I looked and came over, and he spent quite a bit of time chatting with you/us in a situation I wouldn't say an actor is "supposed to do." I mean even to give a little smile and say thanks okay, but certainly not to start chatting for a while, while sitting in the audience.

It's true, you really should never judge by just one experience.

Updated On: 3/18/06 at 05:01 PM

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 3/18/06 at 5:01pm

I think he did care.

I mean... I don't know how to explain it. The things he SAID showed that he was very, very grateful and flattered. He was just acting funny.

[wickedrentq]

Posted: 3/18/06 at 5:04pm

Siamese, when it comes to stage dooring and meeting/interacting with actors, I've learned the best thing you can do is expect NOTHING. Easier said than done of course. But if you really can ingrain that in your head, you're never disappointed, and you usually are pleasantly surprised, sometimes even extremely pleasantly suprised.

Posted: 3/18/06 at 5:09pm

WRQ, I understand you're saying and I agree, but flying to Cincy is different than a stagedoor meeting after Chitty. I don't think it's unrealistic to have different expectations considering the different circumstances.

I just feel as if it's unfair that you're left with that "he was acting funny" feeling at all. Again, it's probably not in my position to say that, and considering you seem happy overall with your meeting, I'm definitely going to step off the soapbox now.

[Fantabulous428]

Posted: 3/18/06 at 5:18pm

Sorry to break the conversation going on, but LOOK!

[Mandi Moo]

Posted: 3/18/06 at 5:27pm

Wow...he's like, really kinda hot in that picture.

[sweetestsiren]

Posted: 3/18/06 at 5:36pm

Don't sound so surprised, Mandi. :P

That's interesting about him being convincing as the playboy, Em. I had wondered about that a little.

[gboogie]

Posted: 3/18/06 at 6:08pm

I just woke up. Haha. I only got 30 minutes of sleep last night and the trip made me really tired. Anyway, I'm seeing the show tonight and I truly, truly can't wait. I'm taking my mother with me who is "So excited to see him be serious" having only ever seen him in Chitty.

I mean to ask you Em, how big was the theatre?

I still haven't decided if I should try and see him after the show tonight, or even at all. We'll see. Like Em said, I travelled all this way to see a new production of a great musical that one of my favorite stage actors is the lead in. I still can't decide if I even NEED to meet him after. Ah, we shall see.

Ciao.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 3/18/06 at 6:38pm

He looks so incredibly beautiful. I don't know how to describe it, but he's very striking in black, and you can even see his eyes pop in the WAY back of this theatre (which, g, is bigger than it looks). He's so charming and sexy and just... gah. Absolutely stunning.

NEW AVATAR!

He's so convincing as the playboy; not too butch, very New York, and obviously loves women. The scene before Barcelona is so hot and so utterly convincing.

I think... hm. I'm not thrilled with how the meeting went, but on a slightly separate note, it was nice to be a little bit more comfortable around him. We shook hands, and it was pretty easy to talk to him this time, maybe because I wasn't alone, and because it wasn't chaotic, or it was just... out of normal location... I don't really know why. He didn't seem like he was trying to bolt or stop conversation, or anything. Like, I just saw my family, and my brother asked if we met Raul. My mom goes "yeah, but Raul was NOT interested in talking to THEM." And it bugs me because she missed the part where he WAS interested and then sort of got mobbed. When he got mobbed was when he started looking antsy. If he really was in a sh*tty mood, he wouldn't have spoken with us at all. Thing is, even when he's being sweet and swishy, he's never all there. His eyes wander. It's just the way he is. He acts funny. I guess I know not to take it personally, and that I can take to heart his words; he's so disgustingly, beautifully articulate. You can tell the difference between Raul saying thank you and meaning it from his heart and Raul saying thank you to shut you up -- he's not a hider.

So, yeah, it could've gone better, but it wasn't a total lost cause. He knows what we did, and he was gracious. Just not totally enthused. Distant... I guess is a good word. Cuddly as ever, for what it's worth, though.

HAVE FUN, g!

Updated On: 3/18/06 at 06:38 PM

[insomniak]

Posted: 3/18/06 at 7:31pm

"Em, honestly, I think you're taking all of this so well. Personally, I'd be pissed off as hell if I traveled from NYC to Cincy and the man wasn't 100% sweet."

Siamese Dream, I am sure you're familiar with the old standard that states it is not his job to be nice to fans, only to give a good performance.

I think this needs to be extended to travelers, too. Would I be entitled to better treatment at the stagedoor than Emcee just because I'm from Ohio? Should she be treated better than me just because she's from New York? All that means is that the traveling fan in question has the money to fly out and see the show, not that they've done anything special enough to merit a particular thanks.

If a person is really going that far just to be sweet talked by an actor, she needs to re-examine her priorities. Emcee went to see a good show, and she certainly did. The rest is extraneous.

I also know that everyone reading this message is well-connected to the internet gossip circle. I think we all know he's got more to think about than his fans, especially in light of this show's topic.

You may now return to your regularly scheduled bwwing.
Updated On: 3/18/06 at 07:31 PM

[ElphieDefiesGravity]

Posted: 3/18/06 at 7:36pm

NIAAAA!!!!!! *hug*