He. is. wonderful.
Most of you have already heard this, but the show was as amazing as expected based on the reviews, and Raul was stunning. I already knew how amazing his singing can be, but this was my first time seeing him in person, and his timing (particularly comedic) on the book scenes is so impressive. Basically, he was spot-on perfect as Bobby. I'll post more detailed thoughts on the production overall in a while.
Anyway, after the show thanks to a very assertive aunt, one of the other actors let Raul know (I suppose) that there were people waiting for him, and he came out and we stopped him politely. He was so incredibly sweet and seemed genuinely flattered when Karen told him that I'd come all the way from Virginia to see the show. He signed my playbill:
"For Ashley,
Thank you for making the trip! Best,
Raul E. Esparza"
Anyway, I talked to him for a minute or two and I told him again how much I enjoyed the show, and he said that it was a joy to be a part of. I was honestly really taken aback at how attentive he was... lots of eye contact, smiling, etc. We didn't want to detain him further because there were a few other people waiting, but... wow, I can't believe that I've seen him perform, much less met him.
Updated On: 4/2/06 at 01:17 AM