The Raúl E. Esparza "Spread the Love" Thread, Part Four- Page 33

[humbugfoto]

Posted: 6/16/08 at 1:31pm

The contrast between the shot of him (as his category is being announced) last year vs. this year is almost shocking. This year he looked relaxed and happy. Last year he looked like he was doing everything he could to not throw up right there on the spot. Made me wonder if someone had a barf bag ready at hand just in case....

[lowercaseletter]

Posted: 6/16/08 at 1:38pm

i heart raul.

that is all.

i want a raul clone for xmas. lol.

[jeremykushnier1fan]

Posted: 6/17/08 at 4:29pm

I get chills every time I listen to my Tick, Tick...Boom recording.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 6/18/08 at 2:40pm

Looks like the thread is eating posts.

[heathurrr]

Posted: 6/18/08 at 2:44pm

WTF? Where did my post go?
I wanted to join in the Raúl love!
Anyway, it said that I'm praying for him to be cast in the 'Merrily We Roll Along' revival. His 'Franklin Shepard Inc.' is the best.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 6/18/08 at 2:45pm

^^ I can see that post. Weird.

[heathurrr]

Posted: 6/18/08 at 2:56pm

Straaange.
Anyway, there are so many upcoming shows Raúl could be cast in:
Bounce
Merrily
^Raúl and Sondheim are an excellent match.
The Addams Family (some say he could be Gomez!)
He also workshopped Leap of Faith recently.

I've got my fingers crossed for Merrily.
I'm also glad he's coming back to Pushing Daisies. I hope he sings this season.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 6/18/08 at 2:57pm

The writer said he hopes to have him sing.

I refuse to get my hopes up for Bounce, even though I would love that more than almost any hypothetical news right now.

[sweetestsiren]

Posted: 6/18/08 at 11:57pm

Sadly, I think Raul's a bit too old for Merrily now.

Bounce or something would be great, though. And I'm sure Fuller will have him sing on Pushing Daisies.

Have I mentioned recently that I love Raul?

[keen on kean]

Posted: 6/19/08 at 12:39pm

Raul and old don't seem to fit in the same sentence for me. I think if Merrily is truly played backwards my preference would be older people acting younger than younger people with white shoe polish in their hair. But I haven't seen Merrily in a production so it's all hypothetical for me.

Looks kind of like a Raul-less summer, doesn't it?

[sweetestsiren]

Posted: 6/19/08 at 12:55pm

I think the ideal for Merrily is probably to cast late 20s/early 30s so that you can age up or down. If the high school graduation part is included, the characters start out at 18. The stage makes more allowances than other mediums as far as age goes, but most people can't pull off 20 years younger.

Not that I would really mind seeing him do it again, but I'd be a bit surprised.

[humbugfoto]

Posted: 6/19/08 at 4:01pm

I think Raúl, with the longer hair and slender appearance he's sporting now, could easily pass for a twenty-something, from the stage. And I think a lot of (probably most) audiences would happily suspend disbelief (in that respect) for the reward of seeing Raúl in another Sondheim production.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 6/19/08 at 4:05pm

When IS Merrily? It's not until the '09 season, right? I thought I read '08/'09, but Roundabout has already announced all of their upcoming season... Pal Joey, Dancin', etc.

I agree that the ideal for Merrily is probably the late 20's/early 30's range, because then you ask the audience to suspend its disbelief going both ways. I can understand casting it at either end of the story's spectrum, but personally, I think it's better to go somewhere nearer to the middle.

Updated On: 6/19/08 at 04:05 PM

[orangeskittles]

Posted: 6/19/08 at 4:23pm

I think Raúl, with the longer hair and slender appearance he's sporting now, could easily pass for a twenty-something, from the stage.

Well, yeah, from the rear mezzanine. He was fine in the role 6 years ago, but by if Merrily is in 2009, he'll be nearly 40. I think even he would believe himself to be too old for Charley at that point. I'd prefer to see him in something new for him instead of rehashing an 8-year-old performance in a role he's too old for. They should cast the late 20s/early 30s character with a late 20s/early 30s actors instead of fans wanting to push the limits just to get Raul back onstage in anything.

[keen on kean]

Posted: 6/19/08 at 4:36pm

So here's the perfect solution. During the 2008-2009 season, schedule a couple of benefit concert performances so that you can cast the perfect voices/acting chops and suspend disbelief for everything else - a la Carnegie Hall South Pacific. Then cast the full staged version with the ideal late 20s types.

[heathurrr]

Posted: 6/19/08 at 4:39pm

Emcee, Merrily is in the 09/10 season.

I do realize Raúl is too old for Charley, but one can dream, eh?
I think they could try and work it, though.

I would rather a good, talented actor who looks a little too old at the end of the play that a bunch of youngsters without much stage experience who look the part. I think I read that one of Merrily's problems in it's first run was the young actors.

Updated On: 6/19/08 at 04:39 PM

[orangeskittles]

Posted: 6/19/08 at 5:46pm

But there are good, talented actors that are the right age. There's no reason to shoe-horn Raul into every male musical theatre role over the next season just because we want to see him onstage again. The comments made aren't merely fantasy casting, it's attempting to justify casting him as Charley in the upcoming production.

Raul thought he was too old for 30-year-old Jon in tick tick BOOM when he was 34. 40-year-old Raul probably wouldn't even consider playing 28-year-old Charley, so I don't see the point in insisting he COULD read younger onstage and it COULD work when it's not a realistic possibility.

Updated On: 6/19/08 at 05:46 PM

[misschung]

Posted: 6/19/08 at 5:51pm

I didn't realize Charley was supposed to be 28, I thought he was older than that at the end. That's such a great show, I'm looking forward to it anyway.

I know I shouldn't say this, but I'm sort of apprehensive about Leap. I'm hoping for the best, but I just keep having Little Mermaid flashbacks, which is silly, I know, because there's a different director, cast, etc. I don't know, I just really want Raul to do an amazing new production that showcases his talents and challenges him. I hope he doesn't get stuck with a turkey.

[orangeskittles]

Posted: 6/19/08 at 5:58pm

I just picked 28 as a median age throughout the show. At the end, he's only 18.

I just really want Raul to do an amazing new production that showcases his talents and challenges him.

That's how I feel about Merrily. He shouldn't take just any role, no matter how good he could be in it. Another Doyle-directed Sondheim leading man so soon borders on typecasting. His performance will just be compared and treated as a sequel to his Bobby, and both the show and he deserve better reception.

Updated On: 6/19/08 at 05:58 PM

[heathurrr]

Posted: 6/19/08 at 6:20pm

orangeskittles, Doyle's doing Bounce - James Lapine is actaully directing Merrily.

Updated On: 6/19/08 at 06:20 PM

[orangeskittles]

Posted: 6/19/08 at 6:47pm

Yeah, and people want him to do Bounce too. Whoever is directing, the point still stands. There are other choices out there for him than Sondheim leading men.

[misschung]

Posted: 6/19/08 at 7:16pm

Looking at his portfolio of work as a whole, he does make good choices, which is why I'm just going to trust his judgment on this.

[keen on kean]

Posted: 6/19/08 at 8:54pm

misschung, trust me - LEAP has every likelihood of being a good thing with the story and talent involved.

[spidey_882]

Posted: 6/19/08 at 9:16pm

A short bit on 25/8. Does not specifically mention Raul.

http://www.shocktillyoudrop.com/news/topnews.php?id=6640

[keen on kean]

Posted: 6/19/08 at 10:34pm

Father and son multiple personality disorders - wow - you mean, like, Raul and mini-Raul?