The Raúl E. Esparza "Spread the Love" Thread, Part Four- Page 36

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 7/10/08 at 10:51pm

Indeed.

[keen on kean]

Posted: 7/10/08 at 11:18pm

The man does not believe in vacation! Hooray - thought our next chance to see him on Broadway was going to be Leap of Faith. Thank you, Raul, for broadening my horizons. Never saw Pinter till last December. Now a new (for me) Mamet play.

[humbugfoto]

Posted: 7/10/08 at 11:32pm

Yeah, well, that's why it needed fixing.

He's astonishing - he's now segued directly from Sondheim to Pinter to Mamet. That's some damned rarified air!

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 7/10/08 at 11:44pm

The man does not believe in vacation!

By the time they start rehearsals, he'll have had the whole summer off!

[humbugfoto]

Posted: 7/11/08 at 12:25am

Well, a summer spent partially filming a Wes Craven movie, and his scenes for Pushing Daisies....

[orangeskittles]

Posted: 7/11/08 at 12:32am

He's had a vacation since the Homecoming closed. Two and a half months is more than most people get for vacation over the course of a decade.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 7/11/08 at 12:32am

Yeah, but both pretty short-term, presumably. It hardly sounded like he was spending all of his time after The Homecoming sitting on a film or television set. A few days or weeks here and there isn't an entire summer. He's been "off" since April.

[humbugfoto]

Posted: 7/11/08 at 1:20am

Um, no - he went from The Homecoming directly into the 4 week workshop for Leap of Faith, from there into rehearsal(s) for the NY Phil concert and from there into filming the Wes Craven movie 25/8. He literally didn't have a day off until after the Phil concert. I'm assuming he wasn't working on the film every day of their shooting schedule, but even so, he was still working. And they weren't scheduled to wrap until the end of June. And then at some point in July he'll be out in Los Angeles to shoot Pushing Daisies. So in reality he'll get maybe a total of 4-6 weeks off before they start rehearsals for Speed The Plow. And once STP closes, he goes into rehearsals for Leap of Faith.

He's a busy, busy boy....

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 7/11/08 at 1:40am

Okay, first of all, we have no idea when rehearsals for Leap of Faith start. And yes, all of those things are true, but with the time between the workshop and the movie free, save for sporadic commitments, which, I'm sorry, are part and parcel of being in a high-profile production. Half the job is the press. And four to six weeks? That's over a month! It's not like, two days.

I don't really care in terms of knowing the absolute specifics of his whereabouts at all times, but it just seems a little silly to treat him like he's a glass statue and needs to be pampered or allowed to lay around like a total lump for some extended period of time in reward for doing his job. I don't know why we're acting like he hasn't had enough time to relax, or like he's simply going to fall apart if he's working often.

Updated On: 7/11/08 at 01:40 AM

[humbugfoto]

Posted: 7/11/08 at 1:47am

I don't think Raúl could tolerate laying around for two and a half months or more. I think he'd go stark, raving mad from boredom, and he knows it. So he tries to stay busy, busy, busy.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 7/11/08 at 2:03am

Or he's just remarkably, remarkably lucky. I mean, do you have any idea how rare it is for a stage actor to be working at the rate he does, as often as he does? Any idea how lucky he is? Not to say it's pure, dumb luck at all, he's obviously so sought-after because he's very talented, but I don't think you can pass it off with the assumption that he tries to stay busy. It's not that simple.

And it's not like if boredom would just utterly KILL him, there's no alternative to working. Surely has has books to read and a television to watch. Or he could play with his dog. He can run around in circles or stand on his head if that what makes him happy. But Raul working so often has a lot more factors to it than him wanting to be busy. It's not, "well, I want to be busy, so I feel like being in a play today!" You're making it sound like when he's working and when he's not is entirely his decision. The business doesn't work that way. Obviously he can turn down projects in which case working or not would be his choice, but that's separate of what I'm saying.

And if he wants to lay on his couch and eat ice cream, that's cool too.

Updated On: 7/11/08 at 02:03 AM

[humbugfoto]

Posted: 7/11/08 at 2:18am

I think we’re talking at cross-purposes here, when we have the same interests at heart. I never meant to imply he works just to stave off boredom. I simply wanted to point out that he didn’t have a two and a half month vacation after Homecoming closed, but it somehow morphed into something else entirely.

I shouldn’t be allowed near a computer at this time of night. Mea culpa for any and all misunderstandings and mis-communications.

[orangeskittles]

Posted: 7/11/08 at 2:32am

He literally didn't have a day off between April 13 and May 21? Rehearsing for a two workshop performances and 4 songs at the Philharmonic took 7-day work weeks for over a month? Um, no. If he wasn't working on the film every day of their shooting schedule, the ones he wasn't were still days off. It may not be two and a half months on a beach somewhere, but he's the one that signed up for his time off between shows to be filled with short-term gigs. 4-6 weeks off before Speed the Plow is still a lengthy break to not be working. In reality, he's no more busy, busy, busy than the rest of us (most likely far less so)- but I guess the rest of us don't have message boards full of busybodies scrutinizing and making groundless speculations and assumptions about our day-to-day schedules just to have something to obsess over.


And if he wants to lay on his couch and eat ice cream, that's cool too.

No it's not. He'll gain weight and we'll have to worry.

Updated On: 7/11/08 at 02:32 AM

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 7/11/08 at 2:34am

No, I didn't think you implied that. It just seemed like you were saying he works so often because he wouldn't want to be bored and thus chooses to stay busy, when talented as he may be, that's not how it goes. Obviously there's more to it than that. He can choose to take an offer or pursue a project, but he can't just be like, "okay, I feel like being in a show now!" and manufacture one. Not that it's an unused practice, but I digress.

Updated On: 7/11/08 at 02:34 AM

[bestinshow2]

Posted: 7/11/08 at 6:21am

For most people who work full time jobs in the US, 2 weeks off plus public holidays is about as good as it gets. Honestly, Raúl is a lucky man when it comes to that.

[keen on kean]

Posted: 7/11/08 at 9:31am

Kidding, guys! Most actors would kill to be able to work this often. But he did go right from HOMECOMING which closed April 13th, to workshop for LEAP on April 14th, and LEAP performances for investors on May 15th and 16th to Philharmonic performance on May 20. No wonder he's so skinny in spite of the vanilla lattes!

I read up a little on Speed-the-Plow. Sounds like Merrily without the music - and, no - I don't mean that seriously! Funny how he gets the secondary rather than the leading role but he always plays the instigator who engages in verbal (and apparently in STP, physical) violence.

[misschung]

Posted: 7/11/08 at 9:58am

I think what humbug means is that he's keeping busy, he's a hard worker, and that's a good thing! A good thing...!

As someone said on the other thread, I think it's great how he can move back and forth from plays to musicals with such ease. I have to say, I've missed his singing voice.

Interesting about the Merrily connection, Keen. I have to read this play after I finish my two library books, heh.

[humbugfoto]

Posted: 7/11/08 at 11:01am

At the risk of beating a dead horse (one of my besetting sins), I just want to clarify one thing.

To me, “vacation” is an extended period of time (a week or more) totally removed from all things connected to one’s day job. By =that= definition, working even just, say, two days a week, means (TO ME) you’re not on vacation. Again, that’s only MY filter and MY interpretation. I would call that sort of schedule “having a lot of downtime” but not a vacation. I know it’s splitting hairs, but that was what the content of my posts(s) stemmed from. Again, I apologize for the misunderstanding, and the upset it caused.

Seriously, I shouldn’t be allowed to post in the middle of the night.

I saw "Speed The Plow" years and years and years ago, and I'm sad to say it was so memorable I have no recollection of who was in it, or any specific memories of the production. But I think it was a pretty lousy, badly reviewed production. This one is sure to be a gazillion times better!

And....this will make Raúl eligible for a Best Actor Tony in both a Play AND a Musical in the same season!

[keen on kean]

Posted: 7/11/08 at 11:02am

misschung - I can't say I know the book of Merrily that well, but if the core idea is how friendships change and how money-making gets in the way ( as in "Franklin Shepherd, Inc."), then Speed-the-Plow sounds like a very cynical version of that situation.

I am a little nervous about the female role - please no stunt casting! I seem to be the only person on the face of the earth who doesn't know Jeremy Piven, but my daughter assures me that his name will be a draw.

I assume this will be a limited run. I guess the producers made money with HOMECOMING if they are in for another piece of non-commercial theater!

[humbugfoto]

Posted: 7/11/08 at 11:16am

The original press release in April, announcing Piven's casting, said the show would start previews October 3 and run through November 16. That seems to have changed slightly, with previews now starting Oct. 8 and opening night Oct. 23. And there's no mention of a closing date in the Raúl press release. But even so, Raúl's other committments (Leap of Faith) would likely prevent him from extending beyond the end of the year.

[misschung]

Posted: 7/11/08 at 11:31am

I think Leap of Faith is starting out of town stuff in the spring, but I'm not 100% sure

Updated On: 7/25/08 at 11:31 AM

[LePetiteFromage]

Posted: 7/11/08 at 11:39am

Updated On: 1/24/09 at 11:39 AM

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 7/11/08 at 11:48am

I guess the producers made money with HOMECOMING if they are in for another piece of non-commercial theater!

Um, they're also the producers of August: Osage County, for one. And Spring Awakening. I doubt the enabling money is coming from a limited run of a Pinter play that didn't sell very well.

I've had the play on my hard drive for a while, and just started reading it a few days ago. It does have some similarities to Merrily. It's very short! For those who have seen it, how long is it in performance?

I can see this turning into a who can top who situation with Raul, since he likes to change his performance continually.

Same, from what I've seen and heard of Piven, and honestly, I think that could be tremendously fun to watch.

I've never seen Entourage, and am slightly embarrassed to admit that I associate Piven most heavily with Serendipity.

[LePetiteFromage]

Posted: 7/11/08 at 11:56am

Updated On: 1/24/09 at 11:56 AM

[Craww]

Posted: 7/11/08 at 12:43pm

No it's not. He'll gain weight and we'll have to worry.

I don't want to look at Raul and see heart disease and diabetes! No, actually, I totally like him a little fleshy.

I can see this turning into a who can top who situation with Raul

Suggestive. Yeah, so, I just pictured them in a stage fight elevating to angry demonstrative making out. So...thanks for that.