Yeah, I was also wondering why he had declined the interview.
And I'm not sure how I feel about them referring to Raul as a "workhorse". I know it's kinda true, but it just sounds so slave-like. I guess I woulda just preferred "bonafied broadway star".
"What a mystery this world. One day you love them and the next day you want to kill them a thousand times over." The Masked Bandit in THE FALL
If workhorse means he works hard, and a lot of people want to employ him, I'm all for it!
The relationship with Moss seems good - I wonder if rehearsing Mamet means all the actors start interrupting each other and finishing each other's sentences?
Agreed, Fromage. I don't think it's an insult at ALL, especially when too many actors don't take their work seriously enough. I also thought it was a compliment; he works really hard and it pays off in the performances he turns in.
Posted on the Main Board... I enjoyed this:
Mrs R, ever the retiring type, walked over to him & said " Mr Esparza, we are going to pick up tickets to see your ******* show today". He got a kick out of it . I told him that we enjoyed him in Company & he was very appreciative. We than told him we were ****** fans of ******* Mamet & he told us to have a ******* good time. He seemed to get a kick out of it.
Cute articles. Raul was very good in "Speed-the-Plow" and I'm afraid when he was on stage I pretty much kept my eyes on him the whole time. (Sorry Jeremy! Sorry Elisabeth! I can see you on TV all the time!)
I started listening to Raul reading THE HOUSE OF THE SCORPION today. I am not a fan of audio books so I am having a little trouble getting used to it. What a nice voice - hope the book is worthwhile.
Wonkit, where did you get it? Amazon says it isn't available until October 18th.
I've read the book, it's not bad as YA goes, but the writing style skews to the younger side of the age bracket, and I felt she was rather short with the big reveal. And the ending felt rushed, like there should have been more to the story, or maybe a sequel. But overall, a very interesting science fiction tale for young adults.
ETA: Oh, and as the book is set in what is essentially Mexico, there are quite a few bits of Spanish sprinkled throughout the book. There's even a minor character named Raúl!
humbugfoto - I pre-ordered it on amazon.com and it was delivered today! It is a 9 cd set, and I am only 5 segments into the first one. Raul is, of course, accenting the Spanish names and the occasional Spanish/Mexican words so beautifully. (I don't speak Spanish but I know beautiful when I hear it!) It is clearly YA in tone and vocabulary.
Raul should be flattered that I decided to purchase this. I love Len Cariou as a reader, too, but I usually rent his audio books at the local library. Cariou is into a lot of suspense books that don't appeal to me.
Okay - I finished the first cd and I am totally completely sold on this! I am visual, too, and I read at different speeds depending on my involvement with the content. With an audio book, that is completely in the hands of the reader. I don't like relinquishing that control, which is why I so rarely enjoy (or even finish) an audiobook. But Raul delivers with this one, so far. The very end of Track 5 is so amazing, so vivid, that I actually had to stop the cd and just enjoy the effect.
Wow! I'm really intrigued to hear this, now. That is a very affecting chapter (assuming that the track numbers match chapter numbers) - probably the most intense, psychologically, in the book.
How fast/slow does Raúl read this? He has a habit of speaking rather rapidly, even on stage, so I was wondering how he handled the audio book.
Well damn, Wonkit, I just may have to take the plunge! I remember some older Nancy Farmer books with some fondness, so it wouldn't be *that* much of a hardship.
I'm picturing a run on those audiobooks and having the publisher wonder why they have such a bestseller on their hands! Updated On: 10/7/08 at 12:42 AM
Knowing how fast Raul speaks, I was kind of surprised that it took 9 cd's to finish this book. But he is speaking very clearly and (for him) pretty slowly. At times he sounds like a father telling a bed time story, a story teller's speed, as though he is picturing in his head what he is describing. At other times he is more the actor - he does petulant teenage voices (male and female) very well (heh) but his little boy voice is unself-consciously perfect. I've always thought this guy was talented, but if he can do this range, he is damned perceptive, too.
ETA: I hate to sound like LEGALLY BLOND, but "Oh, my God, you guys!" Track 1 of the second cd - he sings! About 4 bars, first in Spanish, then in English, quietly, a cappella.
Updated On: 10/7/08 at 09:34 AM