The Raúl E. Esparza "Spread the Love" Thread, Part Four — Page 83

TM: "How much did you looove being Charlie Fox?"

RE: "Oh, it's one of my favorite parts I've ever played. I gotta say that that show has some of the greatest lines I've ever said in my life. I miss it. I don't generally miss shows after I'm done, and I also don't generally remember shows after I'm done, like what the lines are, but this one I remember....a LOT."

Another video from the Drama Desk nominees press event, this one from TheaterMania. Raúl is at the very end, just after 7:45.
TheatreMania goes to the Drama Desks

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And at Miscast, I sang 'The Man That Got Away.' I'm going to do the entire Judy-Liza oeuvre!

So I guess he's back out of the closet.

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I don't even know how to pronounce "oeuvre."

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LOL!! We used to call them "horsey durvies", which always led to lots of sophmoric jokes about what they were made of, cow patties and such. God, we were awful.

And here's your language lesson for the day:
How to pronounce

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From the Drama League Awards luncheon today:



And he's now two for two, in losing to Geoffrey Rush. Oh, well.

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Yeah, I don't really get the fixation. I mean, I know it's fashionable, but it's not like he doesn't have good hair that can stand on it's own. Ah, well, everybody has their little foibles, I guess...

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Heh - I thought it was just me. So Raúl gets extra points for spending so much time with her and answering so beautifully.

So...who IS she?

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I certainly can't speak for Raul, but I think at this point the whole process is just kind of...gosh. I can't really think of how to describe it. I don't want to cheapen or lessen the prestige of a Tony award and nomination. I mean, it is most performers dream (including mine) somewhere deep down, cause it's sort of the ultimate recognition. But at the same time, by now, it's just kind of...monotonous. No, not that...i just can't think of the right word. I mean, people have been nominated, won, and barely worked again on Broadway. Patti LuPone said it best. The base of the Tony is plastic. It doesn't really prove you are a good actor. What's "good"? He is a work horse, and he's one of the best damn actors of his generation. He has actually worked himself from the bottom up, and proved himself over annd over. It's AMAZING that Speed The Plow didn't close when Pivert left. That says SO much about him, and his talent right there. In Company his name was above the marquee. For "Broadway" people, that's sort of unheard of nowadays.
Obviously we all know he's brilliant! :) Whether he wins or looses, that doesn't determine his "status" as an actor. He's already done that by working his ass off for years, and constantly surprising us. I saw Exit the King, and God of Carnage, and I thought Jeff Daniels was superb. For the performances this year, my favorite out of the three. BUT, if I were voting, I would still vote for Raul. Would that be fair, or right of me? No. But that's how it is.

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I know you were weren't suggesting he needs a Tony to be considered a good actor. I think we all believe he's brilliant.

I'm just trying to say that all though the recognition, or the actual award would be great, I just feel he's kind of-not really beyond or above it, but past it. I feel the Tony's are so much about the business part of the industry now, and less about the performance or artistic aspects.

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I feel the Tony's are so much about the business part of the industry now, and less about the performance or artistic aspects.

Absolutely. They stopped being primarily about the art a long time ago. The idealist in me still wants them to be, and wants to think they are, but I know they're not really. And honestly, I think it's more politics than industry business, though the two go somewhat hand in hand.

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Finishing the Hat is my favorite Sondheim song from my all time favorite Broadway show and I LOVED the way he did the last line. It honestly took me by surprise, and I've heard that song sung by SO many amazing people.

The song he did in the first half was probably my favorite thing I've ever heard him sing to date. It used to be "I Don't Believe in Heroes Anymore", but his version of "Nobody's Heart" tonight could have made me cry if I were the crying sort. If they do a cd, that better be on it.

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Ahhhhh. So much jealousy...Like Chrysanthemum, "Finishing the Hat" is my very favorite Sondheim song, as SITPWG is my favorite musical. I was not all that fond of some of the choices Raul made in the Kennedy Center production, but I still loved hearing him sing it, and wish I could have been there tonight.

His version is not my favorite, vocally (I love Cerveris', too, but that's not it, either) -- however, he acted the HELL out of it, and I thought he sounded great tonight. Finishing the Hat is possibly my favorite showtune of all time; I had to restrain my glee when I flipped through the program and saw that he was singing it. I figured he'd do something from Company, and while I would have loved a few minutes to re-visit Bobby, this was even better.

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Updated On: 5/17/09 at 03:11 AM