Raul Esparza in Company- Page 2

[orangeskittles]

Posted: 5/6/07 at 11:02pm

Well, considering your mother let you live to adulthood, I'm sure there are parents crazy enough to let Raul take their kids to the zoo.

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 5/6/07 at 11:05pm

Did you know my Mother?

[misschung]

Posted: 5/6/07 at 11:06pm

this is a different strokes for different folks kind of musical. I havent seen the original, but I like the recording, and I love this one too.

I see what you mean about the scream. IMO I think its only effective because Bobby has been more taciturn throughout the entire thing up to that point that the scream is just such a shock. But I know what you mean

Updated On: 5/6/07 at 11:06 PM

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 5/6/07 at 11:12pm

The original was anything but "old school"

[misschung]

Posted: 5/6/07 at 11:28pm

sorry - that was a poor choice of word on my part. I meant that it sounded more like a traditional musical than this revival production.

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 5/6/07 at 11:34pm

Considering that actors playing instruments is already seen as a gimmick, the original production of COMPANY was more of a breakthrough for it's use of a non book show with a contemporary musical sound by a young genius than anything being done today.
Even SPRING AWAKENING, which is quite good.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 5/6/07 at 11:36pm

I sort of think Spring Awakening is hoping to go down in history as something revolutionary in the way that Company was in the 70s for the structure of the musical, in going yet another step further -- if that makes sense. I wonder if it actually will. I mean, once a mold is broken, while you can re-use that technique, you can't "break" it again; you have to find new ones to break.

Updated On: 5/6/07 at 11:36 PM

[misschung]

Posted: 5/6/07 at 11:40pm

curtain - you're right. I was referring mostly to the score of the original recording.

This is an interesting comparison to Spring Awakening. I'm not sure whats going to happen with that one

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 5/6/07 at 11:41pm

Only time will tell how much it succeeds in the long run historically, but I think it really only half succeeds in terms of achieving what it sets out to do; it is very good, but too much doesn't quite work.

But that's a story for another discussion.

Updated On: 5/6/07 at 11:41 PM

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 5/6/07 at 11:45pm

Yeah,
I don't think we will have a revival of SPRING AWAKENING in 40 years with so many disparate opinions.

[misschung]

Posted: 5/6/07 at 11:49pm

Every time I listen to Company, I forget how old it is

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 5/7/07 at 12:20am

It's called Classic misschung
Amen.

[misschung]

Posted: 5/7/07 at 12:21am

Among other adjectives which my poor tired brain can't think of now.

But, yeah :)

[Unknown User]

Posted: 5/7/07 at 4:49am

Thanks for the explanation--I get what you mean but I still dont' see his take on Bobby (at least from all I've read, clips I've seen and the CD) being all that contrary to the original production or script. Different yeah sure but not at sharp odds.
But I can see how this could be argued :P

My main prob with Doyle's version is I love dance being used in a musical to tell the story--and I kinda hate how Doyle's version by necessity has eliminated the possibility of using dance (for me it's more valid in being used to tell characterization and story than the way you have who play what instrument when but...) but horses for corses--I think this revival is a fascinating and wonderful production I'd be excited to see sometime.

I guess in general I dislike how the version of COmpany you can rent to perform has changes like Tick Tock being dropped (though after Rob Marshall's version for Charlotte D'Amboise in 95 I understand many thought it was a useless number) etc. I also hate all the updating done to the script (even minor things like Peter complaining of havign drank less bottle sof wine than he did in the 1970 script) and don't get why they update it when some things (down to lines like "clutching a copy of life magazine" and much of the Ladies who Lunch lyrics) that aren't changed are just as dated. But...

(the booklet for the new cast album has a great essay that points out some of this)

[ken8631]

Posted: 5/7/07 at 8:12am

Just hoping Raul gets his Tony this year - he deserves it!

[popular_elphie]

Posted: 5/7/07 at 9:35am

Raulito had me laughing for like 10 minutes.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 5/7/07 at 9:41am

Me too.

Eric, I think I see where you would be confused just from the CD and from video clips. I love the way the album turned out, but this production is very visual. So much of what's brilliant about it stands on what you see. I hope you get a chance to see it some time.

[musicaldude57]

Posted: 5/7/07 at 12:22pm

Yea, I was listening to a clip of Raul's "Being Alive" and was surprised to find it a little less subdued than I expected. I mean, I love it when he sings ballads smoothly (i.e. "Why", "See Her Smile" and the first few verses of "Petrified"). I was a little surprised, but I knew that somehow it probably works, because otherwise they wouldn't have done it. They probably felt the need to change the song and make it unique since it tends to be overdone. Hopefully seeing the show will explain it.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 5/7/07 at 12:29pm

They do Being Alive (the way I see it, at least) as a kind of... a breakdown that movies into a breakthrough, which is why it's pretty much the opposite of subdued. The entire show builds up to that moment, and it's explosive. You'll see when you see the show.

Updated On: 5/7/07 at 12:29 PM

[misschung]

Posted: 5/7/07 at 12:30pm

The album version of that song is so great

[Unknown User]

Posted: 5/7/07 at 2:24pm

"It would have to be changed a bit for the original production--but how is his performance "completely different" than the text>?> "

Dean Jones and Larry Kert didn't "telegraph" their next note with all those facial contortions Nor did they try emulate Harry Connick's lounge act

[ken8631]

Posted: 5/7/07 at 3:10pm

"Being Alive" is amazing live.....

[Unknown User]

Posted: 5/7/07 at 7:10pm

Tom you're being naughty