What A Shock- Page 7

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 10:36am

Robbie, I love both men. I think Raul is divine, but he is young and will have plenty of opportunities. Also, I still think the theatre community is able to handle his personal life being inadvertantly published in an article. I mean, Anne Heche shows up every year and presents awards and no one bats an eyelash. A creative community is filled with lots of different types, may of whom are bisexual. Many people turn to the theatre community as they are seeking acceptance. I don't think people are judging his personal life.

[unckristen]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 10:39am

I saw both Raul and DHP and was surprised but not shocked. Raul was great as Bobby, but the show and his performance were only average/above-average until we got toward the end. Yes, he was absolutely amazing in his interaction with Joanne after Ladies Who Lunch and his Being Alive gave me tingles, but before that, it wasn't exactly off-the-charts. As for Curtains, no, that's not off-the-charts either, but DHP is the glue and the heart of that show. He was funny, charming, touching and engaging. People acting like Tony-voters gave the award to some tone-deaf twit off the street is absurd. And assuming that something is lacking in DHP because he didn't bring some grand melodrama to a part that didn't call for it is equally absurd. He played the material.

No, this isn't a popularity contest but I'm sure that enters people's minds -- as does lots of other things. Will a show tour and can the adverstisement of "Tony-winning" help with that? Do we want to reward a show and need to find one of its nominated categories to choose? Do we want to add one more honor for Kander and Ebb? And, yes, the obvious -- Raul had his voting contingent and the "I'm voting for anyone affiliated with Spring Awakening" crowd was voting for Groff, so that left a split vote for DHP to emerge from. It happens all the time.

DHP was clearly shocked and very humbled by the honor. Why can't people just be happy for him, look forward to Raul's next amazing role (whatever that may be) and move on from here? (It's not like when the voting occurs the year of Raul's next nomination the behind-the-scenes thoughts won't be "well, he was amazing in Company, so we owe him now, even if _____ was also amazing this year")

[robbiej]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 10:42am

Bettyboy,

I wouldn't be surprised if some were put off by his personal life...but that's not REALLY what I think swayed it to DHP. I think there were lots of reasons Pierce won. But I do think Esparza's connection of BEING ALIVE to his personal life may have caused people to think, 'Well...I'm not watching a character in a musical have an organic growth experience. I'm watching an actor work out his personal demons live on stage in front of me.'

[VIETgrlTerifa]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 10:49am

I seriously don't see what the fuss is about. Raul Esparza's performance didn't seem like anything special, I mean how many times have we seen actors get emotional during songs to the point where they were are screaming and reaching for some sort of angst to project to the audience? IMO, I actually thought his Tony performance was trying too hard. Maybe it was a lack of trust in the material (blasphemy because it's Sondheim, I know.)

[misschung]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 10:51am

Yeah but they didnt vote based on his Tony performance

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 10:52am

I dunno Robbie. I mean, 75% of the audience in a NY theatre don't know who the actors are and certainly don't know about their personal lives-they are just folks off the street. The 25% percent who are die-hards and know about the incident are, I imagine, intelligent enough to separate the two. Maybe I'm off, but I saw Anne Heche perform many times after the Ellen "incident" and after her book (which I read) was published. I was drawn into her performances and never thought "Is she acting or am I watching Celestia?". I assume people could extend the same suspension of disbelief to Raul.

[robbiej]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 10:59am

Oh...I agree with you...that is, until Mr. Esparza MADE it about himself with that New York Times article. That's the difference. If people just kinda heard through the grapevine that he was having personal issues and those issues informed his work, then...yeah...no issue.

But in that article, he made a direct correlation between his personal issues and his histrionic performance of BEING ALIVE. And please know that this is said by someone who REALLY liked him in COMPANY. I just think making the connection between himself and the song may have made people say, 'Well...what am I really watching?'

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 10:59am

I thought Raul brought a whole new level of meaning to the phrase, "MOCK ME WITH PRAISE!!!!".

I was like...oh! Um, ok...let me think...

YOU GO, GIRL?!?!

[VIETgrlTerifa]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 11:04am

Yeah but they didnt vote based on his Tony performance

Well, if his performance in Company is anything like that Tony performance (and from all the Raul fans claiming that they had orgasms from that performance...it doesn't seem that off the mark), I can see why he lost.

[Wanna Be A Foster]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 11:24am

I thought they were both deserving. I think a basic reason why voters selected Pierce over Esparza was to give a Tony Award to CURTAINS. Now COMPANY has a Tony for its whole production and CURTAINS has a Tony for its one saving grace, its star. Seems pretty fair to me.

[misschung]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 11:28am

fair enough, Vietgrl.

Foster - I think thats true. And I think Company's win for best revival reflects positively on Esparza anyway since he's such an integral part of the show. So it wasnt as though he was totally snubbed.

[Ariella]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 11:38am

I just... can't really imagine what the Tony voters are looking for if they overlook Esparza's performance. Perhaps politics, but Esparza deserved it. I wonder how this will affect the show - Esparza's Tony seemed far more certain than Company winning best revival.

[rentrocks27]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 11:39am

I feel awful for Raul. You can just see the disappointment written all over his face. If you play it back, he shows all of his hopes and dreams go done in one slow "gulp." It's very depressing to watch. I didn't even want to watch the rest of the show after they announced the winner. And no offense to DHP, I'm sure he was wonderful in his performance. I guess no matter how many predictions you make, only the future will tell.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 11:43am

If you play it back, he shows all of his hopes and dreams go done in one slow "gulp."

When did he die?

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 11:46am

"You can just see the disappointment written all over his face. If you play it back, he shows all of his hopes and dreams go done in one slow "gulp.""

Dear God.

[robbiej]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 11:46am

You played it back?

Sweet wounded Jesus.

[BustopherPhantom]

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

Last night, when I saw Steven Sater win the Best Book award over someone like Doug Wright or Rupert Holmes, I yelled at the TV and pretty much raged for a couple of seconds.

But when David Hyde won the award over Raul, I... just... groaned...

I saw it coming, unfortunately - I didn't want to believe it, and yet I knew it would happen.

It was all because they didn't give the Book award to Rupert Holmes; the one award that could have gone to them and it wouldn't have felt like a snub. But they didn't, and now they were stuck in the situation where they had to snub Raul just to give "the very LAST Kander and Ebb show EVER" an award SOMEHOW.

How freakin' disappointing.

Well, I guess this'll be a smack in the face to anyone who tries, in the future, to say that someone or something is a sure thing. "Well, remember Raul?"

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 12:39pm

Yeah, this is the first time it's ever happened.

I'm surprised you had the courage and strength to type today.

"It was all because they didn't give the Book award to Rupert Holmes; the one award that could have gone to them and it wouldn't have felt like a snub. But they didn't, and now they were stuck in the situation where they had to snub Raul just to give 'the very LAST Kander and Ebb show EVER' an award SOMEHOW."

Ok, that's just funny. Yes, I'm sure that exactly how it went down. They all got together and discussed their votes and the outcome of all the awards, and then the possibility of backlash and then discussed their votes again, adjusted accordingly, and then cast their votes openly just so everyone would be on the same page. Just to make it fair. That is what you can expect from theatre people.

Updated On: 6/11/07 at 12:39 PM

[robbiej]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 12:41pm

Should we start a support group?

EsparzAnonymous?

[ljay889]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 12:42pm

This will be the new Bernadette losing for GYPSY scenario.

And MAYBE people will stop talking and whining about that now! 4 years later.

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 12:42pm

"But they didn't, and now they were stuck in the situation where they had to snub Raul just to give "the very LAST Kander and Ebb show EVER" an award SOMEHOW."

Why do I keep coming back here?

[Auggie27]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 12:46pm

Disapointment in a show biz career. It's up there with depression after 24 hours in jail.

[ljay889]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 12:50pm

I have to agree with Rath. This is going a BIT too far.

Some of you are making it sound like DHP went up on the stage, took a dump, and won the Tony.

He gave a great performance, but it truly is apples and oranges. And I guess some Tony voters preferred the feeling DHP left them with.

[C is for Company]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 1:31pm

ljay, somehow I don't think the bitching will be about Bernadette and Marissa anymore. From what I've read, the indication is that this one has the potential to drag on until people are ready to (continuously) announce "END OF STORY!"

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 1:36pm

You are all literally sounding dumber by the second.

Most of you should seek treatment.