Will RAUL ESPARZA Ever Return to Broadway?- Page 2

[hork]

Posted: 7/11/16 at 11:48am

I think there are much worse things an actor can be called than "self-conscious." I don't see how that makes Brantley a classless, bitter old hag with an obvious bias.

[HogansHero]

Posted: 7/11/16 at 12:06pm

Sunny11 said: "The guy has now performed in 9 Broadway shows earning 4 Tony nominations along the way. That certainly doesn't signal a lack of confidence in him from the majority of the Broadway community."

No but that's not what I said. What I said is that it might be one reason. Being too sensitive "might" be one too, but I rather think not. 

[Kad]

Posted: 7/11/16 at 12:11pm

One less than stellar review of Esparza makes Brantley biased? His review of Esparza's Company was a career-defining rave, and he generally gives Esparza very positive reviews otherwise.

And also, it would be helpful to look at the offending portion of Brantley's Leap of Faith review:
"Mr. Esparza would seem to be a natural for such a part. His onstage energy quotient is usually off the charts. He was terrific as the forked-lightning-tongued studio executive in the 2008 revival of David Mamet’s “Speed-the-Plow” and, in a more introspective mode, as the commitment-fearing urbanite in John Doyle’s 2006 production of “Company.” Artfully mix traits from each and, in theory, you’d come up with Jonas Nightingale, a self-questioning seller of hope.

Yet here Mr. Esparza seems to keep a chilly distance from his character, and you realize the degree to which self-consciousness has always been a part of his performances."


I don't think a critic trying to analyze why an actor they usually think is quite strong is not as successful in a role is biased. Updated On: 7/11/16 at 12:11 PM

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 7/11/16 at 12:59pm

I remember thinking the review of Leap of Faith was surprising, give that Brantley is usually pretty into Raul's performances. I thought it was harsh because to me, it seemed like he was trying to take back what he had said previously in response to one performance that wasn't, he felt, on the same level. 

I think people might be forgetting that the SVU gig came directly out of Leap of Faith. Not necessarily of its failure, I suppose it might have happened anyway, but the opportunity was there, and as much as watching him act for camera will never, ever compare to watching him on stage, who can blame him for taking it? It's certainly gone on much longer than I imagined it would, but it seems clear to me he's learning a lot, and, you know, income. 

Anyway, I think anyone who has ever read an interview with Raul or spoken to him about theatre knows that the answer is yes, some day. That's an actor who feeds off of an audience, and you cannot get that acting for television. It's not like he's abandoned theatre on the whole -- Cymbeline was just last year, and Encores! was... what, two years before that? But the scheduling with SVU, I imagine, makes it impossible to commit to much more than that at the moment. 

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 7/11/16 at 1:18pm

I had the same feeling about the Brantley review. Maybe I'm reading into it too much but it does seem like there was an attempt to retract previous complimentary reviews by saying that his performance in Leap of Faith caused some kind of realization that all of his performances in the past have been self-conscious to various degrees. 

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 7/11/16 at 3:26pm

Raul is a well trained actor and vocalist and a very good actor, for that I respect him. I however, do not care for his voice or his vibrato, so I avoid him in musicals. I've also been told he is (at least in the theatre community) very affected and dramatic, making him difficult to work with at times. I'm not making a judgment, its just an observation.

[Theater_Nerd]

Posted: 7/11/16 at 3:29pm

He's quite a polarizing performer. You either love him or you hate him or like me, you take him on a role-by-role basis.

Enjoyed him in "Rocky Horror" and "Taboo". "Company" not so much.

[SweetLips]

Posted: 7/11/16 at 3:34pm

As usual Mr.R just talks because he can type-ad nauseum.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 7/11/16 at 4:06pm

Oh, so I did wake up in 2005!

Updated On: 7/11/16 at 04:06 PM

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 7/11/16 at 4:20pm

Also lol at the assessment that nobody gave a **** about him being in Cymbeline. I was going to say "well, I flew home and moved other travel plans around to be there" and leave it at that, but I'm terrible sample case. However, speaking of TV and all that, there were LOTS of people who traveled to NYC to see him who had never seen him on stage before. And I bet a lot of them could have given two ****s less about Shakespeare, or theatre, period, really, but they all went to see him. Which reminds me of another thing people might not be considering as a perk of doing a wide-reaching television show for a while: increase your fanbase. Become more bankable for the day you do decide to return to the stage. 

[godlessondheimite]

Posted: 7/12/16 at 11:57am

Dude's got a nice gig on SVU, making that sweet Law and Order money, is a fan fave, seems to be having a blast with Mariska, and gets to wear great clothes. I hate SVU. I hate it, and I want nothing more than to see him back in some quality theater work--SVU is not a great showcase for the caliber of his acting-- but I get the feeling he's burned by the Tony losses and the Leap of Faith burns. I hope he makes a triumphant return and wins that Tony.

He was great in Cymbeline. I was going to see it once (mostly for him; I hate Cymbeline) but I saw it three times because the whole thing was great.

[uncageg]

Posted: 7/12/16 at 12:11pm

He is one of my favorites. Still upset that I was unable to defend "Company". I did see him twice in "Leap of Faith". (LOVED that show) and sat onstage for Cymbeline. My first time seeing him onstage was in "The Homecoming", which was stellar all the way around.

[Jane2]

Posted: 7/12/16 at 12:22pm

I want to defend Raul because I love him so much. After first becoming aware of him in Rocky Horror, where he hit notes that didn't even exist, I was hooked. You can imagine my excitement when he starred in Tick Tick Boom, at the theater I was managing. Not  only did I get to see him act and hear him sing every night, I got to know him personally. He was the most unaffected and un-drama driven person to know.

IMO he's got the best voice on Broadway. Ever hear him do Petrified from Taboo? My vote for best musical moment on stage.

I wish him well no matter what he does and I think an award-caliber performer.

rave over

[godlessondheimite]

Posted: 7/12/16 at 12:42pm

Jane2 said: " Not  only did I get to see him act and hear him sing every night, I got to know him personally. He was the most unaffected and un-drama driven person to know.
 

 

"

I feel like some gossip-mongers are still clinging to the Rosie feud (what a shame) but I got the impression he's mellowed out completely. Granted, I don't know him personally, but the one instance of "bad behavior" is countered by a million stories that he's a pleasure to work with.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 7/12/16 at 1:10pm

Thing is, people who know Raul can march in here and say he's good people and nobody's gonna believe them because in this environment chances are they also like the work. And the gossip-mongers are gonna hang onto that ten-year-old moment in time and say "but wait, there's more!" because that's just more fun.

Updated On: 7/12/16 at 01:10 PM

[Jane2]

Posted: 7/12/16 at 1:20pm

I had a conversation about that whole scenario with Taboo one time when I ran into Raul. Without going into details, I got the impression that he became quite emotional over how the producing of the show was going with Rosie on board, and that's why he walked out that time.

Speaking of emotional, here's an anecdote. It was shortly after 9/11, which affected Raul very deeply. The theater was closed for a few performances, but one night when we resumed with Tick Tick Boom, Raul was at the piano, playing and singing the one soft and melancholy number in the show. Suddenly there was the sound of loud bursts, which seemed like bullets being fired. Raul froze, and looked out at the house, eyes wide as saucers. No one knew what had happened. Was someone shooting? at him? Right after 9/11 had occurred, you can imagine what everyone thought. After a few moments, when nothing happened, Raul resumed playing and singing, tears running down his face. I'll never forget that moment.

I turned out that a speaker had blown.

p.s. Raul singing Petrified is on you tube

Updated On: 7/12/16 at 01:20 PM

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 7/12/16 at 1:24pm

An actor who's emotional? Oh no, what will they think of next? :)

[Jane2]

Posted: 7/12/16 at 1:49pm

Petrified

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0f_0z1kuPUo&list=RD0f_0z1kuPUo#t=0

[smidge]

Posted: 7/12/16 at 2:57pm

I know it's an old warhorse of a show,  but I would love to see him do Man of La Mancha.

And it's hard to believe anyone would have difficulties with Rosie, lol

[Jayar2]

Posted: 7/12/16 at 3:51pm

I must admit that I am not a big fan of Esparza's stage work, but I have been loving him on SVU. I think that he gels well with the cast, and I like how compelling his character has been. There seems to be an interesting arc coming for him next season that could end with him leaving the series. So, I could imagine him back on Broadway after that.

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 7/12/16 at 7:21pm

Wasn't he in "grave" danger in last season's cliffhanger?

[Taryn]

Posted: 7/13/16 at 12:02am

I'm sure that he'll return eventually, and I'm definitely in the camp that's anxious for the day.  I'm a huge fan of his work and do think he's one of the best in the business.  I still have a really vivid memory of watching the 2007 Tony Awards with Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix in my lap -- I must have been rereading the series in anticipation of the last book's release -- and wanting to fling that huge hardback book at the television when he lost for Best Actor.  He's one of my favorites.

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 7/13/16 at 1:00pm

I think its cool and expected that people come on to document how wonderful he is. However, this does not negate other people's experience of the person. My post had nothing to do with the Rosie nonsense. I wasn't referencing that. Just because someone was lovely and thoughtful to you, doesn't mean they didn't treat someone else poorly or were problematic.

[Jane2]

Posted: 7/13/16 at 3:18pm

"I think its cool and expected that people come on to document how wonderful he is. However, this does not negate other people's experience of the person. My post had nothing to do with the Rosie nonsense. I wasn't referencing that. Just because someone was lovely and thoughtful to you, doesn't mean they didn't treat someone else poorly or were problematic."

If this is directed towards me, I'm sorry Betty but you're all off. Not once in any way have I negated anyone's experience. Not once. YOU have inferred that.

And now, this here is where I quit. I'm exhausted from so many people completely misreading or misunderstanding or making up $hit to me on this site. I don't need this crap with having to deal with this. Life is too short. thank you Betty boy for being the straw that broke the camel's back. If any mod is reading this, please delete my account.

[indytallguy]

Posted: 7/13/16 at 4:09pm

How does one delete an account on here? Shouldn't that be an easily found link?