October 28, 2008
Speed-the-Plow reviews have been added to the Press page.

October 3, 2008
Performances of Speed-the-Plow begin today at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre. Please see the Projects page for ticketing information, and visit the show's website, www.speedtheplowonbroadway.com for further details.

May 13, 2008
Raúl has received a Tony nomination for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play for his performance in The Homecoming. The play has been nominated for Best Revival of a Play, and costar Eve Best received a nomination for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play. The 62nd Annual Tony Awards will be presented on June 15 at Radio City Music Hall and will air on CBS. For more information, please visit www.tonyawards.com.

April 9, 2008
Raúl will perform with Kristin Chenoweth at Broadway's Greatest Showstoppers at the New York Philharmonic, hosted and conducted by Marvin Hamlisch, on May 20. Read the story at Theater Mania. Purchase tickets online from the New York Philharmonic website.

Quick links:
Theater Mania - Apr. 9, 2008 - Ladies and Not so Gentle Men
Playbill Online - Apr. 8, 2008 - Photo Call - The Ladies Who Sing Sondheim Plays Broadway

February 21, 2008
Reviews and articles added to the Press page.

February 7, 2008
Raúl will appear with Ian McShane at the Borders in the Time Warner Center at Columbus Circle tomorrow at 5:30 for a panel and signing. Visit Theater Mania for the story.

PBS will begin airing Company on February 20. Check local listings for showtimes.

December 30, 2007
Reviews and articles added to the Press page.

December 1, 2007
Site note:
Today is the six-year anniversary of raulesparza.com! Thank you to all of our visitors, supporters, and contributors over the years. Thanks and congratulations to my co-webmaster, Becky Barton. And thanks especially to Raúl for your trust and support, and for your exceptional work. - Karen

November 29, 2007
The Broadway strike is over; however, The Homecoming will not perform tonight. Please return tickets purchased for tonight's performance to the point of purchase.

Update: The Homecoming's first preview has been moved to Tuesday, December 4, and opening night is now Sunday, December 16, at 7:00. Get tickets online at Telecharge.com.

November 27, 2007
Check out Broadway.com's Photo-Op from Sunday night's run-through of The Homecoming: Click here.

DVR alert: According to IMDb, Raúl's second appearance on Pushing Daisies will air tomorrow night on ABC. Check local listings.

November 23, 2007
The Homecoming will be presented in a sneak-peak run-through performance at New World Stages on Sunday night. Tickets are free of charge. Check out this article BroadwayWorld for details.

November 21, 2007
Quick link:
Associated Press - Nov. 24, 2007 - Producer Keeps Working Despite Strike

November 1, 2007
Quick links:
BroadwayWorld - Oct. 29, 2007 - Photo Flash: Charlie Rose & 'The Homecoming' Honor Pinter
Playbill Online - Oct. 24, 2007 - Photo Call: Meet the Cast of The Homecoming
Broadway.com - Oct. 22, 2007 - On the Scene: At the First Day of Rehearsal with the Stars of The Homecoming

October 24, 2007
Quick links:
Broadway.com - Oct. 22, 2007 - Photo-Op: McShane, Esparza, Best & Co. Gather for First Rehearsal of The Homecoming
Broadway Stars - Oct. 22, 2007 - Follow Spot: The Pinter of our Discontent
TheaterMania - Oct. 12, 2007 - Ritzy Business
BroadwayWorld - Oct. 12, 2007 - Photo Coverage: 'The Ritz' Opening Night Arrivals

October 18, 2007
Screencaps of last night's episode of Pushing Daisies have been added to the Images page. Please visit abc.com for more on Pushing Daisies, and check out the Comic Book Recap of Episode 3.


Click here for more screencaps

October 16, 2007
Check out ABC's Pushing Daisies this season as Raúl will be appearing as traveling salesman Alfredo Aldarisio. See stories below, as well as photos from the opening night festivities at The Ritz on Broadway.

Quick links:
Theater Mania - Oct. 12, 2007 - Ritzy Business
Playbill Online - Oct. 12, 2007 - Opening Night: The Ritz - Chubby-Chasing the Blues Away
Theater Mania - Oct. 10, 2007 - Raul Esparza to Appear on ABC's Pushing Daisies
Playbill Online - Oct. 10, 2007 - Broadway's Esparza to Appear on ABC's "Pushing Daisies"

July 28, 2007
Coming up: August 5 in San Francisco, "Help is on the Way" benefit. Read the story on Playbill Online

Our Town at the Williamstown Theatre Festival's "Fridays @ 3" series on August 17. Click here to read the full story on Theatre Mania, and here for information on the Williamstown Theatre Festival website.

This fall, Raúl will join Michael McKean in Harold Pinter's The Homecoming at the Cort Theatre. Click here to read the story on Backstage.com.

July 2, 2007
Company played its final performance yesterday. PBS recorded both performances on June 30; check back here for air dates, and click here to read the full story.

Quick links:
Cincinnati Enquirer - July 1, 2007
BroadwayWorld - June 27, 2007 - Photo Flash: Company Stars Visit Forbidden Broadway
Playbill Online - June 27, 2007 - Photo Call: Company Makes a Forbidden Visit
Playbill Online - June 22, 2007 - ASTEP in the Right Direction: Broadway Folk Bring Arts to Kids Who Never Knew They Needed It
Playbill Online - June 18, 2007 - Photo Call: The American Theatre Wing's Annual Spring Gala

June 13, 2007
Company has posted a closing date of July 1. Click here to purchase tickets for the final few weeks of performances.

June 8, 2007
If you missed Raúl's performance on Regis and Kelly, it is available online on the Buena Vista Entertainment website. Click here to access the show's Broadway Week performances.

June 7, 2007
Raúl appeared on the CSB Early Show this morning. Click here to watch the appearance on the CBS News website.

June 4, 2007
Raúl is scheduled to perform "Being Alive" on the Regis and Kelly show Wednesday morning, June 6. Check your local listings for showtimes.

May 28, 2007
Several articles have been added to the Press page.

May 22, 2007
Earlier today Sardi's unveiled a caricature of Raúl that will be on display at Sardi's, joining the multitudes of stars already on the legendary eatery's walls. Click here to view more photos.


(photo by Karen Tiongson)

May 21, 2007
Congratulations to Raúl, who received a Drama Desk Award yesterday for Best Actor in a Musical for his performance in Company. Company was also awarded Best Revival of a Musical. A complete list of winners can be found on Broadway.com. VCR alert - The Drama Desk Awards will be broadcast on the following dates: May 24 at 8:00 p.m. and May 26 at 10:00 p.m. (NYC Channel 25), and May 27 at 12:30 p.m. (WNET/Thirteen).

May 15, 2007
Congratulations to Raúl, who is a Tony Award Nominee for Best Actor in a Musical for his performance in Company. Company received a total of three nominations, including Best Revival of a Musical and Best Direction of a Musical (John Doyle). A full list of nominees can be found on the Tony Awards website. The Tony Awards will be presented June 10.

Raúl has been awarded the Outer Critics Circle Award for his performance in Company. A complete list of winners can be found on the Outer Critics Circle website.

April 27, 2007
The Drama League has listed Raúl among its nominees for The Distinguished Performance Award for his role in Company. Visit Variety.com for a full list of nominees.

Raúl has also received a Drama Desk Award Nomination for Outstanding Actor in a Musical. Company received a total of five nominations, including Outstanding Revival of a Musical, Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical (Barbara Walsh), Outstanding Director of a Musical (John Doyle), and OUtstanding Orchestrations (Mary-Mitchell Campbell). Please visit the Drama Desk website for a complete list of nominees.

Quick links:
Theater Mania - April 25, 2007 - Bonnet Brigade
BroadwayWorld - April 25, 2007 - Photo Coverage: Easter Bonnet Competition Day 2

April 23, 2007
Raúl has received an Outer Critics Circle Award Nomination for Outstanding Actor in a Musical for his role as "Robert" in Company. Read the story at Broadway.com.

Quick links:
New York Times - April 21, 2007 - Sometimes Not Just Curtains Fall Onstage
Broadway.com - April 19, 2007 - Photo Op: In Broadway 101, Professor Seth Rudetsky Explains It All for You
Theater Mania - April 18, 2007 - Feature - "The Beauty Is" (including "Seth's Broadway 101")
BroadwayWorld - April 17, 2007 - Photo Coverage: "Seth's Broadway 101"
Playbill Online - April 17, 2007 - Onstage & Backstage: Broadway 101

April 4, 2007
Articles added to the Press page.

March 28, 2007
Raúl will be performing at "A Night at the Tonys", a benefit for Artists Striving To End Poverty (ASTEP), on April 2 at 6:00 p.m. Admission is a $100 tax-deductible donation per person. For more information and to make reservations online, click here, or call (212) 706-1516 to reserve by phone. To donate to ASTEP, for which Raúl is a board member, please visit their website at www.createsomethinggood.org.

Site update: Articles added to the Press page.

February 28, 2007
Photos of Friday's Barnes and Noble CD signing and performance:
Broadway.com Photo-Op
BroadwayWorld Photo Coverage
Talkin' Broadway On The Scene

February 21, 2007
Clips of the Company cast recording have been added to the Recordings page.

Raúl and the cast will appear at Barnes and Noble in Lincoln Center on Friday, February 23, at 5:30 p.m. There will be a performance and a CD signing. Barnes and Noble is located at 1972 Broadway, on the corner of 66th Street and Broadway.

February 8, 2007
The Company cast recording will be released on Tuesday, February 13.

Site updates: Articles and reviews added to the Press page.

December 6, 2006
Site updates: Articles and reviews added to the Press page, and Company production photos added to the Images page.

November 13, 2006
Site updates: A clip of "Auld Lang Syne" from this year's Carol for a Cure CD added to the Recordings page, and a scan of the Company article in the current issue of Vogue added to the Press page.

November 2, 2006
Company began previews Monday night. Quick links to some press coverage:
United Press International - Sondheim musical 'Company' begins previews
Playbill - Door Chimes, In Comes Company: Bachelor Bobby Hears New Sound on Broadway
Broadway.com Photo-Op: Post-Preview Party, In Comes Company

Site news: The American Theatre Wing episode links on the Recordings section have been updated. The files are now available for download on the American Theatre Wing website.

August 30, 2006
The Cincinnati Entertainment Awards announced the winners of its 2006 awards last week. Company was named Outstanding Musical and Best Ensemble Cast, and Raúl was awarded Best Performance by a Visiting Actor. Click here for a complete list of nominees and winners.

August 17, 2006
Company is scheduled to begin performances on Broadway at the Barrymore Theatre on October 30. Opening night is November 29. Tickets are not yet on sale. Visit the official Company website and sign up for their mailing list.

Company was named Best Show and Raúl was awarded Outstanding Musical Lead Performance at the Enquirer Acclaim Awards, which honors excellence in Cincinnati theatre. Company won a total of seven awards. Click here for a full list of recipients.

Company was nominated for nine Cincinnati Entertainent Awards, including Acting Performance by a Visiting Actor for Raúl. Click here for a full list of nominees. The awards ceremony is open to the public. Click here to buy tickets, or call 800-594-TIXX.

Site update: Raúl was included in The Hot 25 in Elle Magazine's Fall issue. A scan has been added to the Press section.

Find Me Guilty is now available on DVD. Click here to buy from Amazon.com.

April 4, 2006
Quick links - Company:
Cincinnati Enquirer - April 2, 2006 - 'Company' star draws raves
Backstage - March 31, 2006 - Review: 'Company'
Cincinnati Enquirer - March 26, 2006 - The 'Company' we keep lends show new power
Columbus Dispatch - March 26, 2006 - Innovative director lends fresh outlook to Sondheim revival
Columbus Dispatch - March 26, 2006 - Director, cast give new life to Sondheim classic
Bloomberg.com - March 22, 2006 - As Sondheim's `Sweeney' Profits, Broadway Mulls Ohio `Company'
CiN Weekly - March 22, 2006 - Playhouse tries Sondheim musical where the actors are the orchestra

Quick links - Find Me Guilty:
New York Observer - April 3, 2006 - Diesel Does Criminal Comedy In Lumet’s Latest Masterpiece
Charlotte Observer - March 31, 2006 - Performances help buoy director Lumet's look at mobsters and justice
Riverfront Times - March 29, 2006 - Vin Diesel wigs out as a mobster on trial

March 21, 2006
More Company reviews added to the Press section.

March 20, 2006
Added reviews to the Press section, and Company production photos to the Images section.

March 17, 2006
Reviews for Company and Find Me Guilty:

The Enquirer - 'Company' gives a gem new luster

Raúl Esparza is heart-stopping and show-stopping as a man who cannot commit, who is alone in a crowd even when the crowd is a roomful of his best married friends... By the time Esparza builds to the money number "Being Alive," a free fall into life ("somebody hold me too close, somebody know me too well...") at the show's finale, it's a release for the character and the audience. On opening night the crowd responded with a full minute of applause. That's a showstopper.

More Company links:
CIN Weekly - Company comes to Playhouse
Cincinnati Post - Playhouse's 'Company' elegant

Catholic News Service (Find Me Guilty)

When Tony takes the stand to testify about shooting cousin Jackie, Esparza -- a versatile New York musical and dramatic stage actor -- almost steals the film with his crazed antics on the witness stand.

International Herald Tribune - A showboat in the courtroom (Find Me Guilty)

At the time the indictments are handed down, Jackie [Vin Diesel] is already serving a 30-year sentence for an earlier crime. Offered a reduction in jail time in exchange for becoming a prosecution witness, he bluntly refuses. His insistence that he would never rat out a colleague, even one who betrayed him, gives him the moral advantage when confronting the government's star witness, his cousin Tony Compagna (Raúl Esparza). We meet this nervous, drugged-up underling in the movie's opening scene, when Tony bursts into Jackie's home, dashes upstairs and shoots him several times, failing to kill him. Facing his cousin in court, Jackie expresses only a magnanimous pity for a sick family member, and the witness, humiliated and guilt-stricken, withers before our eyes.

More Find Me Guilty reviews:
Boston Herald - Surprise verdict: Sidney Lumet’s ‘Find Me Guilty’ exonerates Vin Diesel
FilmCritic.com
Rocky Mountain News

Find Me Guilty links:
Find Me Guilty Official Website
AOL Movies (trailer)
Apple Trailers
Moviefone/AOL
MovieTickets.com
Movie Web
Yahoo! Movies

March 15, 2006
Find Me Guilty opens in theatres this Friday. Click here for an article about the film that mentions Raúl briefly on Fox News Online.

Quick links:
The Enquirer - Director reinvents theater, by necessity
Cincinnati Post - The new way to put on a musical
Broadway World - Company Premieres in Cincinnati with Esparza, Walsh

March 14, 2006
Company begins performances tonight at the Cinncinnati Playhouse.

Quick links:
Playbill Online: John Doyle's Company Begins in Ohio; Esparza, Walsh Play Along
The Enquirer: Hot director John Doyle's staging of the Sondheim musical at Playhouse in the Park has people talking
The Enquirer: 'Company' cast plays on as orchestra

February 13, 2006
Because of the recent snowstorm in New York, the Broadway Bears Auction that was to take place at B.B. King Blues Club & Grill has been postponed. There is a possibility that they may reopen the online bidding for the bears, so please keep checking the BC/EFA website for more information on bidding and to find out when the event will be rescheduled.

February 4, 2006
Raúl appears in the upcoming Sidney Lumet film, Find Me Guilty. Click here to watch the trailer exclusively on AOL Movies.

Quick link:
Playbill Online - Photo Call: Sweeney Todd Director Welcomes Some New Company in Cincinnati

February 1, 2006
Raúl has signed the Chitty Chitty Bang Bang bear for BC/EFA's annual Broadway Bears Auction. This year's event will take place at B.B. King Blues Club & Grill on Sunday, February 12. See the Broadway Cares site for the event schedule, and click here to order tickets online. Please visit the BC/EFA site for more information.

January 26, 2006
The Actors' Fund recording of Hair has been nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album. Read news items on Playbill Online and BroadwayWorld. Click here to access the Grammy Awards site, and click here to order the Hair album online. Go to the Recordings section to listen to a clip of Raúl from the album.

Ticketing information for Company at the Cincinnati Playhouse is available in the Projects section.