Broadway News
Raúl Esparza Coming Back to Broadway in Leap of Faith
Okay, we all have our theater crushes. Mine comes in the form of Raúl Esparza. I first saw him on stage in the Broadway revival of The Rocky Horror Show and was instantly captivated. Riff-Raff isn't usually a role you focus on all that much, but his performance was so delightfully strange that I found myself paying attention to him throughout the entire show. From there, Esparza went on to give brilliant turns in Tick, Tick... Boom!, Cabaret, Taboo, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Company, The Homecoming, and Speed the Plow, just to name a few.
And now Esparza is coming back to Broadway as the lead in Leap of Faith, a new musical based on the 1992 Steve Martin film of the same name. He will play Jonas Nightingale, a gospel-preaching con artist. Esparza previously played the role in the show's 2010 Los Angeles premiere. The show is set to open in fall 2012. Additional casting is yet to be announced.
The New York Times' Patrick Healy reports:
"A 2010 production of Leap of Faith in Los Angeles drew mixed reviews from critics. Since then, Alan Menken and Glenn Slater, the show's composer and lyricist, wrote five new songs and the book underwent a 'substantial rewrite,' including the loss of one character and the combination of some others, Mr. Viertel said. 'Our creative team has done great work in clarifying the story, making it more fun, and creating surprises in how the story is told,' Mr. Viertel said, adding that the show is also 25 minutes shorter than it was in Los Angeles. He said the Broadway capitalization would be between $10 million and $15 million... The female lead, a single mother who becomes involved with the preacher, was played in Los Angeles by Brooke Shields, who is no longer involved; the role was played in the readings last week by Jessica Phillips, who is now featured as Marion in the Broadway musical Priscilla Queen of the Desert."
Esparza has been nominated for four Tony Awards but has yet to win. Could 2013 be his year?
Photo: Broadway.com
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