The NYT threw a coming out party yesterday for the star of the new Broadway revival of Company, Raúl Esperza. The paper notes that in this case, life imitates art:
“Company”: The story of Bobby, a charming single man, who is unable to commit to a relationship and who may have questions about his own sexual identity.
Raúl Esparza: No longer truly married but not entirely separated, whose romantic conflicts go far deeper than that of the character he plays and have no easy fix.
Esparza’s recent separation from his wife came after finally acknowledging that his attraction to men wasn’t something transient. It’s a journey he observes in his stage character as well: “I think the real thing that Bobby is going through is that he’s trying to grow up, and that means accepting things you can’t change, and it also means that in spite of all the messiness and failure you make a choice to love someone and live your life in the way that’s right for you. It’s messier than the pretty picture you painted for yourself. I had a romantic idea of what it means to be an adult: all husbands and wives who love each other get to stay together forever, love is enough.”
Esparza’s certainly not the first married man to face this particular music. But Company, which opens Wednesday will surely be more resonant because of it.
