Raul Julia: The World's a Stage

I've been a fan of Raul Julia for YEARS. But ran across this episode of _American Masters_ just tonight, while scrolling through the Guide on FIOS to see if there was anything worth watching at the beginning of Labor Day Weekend 2022.... Trying to remember the first thing I ever saw him in -- might have been him as Edmund in the taped production of _King Lear_ starring James Earl Jones. No -- it was on Broadway in the Andre Serbin production of _The Cherry Orchard_ that had started in Chicago and moved to NY. I think I was in middle school or high school and there was a bus trip to a matinee performance. (He played the peasant who buys the orchard, and Meryl Streep had a small part as the maid....). Then, years later, I dragged my husband to a pre-Broadway run of the revival of _Man of La Mancha_. And I loved that this episode of _American Masters_ included footage from the Joseph Papp "Shakespeare in the Park" production of _The Taming of the Shrew_ (why that production WASN'T recorded in full and aired on TV is a travesty of justice -- I would have KILLED for tickets). And to this day I remember him being interviewed in his dressing room saying that when he first went to drama school he thought you had to do Shakespeare with a British accent -- but that no, you could do it with a Puerto Rican accent and it still worked because the language was THAT GOOD. I was unfamiliar with that early TV amateur show he was on -- but even back then (early 1960s) you could see where his portrayal of Gomez Addams came from. So, a number of movies and tapes of Shakespeare productions and I got to see him on the stage twice in my life. But it's not enough -- we lost a great actor too soon.... I think the most amazing thing was that KEVIN KLINE understudied a role he was in on the stage....

My first encounter with Raul Julia was when I was 12, I had an accident where the top of my finger got looped off in a hotel door, my mother took me to see Dracula on Broadway to take my mind of my misery, Julia was brilliant!

As the documentary makes clear, the stage was Julia's natural element and I was mesmerized. This piece really introduces you to his lesser known albeit important works as well as showing how well he was loved by anyone who was fortunate enough to work and be close to him.

(Seen on PBS 9/2020) This doc does a very good job covering Raul's life and career. However, never a wart is to be seen - he's shown only as a saint of the theater and film. I've known a lot of actors and also guys from backgrounds like his, and there is definitely much more that could have been documented here. The most egregious section is about his involvement in EST and the EST Hunger Project. His actual involvement is not detailed in any way. Even Werner Erhardt (not his real name), the leader of all that, appears in the present day. EST was a very cleverly packaged semi-cult ego project scam run by a super salesman who got rich off of it before it collapsed. The Hunger Project ended up doing not much at all. None of that is even obliquely mentioned. Nothing but the most complimentary stuff is allowed in this film, so it is not really a credible documentary.

Portrait of an artist driven by immense hunger and passion, "The World's A Stage" is Raúl Juliá's life under a reverential magnifying glass. The people gathered to offer up commentary and anecdotes do so out of love and admiration, clearly happy to be there.

I've been beating the drum for years; that he's often the shining star in an otherwise great cast. Charisma for days. I hope this marks a newfound recognition of his legacy, even if it's taken twenty-five years to happen.

Put simply, if you only know the man as Gomez Addams, do yourself a favor and give this a watch. It traces his arc from birth to tragic death, and I guarantee you'll walk away with a newfound appreciation for his art. Also, keep a tissue handy.