Q and A with actor Jose Llana on Fil-Ams in musical theater

NEW YORK CITY – Jose Llana played top roles on and off Broadway including Ferdinand Marcos in Here Lies Love, Angel in Rent, and Wang Ta in Flower Drum Song. Now, the actor and singer is taking on what he considers one of his most intimidating roles to date: himself. 

On March 12, Llana will perform in a sold-out concert hosted at New York City’s legendary Lincoln Center as a selection of the iconic American Songbook Series. 

The last time a Filipino took this stage was in 2013 with none other than Lea Salonga. 

“This is huge for me, personally. Lea is a friend and someone who I looked up to and continue to look up to,” Llana said. “She paved the way for Filipinos on Broadway and, 20 years since starting, I hope that I made a bit of a mark on Broadway myself. The acknowledgment from Lincoln Center is a good kind of push to let me know I’m doing okay and I’m looking forward to passing on that torch.”

Llana described his concert as career retrospective and homage to composers he has worked with in his career. He will sing tunes going as far back to his 1996 Broadway debut in The King and I, The 25th Annual Putnam Spelling Bee, his Viva Records self-titled album recorded in the Philippines, and even pop songs.

As an extra treat for fans of Here Lies Love, the acclaimed interactive musical about the life of Imelda Marcos, Llana brought on the musical team, cast members and musicians of Here Lies Love, including Jaygee Macapugay, who played Imelda, to work on his concert as well. (READ: Actor Jose Llana on playing Marcos in ‘Here Lies Love’) 

Considering tickets sold out the day they went on sale – in a few hours, no less – it is clear that there is not only room for growing numbers of Filipino theater talent, but demand.

The shows are meant to be intimate, so if you’re not one of the 240 lucky souls able to witness this one-night-only show in person, Llana is luckily one of the artists selected to have a livestream as well (airing 8pm EST).

We chatted with Llana as he prepared for this major milestone and got some insight on what it is like being part of Here Lies Love, how he prepares for show day, and the constant camaraderie around Pinoys in the spotlight.

On pointers he has learned from working with Lea Salonga:
With Lea, it’s always about following her by example. She is the consummate performer. She’s done a lot of concert work in the last few years and she’s someone who knows how to put on a really good show.

On top of that, she’s unbelievably consistent. She will never let you down. When you hear she is going to sing a song, you know she has put in rehearsal hours to make sure that song is perfect – that is something I will always respect about Lea.

On Filipinos in theater:
Singing has always been in the Filipino blood and theater is a natural extension of that. Filipinos are very maarte, you know, they show off a little bit here and there so I think putting Filipino kids in theater is a natural progression because it gives them a place to show off, sing and dance. In the 20 years I’ve been working, I do see more of them.

On Here Lies Love‘s closing last January, and the show’s future:
It was sad. I was very sad, but it was time. I think the show accomplished everything we wanted it to. It told a really important story about Filipino history that not only Americans didn’t know, but a lot of Filipino Americans forgot or didn’t tell their kids. It challenged the concepts of what theater could be…I’m glad that we created it, that there is the album, and there will be more productions of it employing Filipinos and other Asian Americans. They [Here Lies Love‘s production team] are planning a national tour to happen in the fall, starting in San Francisco.

On preparing for a one night show versus a theater production:
It’s a very different animal. It’s very difficult to prepare dozens of hours for one night. There’s a lot of pressure. I find it’s easier for me to do a show where I’m playing a character and I’m with the same people and with a couple of chances to get it right. With a concert, I’m creating my own material. I’m choosing the 17 songs. I’m trying to give it a story and trying to find a way to make 200 people who are buying tickets to come see me a reason to be there – it’s very intimidating. It’s hard for me not to feel like there’s an insecure voice in my head that goes “Who cares? Why would anyone come hear you sing for an hour-and-a-half?” because so much of it is personal. I just hope people find the personal experience that I have with these songs – I really think that my story as a Filipino who came to America is the American dream.

On what’s next in his career and his dream role:
Right now, I’m focusing on this concert. It’s been all-encompassing, actually. [As for theater], I want to do new work by young, exciting writers. That’s what interests me most: unexplored territory because the potential is so huge. I’m so obsessed with Hamilton [a hip hop musical on the life of Alexander Hamilton] right now – that’s the kind of work I want. The part I want to play hasn’t been written yet. – Rappler.com