Broadway veteran Jose Llana will perform at Lincoln Center’s Restart Stages Wednesday, May 19 at 7:00 pm ET.
In recognition of the courage and strength of members of the Philippine Nurses Association of America, Lincoln Center will present an intimate evening with the singer and Broadway star, Jose Llana. Best known for his memorable portrayal as The King of Siam in Lincoln Center Theater’s revival of The King and I and his Drama Desk Award-winning turn in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Llana is a favorite among theater fans for his broad vocal range and impressive versatility as a performer.
For the evening concert, he’ll be joined on piano accompaniment by Music Director Kimberly Grigsby (To Kill a Mockingbird, Head Over Heels, Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark).
“As part of Lincoln Center’s push to bring live music back to New York City, this Concert is to honor those New Yorkers who have worked so tirelessly on the front lines of COVID. I’ve put together a fun hour of pop songs, favorites from Billy Joel, numbers from The Lion King and RENT, and a few Filipino love songs to sing in front of a live crowd of 400 Filipino nurses from the New York area,” shared Llana. “As Broadway slowly opens up, it’s simply incredible to sing live music again after a year of Zoom concerts.”
The stream will be available on Lincoln Center’s Facebook and YouTube channels, and on Lincoln Center at Home.
Jose Llana starred as The King of Siam in Lincoln Center Theater’s Tony-Award winning production of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s The King & I, directed by Bartlett Sher, opposite Kelli O’Hara and Ruthie Ann Miles. He continued his star turn in the US Tour opposite Laura Michelle Kelly and recently completed his run in the UK and International Tour. Last year Jose made a triumphant return to Lincoln Center’s American Songbook Series in the Appel Room at Jazz at Lincoln Center after making his series concert debut in the Kaplan Penthouse in 2015. His US solo album debut, Altitude, celebrates that 2015 concert. (Yellow Sound label)
Jose is perhaps best known for his portrayal as President Marcos in David Byrne & Fat Boy Slim’s Here Lies Love at The Public Theater, directed by Alex Timbers, garnering a Lucille Lortel Award nomination for Best Actor in a Musical. Other appearances at The Public include Orsino in Shaina Taub’s musical adaptation of Twelfth Night (dir. Kwame Kwei-Armah, Public Works), Gabey in On the Town (dir. George C. Wolfe, Delacorte) and Adam Guettel’s Saturn Returns (dir. Tina Landau).
His extensive Broadway career includes Chip Tolentino in William Finn’s The 25th Annual Putnam Country Spelling Bee (Drama Desk Award, dir. James Lapine), El Gato in Wonderland, Wang Ta in David Henry Hwang’s adaptation of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Flower Drum Song opposite Lea Salonga, Angel in RENT (dir. Michael Greif), Jessie-Lee in Streetcorner Symphony and his Broadway debut as Lun Tha in the 1996 Revival of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s The King & I opposite Donna Murphy and Lou Diamond Phillips.
Regional appearances include Bill Sikes in Oliver! (Papermill), Guillaume in Cameron Mackintosh’s Martin Guerre (Guthrie Theater, US Tour), Tin Man in Ballad of Little Jo (Steppenwolf Theater, dir. Tina Landau, Jefferson Nomination – Best Supporting Actor) and Candide in Candide (Prince Theater, Barrymore Nomination – Best Actor).
TV/Film appearances include HBO’s Sex and the City opposite Margaret Cho and Hitch opposite Will Smith. Appearing on numerous cast albums Jose is also a best-selling recording artist on the VIVA Philippines label. Training: Manhattan School of Music. @thejosellana www.josellana.com
Video: Inauguration BROADWAY! ‘Seasons of Love’/’Let The Sunshine In’
Backstage Pass with Lia Chang 