Last night, Broadway veteran Jose Llana performed at Lincoln Center’s Restart Stages, accompanied by Musical 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, Llana’s intimate concert was a tribute to and in recognition of the courage and strength of members of the Philippine Nurses Association of America, who have worked so tirelessly on the front lines of COVID.
“As Broadway slowly opens up, it’s simply incredible to sing live music again after a year of Zoom concerts,” said Llana. “We are inherently caretakers, which is why there are so many of us as nurses in this world. I just want to thank you for being such a beautiful representation of our country. Taking care of other people’s loved ones, nothing can ever come close to thanking you for that. There are a lot of people who wanted to be with their loved ones and they couldn’t. They knew that you would take care of them. Again, a heartfelt thank you to the nurses here and to the nurses and doctors who are watching.”
The concert was live-streamed on Lincoln Center’s Facebook and YouTube channels.
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 Llana 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 (Yellow Sound Label), celebrates that 2015 concert. Llana is a favorite among theater fans for his broad vocal range and impressive versatility as a performer.
His set list included pop songs, favorites from Billy Joel, numbers from The Lion King, The King and I, RENT, Flower Drum Song, and a few Filipino love songs.
Below is his Set List.
Jose Llana 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 Manin 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
I had a glorious girl’s night out with Ali Ewoldt, Liz Casasola, Jaygee Macapugay and Pat Suzuki, who played Linda Low in the Broadway production of Flower Drum Song.
Lia Chang is an actor, a multi-media content producer and co-founder of Bev’s Girl Films, making films that foster inclusion and diversity on both sides of the camera. Bev’s Girl Films’ debut short film, Hide and Seek was a top ten film in the Asian American Film Lab’s 2015 72 Hour Shootout Filmmaking Competition, and she received a Best Actress nomination. BGF collaborates with and produces multi-media content for artists, actors, designers, theatrical productions, composers, musicians and corporations. Lia has appeared in the filmsWolf, New Jack City, A Kiss Before Dying, King of New York, Big Trouble in Little China, The Last Dragon, Taxman. She stars in and served as Executive Producer for the short independent films Hide and Seek, Balancing Act, Rom-Com Gone Wrong, Belongingness and When the World was Young (2021 DisOrient Film Audience Choice Award for Best Short Narrative).
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