Broadway vet Jose Llana returns for the 20th season of Lincoln Center’s American Songbook, four years after his sold-out appearance at the Stanley H. Kaplan Penthouse. He’ll be performing in The Appel Room at Jazz at Lincoln Center on Friday, February 1, 2019 at 8:30 pm. Click here for tickets.
The evening will also feature Llana’s Here Lies Love cast members Jaygee Macapugay, Jeigh Madjus, Renee Albulario and Billy Bustamante.
Music Director Kimberly Grigsby (Piano) will lead the band comprised of Pete Donovan on Bass, Jon Epcar on Drums, Aaron Heick on Reeds, Sean Driscoll on Guitar, Randy Andos on Trombone, Matt Owens on Trumpet, Entcho Todorov on Violin, Hiroko Taguchi on Violin, Chris Cardona on Viola and Clarice Jensen on Cello.
The creative team also include Tony nominated orchestrator John Clancy (Mean Girls, Fun Home) and Tony Award-winning orchestrator Michael Starobin. (Next To Normal, Assassins).
Two decades since the teenaged Jose Llana made his Broadway debut as Lun Tha in the 1996 revival of The King and I, the classically trained tenor has retained his boyish charm and “youthful bravado” (New York Times), now enhanced with the gravitas of a seasoned star. His standout performance as Ferdinand Marcos in the 2013 David Byrne and Fatboy Slim musical Here Lies Love, directed by Alex Timbers, earned Llana a host of rave reviews, along with a Lucille Lortel Award nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Musical. As a recording artist, the “charismatic and then some” singer (Showbiz 411) has released two solo albums, Altitude and Jose—both best sellers in his native Philippines—and been featured on numerous cast albums.
In 2015 Llana returned to his Broadway roots, taking over the role of the King of Siam in Bartlett Sher’s Tony Award–winning revival of The King and I at Lincoln Center Theater and its subsequent touring production.
In Spring 2019, Llana will lead the UK tour of The King and I as The King, with Annalene Beechey as Anna, fresh from her West End success at the London Palladium. The pair are set to open the UK Tour and are scheduled for the first three cities – Manchester, Dublin and Sunderland. Click here for the touring schedule and to book tickets.
Lincoln Center’s American Songbook series celebrates the ever-expanding American musical canon. This year’s 15-concert series, taking place January 30 – March 4, includes legendary songwriters, contemporary storytellers and interpreters of song, and musical projects by multitalented performers pushing the boundaries of pop, alternative, soul, folk, musical theater, jazz and more.
Tickets may be purchased online at AmericanSongbook.org, via CenterCharge at 212.721.6500 and at the Alice Tully Hall and David Geffen Hall Box Offices.
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 is also an internationally published and exhibited photographer, a multi-platform journalist, and a publicist. Lia has appeared in the films Wolf, New Jack City, A Kiss Before Dying, King of New York, Big Trouble in Little China, The Last Dragon, Taxman and Hide and Seek. She is profiled in Jade Magazine and Playbill.com.
All text, graphics, articles & photographs: © 2000-2019 Lia Chang Multimedia. All rights reserved. All materials contained on this site are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Lia Chang. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content. For permission, please contact Lia at liachangpr@gmail.com
