Drama Desk Award winner Jose Llana returns to the home of his Lortell-nominated portrayal of President Marcos in Here Lies Love at The Public Theater to celebrate the release of his American solo album debut, Altitude, on Monday, May 16, 2016.
Last year, Llana received critical acclaim for his concert at the Lincoln Center American Songbook Series, which celebrated his 20 years on Broadway and featured a savvy collection of songs that he has performed on and off the main stem, in addition to pop favorites.
On Friday, May 13th, YELLOW SOUND LABEL is releasing Altitude, his debut American solo album, featuring many of the songs that he performed. Tony Award winner Ruthie Ann Miles, his co-star in the Off-Broadway smash Here Lies Love, is featured as a special guest. Altitude is produced by Michael Croiter with Kimberly Grigsby serving as Music Director. Pre-order the album at www.YellowSoundLabel.com.
Jose Llana and Ruthie Ann Miles backstage at the Vivian Beaumont Theater after The Actors Fund Special Performance of The King and I on September 20, 2015. Photo by Lia Chang
Llana is currently starring as The King in Lincoln Center’s Tony-winning revival of The King & I, opposite Analisa Leaming as Anna, and his Here Lies Love cast mates, Ruthie Ann Miles as Lady Thiang and Conrad Ricamora as Lun Tha through May 1st. Advance copies of Altitude are currently available at the Vivian Beaumont.
Jose Llana as The King and Analisa Leaming as Anna in LCT’s THE KING AND I. Photo by Paul Kolnick
Llana’s first headline concert at Joe’s Pub, with musical director Kimberly Grigsby, will showcase his illustrious, 20 year career with songs by Rodgers & Hammerstein, Adam Guettel, William Finn, David Byrne and more.
Altitude follows Llana through show-stopping highlights of his accomplished Broadway career. When this program debuted last year at Lincoln Center, a rave review from Flavorpill praised Llana as “an exceptionally versatile performer, thrilling the audience with contemporary pop songs and Broadway standards alike.” The album features several numbers from The King & I, including his personal arrangement of “A Puzzlement.” “Child of the Philippines” and “A Perfect Hand” come from Here Lies Love, the smash hit musical at the Public Theater which helped him explore his own Filipino roots. Ben Brantley of The New York Times said “he should have been nominated” for a Tony Award in his the role of Marcos. Other highlights include “Chip’s Lament” from William Finn’s Spelling Bee – in which Llana was called a “standout” by The Washington Post – and selections are from Adam Guettel’s song cycle Saturn Returns. The album is rounded out by numbers from classic musicals Company and On the Town, pop hits from Billy Joel and Ed Sheeran, and a contribution from Pretty Dead Girl, a musical adaptation of the cult short film.
Joohee Choi (Tuptim) and Jose Llana (Lun Tha) in the 1996 Broadway revival of The King and I. Photo by Joan Marcus
“Twenty years ago – in the Broadway Revival of The King & I – I began an amazing, messy, unpredictable journey,” says Llana. “Since then, I’ve gotten to sail on Adam Guettel’s rolling waves, misspell words in Bill Finn’s adolescent gymnasium, and rule with an iron fist in David Byrne’s presidential palace. And two decades after I arrived in New York, when I took the stage as the King in the new Broadway production of The King and I, I knew I’d come full circle. At my concert for Lincoln Center’s American Songbook Series, I got the chance to honor the composers who’ve kept me gainfully employed, and who make me want to keep reaching for higher altitudes. This album was inspired by that night, and the astonishing music I’ve been lucky enough to get to sing.”
(Front row): Celia Keenan-Bolger, Dan Fogler, Sarah Saltzberg; (back row): Jose Llana, Deborah S. Craig, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, the young spellers in “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,” Circle in the Square. Photo by Joan Marcus
Jose Llana starred on Broadway as “Chip Tolentino” in William Finn’s The 25th Annual Putnam Country Spelling Bee (Drama Desk Award, directed by James Lapine), “El Gato” in Wonderland, “Wang Ta” in David Henry Hwang’s adaptation of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Flower Drum Song, “Angel” in Rent (directed by Michael Greif) and “Jessie-Lee” in Street Corner Symphony.
Kate Suber, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Lea Delaria, Jose Llana, Robert Montalvo in On The Town (1997). Photo by Michal Daniel
His Off-Broadway appearances include “Marcos” in David Byrne and 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. “Adam” in Falling For Eve (York), “Gabey” in On the Town (directed by George C. Wolfe, Delacorte) and Adam Guettel’s Saturn Returns (directed by Tina Landau, Public Theater). Regional appearances include “Bill Sikes” in Oliver! (Papermill), “Guillaume” in Cameron Mackintosh’s Martin Guerre (Guthrie Theater), “Tin Man” in Ballad of Little Jo (Steppenwolf Theater, directed by Tina Landau, Jefferson Nomination – Best Supporting Actor) and the title role in Candide (Prince Theater, Barrymore Nomination – Best Actor).
Llana’s TV and Film appearances include HBO’s “Sex and the City” opposite Margaret Cho and Hitch with Will Smith. He appears on numerous cast albums and is also a best-selling recording artist on the VIVA Philippines label. Trained at Manhattan School of Music, Jose is an advocate for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and serves on the Advisory Committee for Broadway Impact for Marriage Equality.
www.JoseLlana.com @TheJoseLlana
Jose Llana will celebrate the release of his American solo album debut ALTITUDE at JOE’S PUB at The Public Theater on Monday, May 16 at at 9:00 PM. The venue is located at 425 Lafayette Street (between East 4th and Astor Place) NYC, adjacent to The Public Theater. For tickets – which cost $20 – call (212) 967-7555 or visit joespub.com, or visit in person at The Public Theater Box Office from 1pm to 6pm Joe’s Pub from 6pm to 10pm (Both located at 425 Lafayette St. For table reservations, call (212) 539-8778.
Yellow Sound Label is a Grammy Award-nominated, cutting-edge record company that produces both established performers and up-and-coming artists. The boutique label takes a hands-on approach in nurturing and producing passionate, focused performers and composers who create quality, noteworthy recordings. The label has featured the best of Broadway (Matilda, The Visit, Big Fish), Off Broadway (Heathers: The Musical, The Burnt Part Boys, Murder Ballad), theater luminaries (Chita Rivera, Alan Cumming, Telly Leung, Christopher Jackson), and rising songwriter/composers (Marcy & Zina, Kerrigan & Lowdermilk, Lance Horne, Michael Patrick Walker). www.YellowSoundLabel.com.
JOSE LLANA “ALTITUDE” TRACK LIST
- 1. Saturn Returns – Written by Adam Guettel, from Saturn Returns: A Concert
- 2. Icarus – Written by Adam Guettel, from Saturn Returns: A Concert
- 3. We Kiss in a Shadow/I Have Dreamed –
Music by Richard Rodgers / Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein, from The King & I
- 4. Lonely Town – Music by Leonard Bernstein / Lyrics by Betty Comden & Adolph Green, from On the Town
- 5. Chip’s Lament (M. U. E.) – Written by William Finn, from The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
- 6. Marry Me a Little – Written by Stephen Sondheim, from Company
- 7. She is More – Written by AnnMarie Milazzo, from Pretty Dead Girl
- 8. Child of the Philippines – Written by David Byrne and Fat Boy Slim, from Here Lies Love
- 9. Hero and Leander – Written by Adam Guettel, from Saturn Returns: A Concert
- 10. Thinking Out Loud – Written by Ed Sheeran
- 11. Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel) – Written by Billy Joel
- 12. A Puzzlement– Music by Richard Rodgers, Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein, from The King & I
- 13. A Perfect Hand – Written by David Byrne and Fat Boy Slim, from Here Lies Love
Related Articles:
Broadway’s THE KING AND I Starring Jose Llana and Analisa Leaming, Offers Autism-Friendly Performance on April 24
Drama Desk Award Winner Jose Llana’s Debut American Solo Album, ALTITUDE, Drops in May
Broadway’s ‘The King and I’ Will Feature a Succession of Kings- Ken Watanabe Returns (Mar. 17 – Apr. 17), Jose Llana (Apr. 19- May 1), and Hawaii Five-O’s Daniel Dae Kim (May 3 – Jun. 26)
THE KING AND I’s Lainie Sakakura Ushers in the Year of the Monkey at P.S. 87 with Broadway Pals Ann Harada, Jose Llana, Telly Leung, Amaya Braganza, Sam Tanabe, Belinda Allyn, James Ignacio and YoonJeong Seong
Photos: Celebrating with Jose Llana, Ruthie Ann Miles, Kelli O’Hara and Company after THE KING AND I’s Special Performance for The Actors Fund
Q & A with Jose Llana, the new King of Siam in LCT’s Tony Award-Winning Revival of The King and I
Photos: Late Night at HERE LIES LOVE with Jaygee Macapugay, David Byrne, Jose Llana, Conrad Ricamora, Melody Butiu and More
Photos: Jose Llana, Stephanie Umoh & cast of Falling for Eve
The Making of the Flower Drum Song Cast Album
Flower Drum Song, An American Story
Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.
Lia Chang. Photo by Garth Kravits
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 Examiner.com, Jade Magazine and Playbill.com.
