Jose Llana: Every inch a Pinoy

Welcome home a world-class artist. Filipino-American thespian Jose Llana, one of the leading luminaries of the Broadway stage, mounts a grand Manila homecoming. Fresh from the success of his show-stopping turns in such hit Broadway musicals as Rent, Martin Guerre, and Flower Drum Song, Jose returns to his first love, music. "This is the second phase of my career," he quips.

Jose is not just waxing his debut album under Viva Records, he will also appear in a series of concerts. He is headlining a much-anticipated show, his local concert debut entitled Jose Llana: A Homecoming Concert Under the Stars. He asserts that he is looking forward to perform for his fellow Filipinos. Moreover, the show boasts of a unique concept. "The dinner-show will be held at the Gourmet’s Café in Silang, Cavite on May 31," Jose relates. "It’s an open-air concert."

He is also scheduled to appear in the CCP concert, Lagi Kitang Mamahalin on July 11 and 12. His album of OPM love songs for Viva Records, on the other hand, marks his return to the recording studio. "I’m really excited about it," he beams with pride. "Louie Ocampo will be composing a couple of songs for me."

After blending beautifully with international star Lea Salonga on the Flower Drum Song soundtrack, Jose will now be given the chance to record duets with Sharon Cuneta and Regine Velasquez on his debut album.

His local recording is another dream-come-true for the gifted singer-actor. "I used to watch Sharon’s old movies on Betamax tapes, when I was growing up in Virginia," Jose relates. He even guested on Sharon’s Sunday ABS-CBN show Sharon, where he wowed the audience and the host herself with his intense version of Just Once. Jose even did a rousing duet of How Do You Keep the Music Playing? with Sharon.

Although he is a big star in the Big Apple, he remains every inch a Pinoy at heart. Speaking of the Big Apple, Jose made a scene-stealing guest appearance on the hugely popular and multi-award-winning HBO sitcom Sex and the City. The revelry started in the audition process, Jose looks back fondly.

"I actually auditioned for another part in the show," Jose recalls. "For the role of Alan Cummings’ assistant. What got me the audition was the fact that I had long hair then." While he was waiting in the corridor, he met the Italian-American actor who eventually landed the coveted role.

"We were just cracking each other up in the hallway," Jose continues. "We were just talking and having fun. So when I stepped into the audition room, I was in such a great mood. So I ended up just hanging out with the director, Michael Patrick King. I sort of improvised a lot with them."

The following day his agent called with good news and bad. "My agent told me that I didn’t get the part," Jose relates. "But he added that Michael wanted so much for me to be in the show that they wrote a part for me. As Margaret Cho’s assistant, I didn’t have speaking lines, but they wanted me to react to Margaret. They just wanted us to play with each other."

If the audition was a blast, the shoot for the series was just as enjoyable. "I hung out with Margaret and we hit it off so well," he pipes up. "She’s so quiet in real life, but very nice." That episode’s other guest star, Alan Cummings, is someone Jose keeps bumping into. "While he was doing Cabaret on Broadway, we did a benefit show together and met backstage. In Los Angeles, while I was doing Martin Guerre, we again met up in a bar. Then we were on the same episode of Sex and the City. He is such a good guy. A crazy guy!"

The show’s star, Sarah Jessica Parker, was also a fun and fab femme. "She’s so cool!" Jose gushes. "She is totally who she plays onscreen. She is Carrie Bradshaw in real life. We were in the makeup room having our faces done and she was on the phone, talking to someone about the dress she was going to wear at the Oscars. And at the same time, she was eating Phad Thai. It was eight o’clock in the morning and she was eating Phad Thai!"

The Sex and the City set was such a wonderful place to work in, he points out. "Everyone was so hip," he enthuses. "If I came on the set, trying to impress everybody, they would’ve smelled me a mile away and ran the opposite direction!"

Jose has nothing but good memories about his Sex and the City stint. "Working on Sex and the City was such a blessing," he intones. "I was unemployed at that time. It came between Martin Guerre and Flower Drum Song. Nothing was happening then. It was such a dry spell." But Sex and the City initiated a downpour of blessings. "That episode I came out in (The Real Me) was the one that won them an Emmy for Best Comedy," Jose shares. "And I was on the eight-second clip that was shown at the Emmys. Those three days of work on Sex and the City got me so much air time and attention."

That is precisely Jose’s work philosophy: To be thankful for every opportunity, big or small, that comes his way. In the same vein, he is very much grateful for the rare chance to sing for his countrymen. For the CCP show, in fact, he is set to belt out a stirring rendition of Bayan Ko – like a true native reacquainting himself with the land of his birth.

Indeed, the high-flying Pinoy has finally come home.