Of rejections and the right to be there: ‘A Chorus Line’ Manila’s lead actor Conrad Ricamora speaks up

“I have to be ruthless about who is right,” Ricamora admits about playing Zach. “If they’re not right for the show, I have to fire them... showing that inner world to an audience is, I think, I’m really excited about that.” For Ricamora, inhabiting the role of the rejector rather than the rejected presents a unique challenge.

He notes that while the industry has evolved since A Chorus Line dared to bring audiences behind the scenes of a Broadway show, directors are now less likely to scream at actors than before. And yet the judgment remains, just “quieter”. The show forces audiences to witness the “invisible cost” of chasing a dream, stripping away the glamour to reveal “the hunger, the heartbreak and the need to be seen.”

“I hope that audiences will gain a greater appreciation for what it takes to be in this industry,” Ricamora says. “Those actors who are up on those stages have gone through so much rejection, so much self-doubt, and they’re still putting themselves out there.”

The themes of A Chorus Line—the desperation to land a part, which leads to a performer’s inescapable route of having to answer the question of identity—parallel a personal mission for Ricamora. As a Filipino-American actor, he has navigated rejection that often stems not just from talent but from the systemic problem of underrepresentation.

“When you don’t see yourself on those stages... you sometimes feel like you don’t have a right to be there,” he says.

This sentiment birthed his recent advocacy project, a scholarship fund explicitly titled “The Right to Be There”. The fund supports talented and deserving Asian Americans pursuing careers in the performing arts, aiming to dismantle the imposter syndrome that often plagues underrepresented artists.

For Ricamora, the link between the musical and his advocacy is clear. In A Chorus Line, dancers fight for a spot on stage; in reality, actors of colour fight for the right to exist in the narrative or for the opportunity to portray a role traditionally typecast for Caucasians that need not be restricted. “My goal is to get more of us to be there, so that we can all realise that we have a right to be there,” he asserts.

Read more: Clint Ramos launches Theatre Group Asia to spotlight Filipino creatives worldwide

Despite his success on Broadway and in Hollywood, he has never visited the Philippines. He describes the opportunity as a “homecoming”, a chance to connect with a heritage he has “always carried in [his] heart.”

The decision to join the Manila production was influenced by fellow Broadway actors who had previously worked in the country. Ricamora recalls speaking with friend Josh Dela Cruz, who starred in TGA’s Into the Woods. “He was just like, ‘You have to go. It’s the best experience’,” Ricamora shares, noting that the passion of the Philippine theatre community is legendary even among those who haven’t witnessed it firsthand.

Ricamora takes on the role of Zach at a pivotal moment in his own trajectory. Approaching 47 and with over two decades of professional experience, he admits he is beginning to see parallels between himself and the veteran character he plays.

“There’s a shift that has happened in the last two, three years, where I look around and I’m like, ‘Oh, I’m the oldest person in the room,’” he laughs. “To be able to play a character where that’s where this character is at in his career as well, feels super, super meaningful.”

Zach is often viewed as a ruthless taskmaster, a director who strips actors of their defenses. Ricamora, however, sees a complexity in the character that resonates with his recent work, including his Tony-nominated turn as Abraham Lincoln in Oh, Mary!. He observes that, like Lincoln, Zach’s “aggressiveness and his sharpness are masking a very deep vulnerability.”

“Zach’s job is to see people clearly, to push them to go deeper,” Ricamora explains. “I’ve spent much of my life learning to take down my own walls, to turn pain into art and vulnerability into strength.”

Staging this production in Manila adds another layer of meaning to the “fight”. Ricamora believes that for a Filipino cast, the struggle to be seen holds a different, perhaps more explosive, weight.

“When it’s not only A Chorus Line, but also A Chorus Line with Filipino actors... that sense of fight, and the fighting for acceptance, I think is multi-layered,” Ricamora observes.

Coming to his father’s homeland for the first time, Ricamora brings with him the wisdom of a survivor. He has learned that longevity in the arts requires separating one’s self-worth from the job. “You have to learn how to not take it personally, and to keep loving yourself... so that it doesn’t just become your life,” he reflects.

As Zach, he will demand perfection. But as himself, he offers a different message to the hopefuls on the line: the industry may tell you “no”, but you must be the one to tell yourself you belong.

A Chorus Line premieres on March 12 and runs until March 29, 2026, at the Samsung Performing Arts Theater in Circuit Makati. 

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