Cover Arielle Jacobs poses at a meet & greet for the upcoming Broadway musical “Here Lies Love” at Rehearsal Room at The Church of St. Paul the Apostle on May 9, 2023 in New York City. "Here Lies Love" performances will begin June 17 ahead of an official opening night on July 20 at the Broadway Theatre. (Photo by Bruce Glikas/Getty Images)
Arielle Jacobs poses at a meet & greet for the upcoming Broadway musical “Here Lies Love” at Rehearsal Room at The Church of St. Paul the Apostle on May 9, 2023 in New York City. "Here Lies Love" performances will begin June 17 ahead of an official opening night on July 20 at the Broadway Theatre. (Photo by Bruce Glikas/Getty Images)
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Discover these talents who are slowly but surely making a name for themselves in the international theatre scene
Each industry is constantly evolving, and theatre is no exception. New talents emerge regularly and consistently make us proud. It’s exciting to see fresh faces from the Filipino community reaching greater heights, making their mark on Broadway.
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Of course, household names like Lea Salonga or Eva Noblezada have already strengthened their status and reputation in the field. Talented individuals, however, are on their way towards bringing home the bacon.
Eventually, these talented Filipino and half-Filipino actors will bag a Tony, and it won’t be a surprise. Take a look at them below:
Arielle Jacobs
Above Arielle Jacobs (Photo: @ariellejacobs/Instagram)
Arielle Jacobs (Photo: @ariellejacobs/Instagram)
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Broadway’s Here Lies Love has Arielle Jacobs playing the former Filipina First Lady Imelda Marcos, rounding up the cast that includes Conrad Ricamora, Jose Llana, and Lea Salonga. The disco musical tells the story of Marcos and her family’s rise and fall.
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Despite the setting being in the Philippines, Here Lies Love transcends boundaries and serves as a contemporary political parable with universal relevance.
In an interview with Playbill, Jacobs shares that history repeats itself. “This show right now is giving people an opportunity to see reality, a potential reality that could repeat itself again.”
Andrea Macasaet
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Last October 2021, Filipino-Canadian actress and singer Andrea Macasaet made her Broadway debut as former Queen of England Anne Boleyn in Six: The Musical. It’s a historical musical centred around the six wives of King Henry VIII of England.
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Currently, she’s starring in Stratford Festival’s production of Jonathan Larson’s Tony and Pulitzer Prize-winning musical Rent as Mimi Marquez. After this, fans are awaiting her comeback on Broadway or even her debut on West End.
Conrad Ricamora
Above Conrad Ricamora (@conradricamora/Instagram)
Conrad Ricamora (@conradricamora/Instagram)
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Conrad Ricamora is no stranger to stage acting. He debuted in 2011 as Sir James Tyrrel in Richard III for the Utah Shakespeare Festival and has been clawing his way up in theatre ever since. He finally reaches the Broadway stage this year with Here Lies Love as Ninoy Aquino—a role he played before in the same play for off-broadway.
The How to Get Away with Murder star shares in his Instagram post: “Started from the bottom now we’re here. . .Beyond surreal to announce that my Pinoy brother Jose Llana and I will finally be bringing the disco to Broadway this summer.”
Diane Phelan
Above Diane Phelan (@dianephelan/Instagram)
Diane Phelan (@dianephelan/Instagram)
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Based in New York City, Diane Phelan is of Spanish-Filipina and Irish-American descent. She debuted at Lincoln Center Theatre in Michael John LaChiusa’s Bernarda Alba as the standby for Tony award winner Nikki James.
After her roles in The King and I at Lincoln Center and as the standby for Imelda Marcos in Here Lies Love at the Public Theater, she graces the stage in Broadway’s 2023 rendition of Into the Woods.
With only a few weeks left until Phelan leaves the cast, she leaves words of gratitude on her account: “I am departing the Woods for these last few weeks of LA, and this show and production will forever remain one of the most beautiful, joyful, loving, kind, happy, and exhilarating memories of my life.”
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Vince Ermita
Above Vince Ermita with Alayna Martus (@vince_ermita/Instagram)
Vince Ermita with Alayna Martus (@vince_ermita/Instagram)
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A lot of actors start young, but not everyone starts big. Vince Ermita nabbed the role of Young Simba in The Lion King when he was 11 years old.
As Broadway reopened in New York City last September 2021, the Filipino-American made his dream come true and showed the world that Filipino talent belongs to the theatre district.
In an Instagram post, Ermita shared how he is “so very honoured to perform and share the stage with (castmate, Alayna Martus).”
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Angela Nicole Regis Guiral is a digital editor at Tatler Philippines. She studied journalism and has since written features that look closely at how culture, lifestyle and social impact converge, while occasionally wandering into the worlds of style and travel.
