VEGAS&STYLE First casting announced for ‘Here Lies Love’ on Broadway

Jose Llana, Conrad Ricamora to reprise original roles; International casting search for other company members now underway

THE producers of “Here Lies Love,” the groundbreaking musical from the minds of Grammy®, Oscar®, and Tony Award® winner David Byrne (concept, music and lyrics) and Grammy Award® winner Fatboy Slim (music), announced on Wednesday, February 15 that Jose Llana (“The King and I,” “The 25th Annual Putnam Country Spelling Bee”) and Conrad Ricamora (“How to Get Away with Murder,” “The King and I,” “Soft Power” – Grammy nominations) will join the show’s Broadway company, recreating the critically acclaimed roles they originated off-Broadway.

“Here Lies Love,” which tells the story of former Filipina First Lady Imelda Marcos' rise to power and subsequent fall at the hands of the Philippine People Power Revolution, will begin performances Saturday, June 17 ahead of an official opening night on Thursday, July 20.

Developed & directed by Tony Award winner Alex Timbers, with choreography by Olivier Award nominee Annie-B Parson and additional music by Tom Gandey and J Pardo, the show’s home at the Broadway Theatre (1681 Broadway at 53rdStreet) will be transformed into a dance club where the audience is immersed in the story.

Jose Llana portrays Ferdinand Marcos, the tenth president of the Philippines whose 20-year dictatorship spanned from 1965 to 1986. He was the husband of Imelda Marcos. He lived in exile in the United States until his death in 1989. Llana returns to this role after creating it at the Public Theater off-Broadway (Lortel nom).

His Broadway credits include “The King & I” (Lincoln Center and US/UK tours), “The 25th Annual Putnam Country Spelling Bee” (Drama Desk Award), “Wonderland,” “Flower Drum Song,” “Rent,” “Streetcorner Symphony” and the 1996 revival of “The King & I.” Additional New York theater credits include his many collaborations with the Public Theater including “Saturn Returns,” “On The Town” and “Twelfth Night.”

Appearing on numerous cast albums, Jose is also a best-selling recording artist with the VIVA

Philippines label. He has made two appearances with American Songbook at Lincoln Center, which led to the release of his second solo CD, “Altitude.” Find Jose Llana on Twitter/Instagram: @thejosellana.

Conrad Ricamora portrays Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino, a Philippine senator, opposition leader and the Marcoses' primary critic. His assassination in 1983 ignited the People Power Revolution which finally ousted Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos from power. Ricamora’s television and film credits include six seasons opposite Viola Davis in “How To Get Away With Murder” (Oliver), recurring role on “The Resident,” “Fire Island,”

“Over The Moon,” “Talladega Nights,” “The Light of the Moon,” “Raising Christopher” (writer/producer/actor). He has appeared on Broadway via “The King And I” (Lincoln Center - Grammy Nomination), as well as Off-Broadway with “Little Shop of Horrors,” “Here Lies Love” (Public TheaterTheatre World Award, Lortel nomination), and “Soft Power” (Public Theater - Drama Desk, Lortel, Grammy Nominations);

His other stage credits include “Soft Power” (Ahmanson Theatre); “Tartuffe,” “Woyzeck,” “Fuddy Mears” (Clarence Brown Theatre); “Romeo and Juliet,” “Richard III,” “Midsummer” (Utah Shakespeare Festival);

“The Taming of the Shrew” (North Carolina Shakespeare Festival). Ricamora receieved the 2016 Human Rights Campaign Visibility Award and the 2017 Equality California Award. Find Conrad Ricamora on Twitter/ Instagram: @Conradricamora. Both actors received Lucille Lortel Award nominations for their performances at the Public Theater off-Broadway. Ricamora previously reprised his role in the show’s Seattle Rep production. Jose Llana said, “This is a dream: to be a Filipino actor, playing a Filipino character, telling a crucial part of Filipino history, which is also part of American history. I'm honored to return to Here Lies Love. We built a family creating this show 10 years ago, and now we get to do it again on Broadway. See you on the dance floor!”

For his part, Conrad Ricamora said, “Working on Here Lies Love allowed me to embrace my Filipino heritage––all that Pinoy pride! This is a huge moment for increasing representation on stage, and I’m so excited and proud to bring this revolutionary show to Broadway.” An international casting search is now underway for the remaining company of 20+ actors.

Ticket information

As the official card sponsor of “Here Lies Love,” American Express® card members have Early Access to exclusive presale tickets before the general public, from Monday, March 13 at 10 a.m. EST through Monday, March 20 at 9:59 a.m. EST at Telecharge.com.

Presale tickets for “Here Lies Love” are available exclusively to Audience Rewards® members from Monday, March 20 at 10 a.m. ET through Wednesday, March 22 at 9:59 a.m. ET. It's free and fast to join at www. AudienceRewards.com.

Audience Rewards is the Official Rewards Program of Broadway, providing membership benefits and rewards for more than 2.7 million members and representing more than a quarter of all Broadway tickets purchased through Ticketmaster and Telecharge. Free and easy to join,

Franco Finn to host NBA All-Star weekend events

FILIPINO American Franco Finn, who is the in-arena emcee/host and television personality for multiple National Basketball Association (NBA) champion the Golden State Warriors, will represent the organization in the upcoming 2023 NBA All-Star festivities in Salt Lake City, Utah, according to a release provided by the organization.

Known as the first and only Filipino/Asian American “Hype Man” in the NBA, Finn will host two events during All-Star Weekend: the Rising Stars Challenge on Friday, February 17, and All-Star Saturday Night on Saturday, February 18. This will be his first time joining the All-Star festivities on-site as host for events featuring the biggest, brightest and current/ upcoming NBA league stars.

Finn, who many Warriors fan know and love, regularly entertains and energizes soldout crowds during Warriors home games (now at Chase Center). He hosts the pre-game show “Warriors Warm-up,” introduces the team’s starting line-up, and conducts contests and promotions at the arena. He is in his 20th season with the Golden State Warriors franchise.

Franco Finn is a first-generation San Francisco native. Born & raised in the Mission & Excelsior districts in Francisco, he eventually settled in the Sunset District. Franco attended French American International School (FAIS) in grade school, where he had a bilingual education and learned how to be fluent in French. Finn then attended Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep in San Francisco, and received his B.A. in Communications at Santa Clara University.

For nearly a decade, Franco has been an aviation professional, working in many capacities within the airline industry from Brand Marketing, Partnerships, Communications, External Relations & Employee Engagement. Currently, Franco manages the Community Relations & Engagement efforts for the state of California at Alaska Airlines, while also serving as their company media spokesperson, host, and travel influencer.

Franco is an active member in the San Francisco community where he also serves on the Executive Board of the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, board member for the Hotel Council of San Francisco, and was recently appointed as a Commissioner for the City & County of San Francisco’s Film Commission.

When Franco is not working his business and corporate jobs, people recognize him and his voice in the last 20 years as the inarena emcee/host and TV personality for the current NBA World Champion the Golden State Warriors.

Finn is also a well-known professional auctioneer, nicknamed the “Hypeman Auctioneer,” where he shares his voice and influence at many charity benefits, galas, celebrity events and all types of fundraiser events around the San Francisco Bay Area, the country & beyond. He’s a graduate of the Mendenhall School of Auctioneering in North Carolina, as well as a member of the National Auctioneers Association (NAA) with a Benefit Auction Specialist (B.A.S.) designation.

Franco has been involved in a multitude of fundraising events for many years, working with some of the most recognizable nonprofit charities and organizations from the American Red Cross, March of Dimes, The Ronald McDonald House, the Boys & Girls Clubs, the

YMCA, and the Make-A-Wish Foundation, just to name a handful, helping to raise millions of dollars and counting, in his career.

Within the Filipino American community, Finn has been an active member in community events over the past 20 years, generously and proudly providing his emceeing talents to the Pistahan Parade and Festival, SF Giants Filipino Heritage Night, and Filipino American History Month Celebration at City Hall.

Finn’s media background and experience includes being a current segment host on KRON 4 TV, where you can see his recurring “Franco On The Fly” travel segments. He also has worked as a freelance emcee/host for the San Francisco Giants’ special events department for the past 14 seasons. He is a local and national emcee – Franco has hosted a variety of signature events, as well as sporting events from NASCAR to Red Bull’s extreme sports competitions. His previous stints include being an on-air personality and host for TV and radio for entities such as CBS, Comcast SportsNet, the Oakland Raiders (NFL Network), KOFY-TV, Radio Disney, KGO AM 810, and guest appearances on ESPN Radio.

Audience Rewards allows buyers to earn Show Points on every ticket purchase, to be redeemed for free tickets, theater collectibles, unique experiences, and more.

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Tickets are on sale to the general public beginning Monday, March 27 at 10 a.m. EST online at Telecharge.com or by phone at 212-239-6200.

For information on groups of 10+, contact Broadway Inbound at broadwayinbound.com or call 866-302-0995.

More information about the wide variety of standing and seating options available throughout the theater’s reconstructed space will be announced soon. Sign up now at HereLiesLoveBroadway.com for early access to tickets.

Additional show information

From its world premiere at The Public Theater in 2013, “Here Lies Love” has enjoyed popular and critical acclaim. The show returned to The Public in 20142015, debuted at London’s Royal National Theatre in 2014, and

by Iza IglesIas ManilaTimes.net

MISS Universe 2018 Catriona Gray and actor-singer Sam Milby announced their engagement on Thursday, February 16.

The celebrity couple happily shared the news on Instagram posting a photo of them, each holding their cups of coffee labeled "Mr. Milby" and "Future Mrs. Milby." The photo also saw Gray wearing a diamond ring.

"Living an answered prayer with my best friend. I love you, fiancè (eeeeee) [smiling face with three hearts emoji] [diamong ring emoji] most recently opened at Seattle Repertory Theatre in 2017.

The creative team for Here Lies Love on Broadway includes three-time Tony Award® nominee David Korins (scenic design), Tony Award® winner Clint Ramos (costume design), Tony Award® winner Justin Townsend (lighting design), M.L. Dogg & Cody Spencer (sound design), and three-time Tony Award® nominee Peter Nigrini (projection design), with casting by Tara Rubin CSA, Xavier Rubiano CSA, Gail Quintos and general management by Foresight Theatrical. Additional creative team members include ATW Jonathan Larson Grant recipient J. Oconer Navarro (music director), Billy Bustamante (assistant director), Renée Albulario (assistant choreographer), Bobby Garcia (casting consultant/Philippines), Gregory T. Livoti (production stage manager), and Ryan Gohsman and Sheryl Polancos (assistant stage managers). Giselle “G” Töngi is the show’s Cultural and Community Liaison. “Here Lies Love is produced” by Hal Luftig, Patrick Catullo, Diana DiMenna for Plate Spinner Productions, Clint Ramos, and Jose Antonio Vargas, with Aaron Lustbader serving as Executive Producer. They are joined by Giselle “G” Töngi, Celia Kaleialoha Kenney, Bobby Garcia and Girlie Rodis, Miranda Gohh, Rob Laqui, Georgina Pazcoguin, Yasuhiro Kawana, Triptyk Studios, Shira Friedman, and Hunter Arnold/ TBD Theatricals.

@samuelmilby," wrote Gray. Milby, meanwhile, said, "I (FINALLY) put a ring on it! I love you my forever koala... now my fiancé [heart emoji." Showbiz friends immediately congratulated the two in the comments section.

"Congratulations. so happy for you both!!!" Isabel Oli-Prats wrote. "Congrats, you two!!!" said Darren Espanto. He put a ring on it!! Congrats again, brother!," posted Jake Ejercito.

"Wahhhh congrats!! I remember talking about this at the Mega event.