The Filipino-American film, TV, and Broadway actor reflects on his craft ahead of his Philippine musical theater debut as Zach in Theater Group Asia’s upcoming production of A Chorus Line.
Performance is a kind of magic. As an audience member, you never see what happens backstage behind the curtain, or even earlier, during the often grueling audition process artists endure. And like any illusion, that mystery only fuels our curiosity. We’re drawn to the “secrets” behind the spectacle, the hidden work that makes it all possible. That’s why stories about performers captivate us: we want to lift the curtain and find out what truly lies beneath. It’s also why the Tony Award-winning A Chorus Line continues to resonate. Decades later, new voices are still breathing life into its story, which asks what it really means to dedicate yourself to an art form. One of these voices is Conrad Ricamora, the Tony and two-time Grammy Awards nominee set to star in the upcoming Theatre Group Asia (TGA) production of the beloved musical.
The Filipino-American performer has more than a few feathers on his cap. His stage credits include the Broadway revival of The King and I, which won the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album in 2015, as well as Off-Broadway productions of Little Shop of Horrors and Soft Power, the latter earning him his second Grammy nomination. In 2023, he returned to Broadway in the musical Here Lies Love as Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino, a role he first originated at The Public Theater a decade earlier, now reimagined with a fully Filipino cast. More recently, he appeared on Broadway in the critically acclaimed, Tony Award-winning play Oh, Mary! playing Abraham Lincoln: a performance that earned him his first Tony nomination for Best Featured Actor in a Play in 2025.
This doesn’t account for his screen credits, which include roles in the Hulu and Disney+ Philippines series How To Die Alone; the feel-good LGBTQA+ film Fire Island from the same network; Shonda Rhimes’ ABC drama series How To Get Away with Murder; the Fox series The Resident; and the highly-anticipated sequel to The Devil Wears Prada.
Yet despite the accolades, Conrad exudes a calming, candid, and grounded warmth, something immediately evident the moment he joins our Zoom call to discuss his upcoming role in A Chorus Line. He may be playing Zach, the director-choreographer who anchors the musical with cutting authority, but in person he feels more like a quiet stream: steady, gentle, and, like any true actor, carrying hidden depths beneath the surface. With thoughtful precision, he opens up about his Filipino heritage, his Philippine theater debut, and the significance of taking on an iconic musical in this Lifestyle Asia exclusive.
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An Interview With Conrad Ricamora
You’ve shared how excited you are to perform in the Philippines for the first time, especially as it connects you to your father’s homeland. Many Filipino performers say their artistic instincts come from their Pinoy side of the family—was performance a big part of your childhood as someone who’s part Filipino? Was it something your father connected with as well?
Conrad: It was a part of our life, because we had a really, really hard life. My dad joined the military when he was 18 years old, just so that he could have a steady paycheck. And then he got married when he was 20 and had two kids; then his wife/my mom left, and he was a single father at a very young age.
He used humor and performance, and would always do silly characters to entertain us at home and to distract us from the fact that we were, number one so poor, and number two, constantly moving around because he was in the Air Force. That’s what I learned as “performance” early on in my childhood, because I didn’t even know theater existed until I went away to college when I was 18, because we just lived in military bases and there were no theaters in military bases.
My dad was a one man show, and he performed for my brother and I to keep us happy. There was a French character that he would play to make us laugh, he would put on this French accent, and just silly cartoon voices; my brother and I would be rolling around laughing on the floor because he was so good. But he was performing out of necessity, I guess.
Are there aspects of your Filipino heritage that you feel you carry with you day to day, whether in terms of values, work ethic, or lessons you’ve taken from your family?
Conrad: Yeah. My dad is the kindest person, and he instilled in me a very strong sense of always doing what is right and not just what is easy. And treating people with kindness, especially right now—hopefully it’s coming back into style. To me, treating people with kindness and integrity and respect, I think is a big Filipino trait. I’m excited to be around more of that; I’m in Toronto right now, but most of the time I live in New York City, and people are not always kind there. It’s pretty tough. [laughs]
With what will surely be a packed schedule, is there anything you’re hoping to experience while you’re here in the Philippines?
Conrad: I love being a foodie and exploring food culture, so I’m excited to just eat all around the Philippines. And then maybe on our days off, to travel to some of the beaches. I’m excited for all of it, but those are the things that are at the top of my list.
A Chorus Line is a distinctly meta-theatrical work: a performance about performers, by performers. How does this meta-narrative framework influence the way you approach your role as Zach, the orchestrator at the center of it all?
Conrad: I just think it’s such a cool piece that lets us give the audience an inside look at what we do [as performers]. They get to see an audition room. They get to see a rehearsal process, and all of the complexities that exist in that rehearsal process, all of the different dynamics of the characters.
There is so much to navigate as an actor, as a performer, through that. First of all, there’s a reason why that song “I Hope I Get It” is so famous. As an actor, you feel that so intensely, because you don’t have a steady job: you’re always looking for the next job, but that feeling gets in the way when you’re actually auditioning and trying to play a character. So you have to navigate all of those complex feelings, especially with somebody like Zach, the director.
Zach has to be a therapist, sometimes, to these performers; a mother or a father; a drill sergeant; a policeman. Most directors have to wear so many hats, to either be a caretaker or a disciplinarian at the drop of a hat. Those relationships can turn on a dime, and so I’m excited to explore that within myself through this character, to share what we experience in our entire careers with an audience.
You’ve delivered standout performances on Broadway and beyond. In what ways has your past work prepared you for stepping into this production?
Conrad: I think with every show that you do as a performer, you’re always deepening your ability to get into the skin of another character. You’re able to let go of anything that is holding you back in terms of, like, ‘Oh, well, I’m normally a shy person, and this character is really aggressive and loud. How do I bridge that gap?’ And every time you play a new character, you get to prove to yourself that you are capable of every type of human behavior, that we all, as humans, are capable of every type of human behavior.
I’ve been doing this for over 20 years, and all of the characters that I’ve played have asked me to inhabit a different realm of humanity—now I just feel like I have so much more to offer, so many more tools in my toolbox as an actor. It’s funny because sometimes people feel burned out in their careers, the longer they go. But I actually feel like I’m just falling more and more in love with what I do, the longer I do it.
Conversely, what does this role demand from you that feels unique to A Chorus Line, something you haven’t necessarily explored in your previous roles?
Conrad: [chuckles] I think it’s going to be so hard for me to yell at other actors on stage. Because I know what that feels like: to be yelled at by a director, to be cut from a production or cut from an audition, and how heartbreaking that is.
I’m like, ‘Oh, I feel so bad, just like yelling at people, at other actors.’ I’m really excited to play this character, but I know that everybody else in the cast is going to bond a little bit more, because they’re all playing other actors. Even though I’m part of the cast, I’m playing the director who, within the show, is not a part of the cast. With every character you play, there’s something that sticks to you. And so they’ll all bond as these people who are auditioning, and I’m gonna be on the outside just yelling at them. [laughs] I’m a little bit sad about that, but it’s okay. It’s the job.
The characters’ stories resonate with many artists’ real experiences. Is there a particular monologue, moment, or song in the show that hits close to home for you?
Conrad: Like I said, it’s that song “I Hope I Get It.” I just think that, within every audition that an actor goes to, there’s always a little bit of that nagging voice in their head. And I think the song perfectly encapsulates that feeling for every single performer. I love all of the individual songs, but that one, specifically, captures it so beautifully.
What are some of the most important things you’ve learned from the audition process?
Conrad: I’ve learned that failure is part of the process. When you don’t get a job, it doesn’t mean that you’re not supposed to be doing this—it means that you reflect and learn and move forward. Failure is a part of the job, and rejection is a big part of an actor’s career. What I’ve learned through auditioning is to just keep going: you develop skills over a really long period of time, but you’re always going to be facing rejection.
A Chorus Line has been influential for almost five decades. What does carrying that legacy feel like for you as a performer today?
Conrad: Oh, gosh. It means a lot to me. The first show that I ever did in New York City was at The Public Theater [Here Lies Love]—and that’s where A Chorus Line was written, and [where it] first premiered. And to have that connection, to have performed in that theater, to be a part of a show that just so perfectly gives an audience an inside look at the entertainment industry, I think it’s so special. I’m really excited to carry that legacy forward.
“A Chorus Line” will run from March 12-29, 2026. Thursday and Friday shows are at 730 PM. Two shows are staged on Saturdays and Sundays at 2 PM. and 730 PM. Tickets are available through Ticket World premiere.ticketworld.com.ph.
For more information, visit TGA’s website www.theatregroupasia.com, Instagram @theatregroupasia, or Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/theatregroupasia.
Photos courtesy of Theatre Group Asia and Visions & Expressions (unless specified).
