In theater, Conrad Ricamora secures his Filipino identity
Conrad Ricamora wishes his Filipino father had taught him how to speak Tagalog—or at least shared pieces of the culture he could hold onto. But while that would have been nice, he can’t really blame him.
When his father moved to the United States at the age of 10, he learned English and made sure to rid himself of his accent. He was likely bullied a lot at first, Ricamora surmises, and that might have forced him to singlehandedly raise his children as Americanized as possible. (His mother left when he was an infant, and they didn’t reunite until he was seven.)
Ricamora didn’t grow up with any other Filipinos either—just him, his brother, and his father, who later served in the Air Force. During the ’80s and ’90s, this meant moving from one base to another and from one school to the next.
But if there was any consolation, he had Filipino food at home, like adobo, and attended the occasional Filipino American events.
A sense of community
Still, Ricamora yearned to connect with his roots and discover a sense of community. Little did he know that, however late in life, he would find all these in theater. In 2013, the actor was cast in “Here Lies Love,” an off-Broadway disco-pop musical about Imelda Marcos, where he played Ninoy Aquino—a role he would reprise on Broadway in 2023.
The first production had him working with a predominantly Filipino ensemble; the second, with an all-Filipino cast. It was an identity-forging experience.
“Having a community of Filipino actors helped me feel secure in my own identity as a Filipino,” he tells Lifestyle Inquirer in a virtual interview. “I didn’t have that before because I didn’t grow up surrounded by Filipinos. But once I started doing shows with other Filipinos, I finally felt like I was part of the family.”
This is the same kind of magic he hopes to recreate as he makes his Manila debut in Theatre Group Asia’s (TGA) upcoming staging of “A Chorus Line,” a landmark musical depicting the dreams, hardships, and heartbreak of ensemble dancers often relegated to the shadows. The play, which is also marking its 50th anniversary this year, runs from March 12 to 29, 2026 at the Samsung Performing Arts Theater.
Ricamora, who joined the cast at the invitation of his “Here Lies Love” colleague and TGA overall artistic and creative director Clint Ramos plays Zach—a choreographer who pushes stage aspirants to their limits to expose their insecurities and inner motivations.
A dream come true
At 47, and with more than two decades of experience as a theater actor, the role couldn’t have come at a more fitting time.
“I’m now at a point in my career where, most of the time, I look around and realize I’m the oldest and most experienced in the room. Playing someone who brings out the best in younger performers—and lets them shine onstage—is something that I can pull off only now,” he says.
“This marks a new phase in my career in terms of the kinds of characters I can play,” adds Ricamora, who has also starred in such musicals as “Soft Power,” “The King and I,” and most recently, “Oh, Mary!”—for which his portrayal of Abraham Lincoln earned him a Best Featured Actor in a Play nomination at the 2025 Tony Awards.
Ricamora has also found success and mainstream recognition on television, with shows like the hit legal suspense drama “How to Get Away with Murder” and the comedy “How to Die Alone.” He’s also part of “The Devil Wears Prada 2,” joining Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway.
But more than a career milestone, “A Chorus Line,” above all, is a rare opportunity to immerse himself in Filipino culture in a way he never has before.
“I have never been to the Philippines, but I have always wanted to go because my father was born there. He has never been back because he didn’t have any money,” Ricamora shares. “Performing in the Philippines for the first time and doing what I love most is a dream come true.”
How did you first discover “A Chorus Line?”
I saw the movie a couple of years ago, and was just blown away. I have actually never seen it on stage. The dancing is just insane and awe-inspiring. But the main thing for me was the way each performer opened up about their experiences, why they wanted to be one, what inspired them, or what they had to fight their whole lives just to be onstage. I can definitely relate to that as a performer.
Have you also had experience being part of a chorus line yourself?
I have been in a lot of musicals. Then “How to Get Away with Murder” happened, and that kind of took me out of the ensembles. I could never be in choruses again just because of the whole fame thing. But I look back on my time in my 20s with fondness.
In those ensembles, there’s camaraderie and bonding. I would go to so many chorus open casting calls over and over and over again and see the same people, and they just become your friends, because you’re all trying to make it.
Tell me about your work ethic.
I’m the first person to get to rehearsal, and the last person to leave. I started out in sports—I played tennis competitively, and got my undergraduate degree on a tennis scholarship. I would play for eight hours a day, for years, and just train, train, train.
That’s where I got the discipline from. Once I found acting, I just applied that same discipline to my acting career.
How do you balance that dedication with self-care?
The hardest part for me is learning how to take breaks, because that’s really necessary. I remember getting a massage once, and I just started sobbing because I had so much tension built up from working. It just feels so nice to relax. It’s also important to take care of yourself from time to time.
Did you have your own personal Zach when you were starting out?
I didn’t even know theater existed where I grew up; we lived on air bases, and there was none of that. But yes, I feel like I had my own Zach when I was first starting theater in my 20s. One of my first directors just yelled at me, “You have to keep your head up! Nobody’s going to be able to see what you’re doing!” And then I just went home and cried.
Since then, I never forgot to keep my head up. It was harsh, but I needed to know that.
Do you think tough training helps? Do you think there’s a line between pushing artists and being abusive?
Oh, yeah, there’s definitely a line. The next day, he apologized and was like, “I’m sorry I yelled. You’re doing great work, but I want the audience to see what you’re doing.” And I didn’t think he was doing that for his own ego. He just wanted the people to see the good work I was doing.
I could appreciate that because it was in the service of the story. Whereas you hear some stories about high-level people throwing things at their assistant—that’s different. That’s not okay! But being strict and blunt, I think, is okay.
View the full interview on lifestyle.inquirer.net
