PJ Pascual casts the spotlight on Grammy Award-winning theatrical producer Jhett Tolentino and the philosophy behind his success
Whenever people talk about Filipinos on Broadway, they usually think of Lea Salonga in her epoch-making role as Kim in Cameron Mackintosh’s Miss Saigon. But we ought to take pride in another countryman who has taken the Great White Way by storm. Indeed, Iloilo-born theatrical producer Jhett Tolentino has made waves both on and off Broadway numerous times, earning him many citations in the theatrical world, including two Tony Awards and this year’s Grammy Award for his run in The Colour Purple as Best Musical Theatre Album.
To date, Tolentino can easily boast a total of 13 awards, including two Lucille Lortel Awards and several citations from the Drama Desk, Drama League, and the Outer Critics Circle. In 2016, he came home to the Philippines to accept his award as one of the Ten Outstanding Young Men (TOYM) honoured by no less than President Rodrigo Duterte.
His initial claim to fame came in 2013 as part of the team that successfully transitioned the offbeat comedy Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike from an off-Broadway favourite into a Broadway success.
“My Broadway debut was with Vanya… which starred Sigourney Weaver,” Tolentino recalls. “I first saw the play at the Lincoln Centre’s Mitzi Newhouse Theatre in November 2012 and couldn’t stop thinking about it. I am proud to say that we opened in March 2013 and won the Tony for Best Play in June of the same year.”
Tolentino’s success is a far cry from his childhood in an underprivileged district of Iloilo City.The youngest of four children, a life in theatre was the farthest thing from his mind while he was growing up. His primary goal was to help his family and give them a better life. He considered a degree in Tourism at the University of Iloilo, but opted instead for a bachelor’s degree in accountancy, leading to his first job as a general bookkeeper. He moved to the United States in 2002, taking on a diverse array of jobs to make ends meet, including babysitting and a stint as a nursing assistant.
“My humble beginnings drive me to achieve excellence in anything that I do,” he says staunchly. “Every time I get an award, I always think of it as recognition for having done a great job—but that was the past; the work is done. Time to push on, create, or look for the next big thing.”
He first got into the habit of watching plays as a way to relax when he moved to the East Coast in 2004. “Going to the theatre is part of being a New Yorker,” he explains. “I started going, but not religiously as it’s an expensive hobby. [Later,] I met fellow theatre-goers and we’d see shows together; then we’d have post-show discussions amongst ourselves at a bar or restaurant. I was very opinionated; most of them encouraged me to blog my reviews, so I did.”
By 2009, Tolentino was being invited to attend opening night performances as well as previews, workshops, readings, and even rehearsals. He met various professionals who worked on- and off-stage, some of whom he’d even panned in his blog. It was at this point in his life that he was made to face a challenge that he recognised as his opportunity to get into the industry himself.
“A few people advised me to check out producing; to put my money where my mouth is,” he says. “Well, I didn’t have that kind of money—and still don’t, really—but my boss at the time, who also read my blog, offered to partner with me. Between 2013 and 2015, we produced 12 Broadway productions and five off- Broadway shows; we have also won three Tony Awards and a Grammy.”
