In the recently concluded Grammy Awards 2017, Filipino producer Jhett Tolentino won the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album. He got the award for the album “The Color Purple” based on the musical of the same title. He shares this award with fellow producers Van Dean, Stephen Bray, Roy Furman, Scott Sanders and Frank Filipetti.
Along with his co-producers, he also shares this award with soloists from the musical, such as Jennifer Hudson, Cynthia Erivo and Danielle Brooks. Tolentino released the record under his company, Broadway Records. The musical had its final run last month, but a North American tour is slated to start in the fall of this year.
Jhett Tolentino – 3 Tony Awards Before A Grammy
Jhett Tolentino hails from humble beginnings in the Philippines. This Iloilo-born producer first made a name for himself in Broadway. He won three Tony awards for his work in musicals. He is the third Filipino to have ever won Tony Awards; the first two being Lea Salonga,
In 2013, he received his first Tony award for “Vania and Sonia and Masha and Spike.” In 2014, he reaped two Tony awards for producing “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder” and “A Raisin in the Sun,” which he shared with Denzel Washington, the show’s lead actor.
Jhett Tolentino’s Humble Beginnings
Tolentino grew up in the slums of Barangay Calumpang, in Iloilo City, as he said in an interview with CNN Philippines. From his first Tony, he went on to win two others. According to the Inquirer, Whenever he is asked how his beginnings shaped who he is, he said that “I cannot forget where I came from—a squatters’ area with no running water until I was 21. But I do not let it define me.”
After that, he continued to produce critically-acclaimed musicals, the latest of which is “Here Lies Love.” This musical is about the life of former First Lady Imelda Marcos.
His achievements have not kept him from giving back to his country and fellow Filipinos. In November 2016, he set up Jhett Tolentino Productions in the Philippines, which aims to bring Broadway closer to the Filipino artist and audience. In a report by ABS-CBN, He described its aim “to bring Broadway stars to perform in the country at more affordable rates” and “allow Filipino talents to learn from them through workshops and seminars.”