NEW YORK (CelebrityAccess) – Fatboy Slim and David Byrne of Talking Heads fame announced Thursday (January 12) their collaborative disco-pop musical, Here Lies Love, is coming to the “great white way.” The show charts the rise and fall of Philippine ex-first lady Imelda Marcos and the People Power Revolution. The organization was responsible for removing her and her husband, dictator Ferdinand Marcos from power in February 1986.
The musical begins with Imelda as a poor girl starting as a beauty pageant winner. Then, following a short courting, she marries up-and-coming politician and soon-to-be president Ferdinand Marcos.
The lyrics are mostly taken from speeches or interviews during Marcos’ era, and the standing-only audience moves around the space with the 15 actors within the theater, reports the AP.
The Marcoses ruled the Philippines from 1965 to 1986 — the last 14 years under martial law — before being driven out of the country during a 1986 revolt. After the death of Ferdinand in 1989, Imelda, now 93, returned to her homeland. Their son Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. is now president of the Philippines.
“As a team of binational American producers—Filipinos among us—we are thrilled to bring Here Lies Love to Broadway!” the producers shared in a statement. “We welcome everyone to experience this singularly exuberant piece of theatre. The history of the Philippines is inseparable from the history of the United States, and as both evolve, we cannot think of a more appropriate time to stage this show. See you on the dance floor!”
Here Lies Love is developed and directed by Alex Timbers and choreographed by Annie-B Parson; producers on the project include Hal Luftig, Patrick Catullo, Diana DiMenna, Clint Ramos, and Jose Antonio Vargas. It’s set to make its Broadway debut in the summer of 2023.
This isn’t Byrne’s first trip to the strip as he wrote a musical about Joan of Arc in 2017, and there’s his critically-acclaimed stage show, American Utopia.
