HERE LIES LOVE Producers Respond to Concerns About Timing- 'History Repeats Itself'

As BroadwayWorld reported last week, Here Lies Love, the immersive disco pop musical based on the rise and fall of Imelda Marcos and the People Power Revolution of the Philippines, is on its way to Broadway. The announcement, however, sparked questions from fans about the choice to bring the show back while the Marcos family is now back in power. Just last May, Ferdinand Marcos, Jr., son of the show's central characters, was elected Philippine president in a landslide vote.

An offical statement from the show responds to that criticism:

WELCOME TO HERE LIES LOVE

What is the show's history? The show tells the story of Imelda and Ferdinand Marcos' rise and fall into infamy, Ninoy Aquino, Martial Law and the People Power Revolution that ended the Marcoses 20 year dictatorship.

The show's critically-acclaimed runs were at The Public Theater (New York) in 2013, the National Theater (London) in 2014 and Seattle Rep (Washington) in 2017.

How is the story told? Through spectacular music and dynamic staging in an immersive club experience where young Filipinos and Filipino Americans explore, grapple with and interrogate a vital part of their history.

Why now? History repeats itself. Democracies all over the world are under threat. The biggest threat to any democracy is disinformation, Here Lies Love offers a creative way of re-information - an innovative template on how to stand up to tyrant.

Why on Broadway? We cannot tell the modern history of the Philippines without the United States. They're intertwined. Here Lies Love is an Anti-Marcos show. It is a pro-Filipino show, being told in a quintessential American form: the Broadway musical.

Two cultures, two histories, continuing a centuries-old complicated dance.

Performances will begin Saturday, June 17, 2023 ahead of an official opening night on Thursday, July 20, 2023.

Here Lies Love is a groundbreaking musical about former Filipina First Lady Imelda Marcos' astonishing rise to power and subsequent fall at the hands of the Philippine People Power Revolution. From the minds of David Byrne (Academy Award, Grammy Award, and Tony Award winner) and Fatboy Slim (Grammy Award winner), Here Lies Love has been called "ingenious" by The New York Times and "an ecstatic and dynamic party" by Time Out New York. With choreography by Annie-B Parson (Olivier Award nominee) developed & directed by Alex Timbers, the theater is transformed into a dance club where the audience is immersed in the story.

From its world premiere at The Public Theater in 2013, Here Lies Love has enjoyed popular and critical acclaim. The show returned to The Public in 2014-2015, debuted at London's Royal National Theatre in 2014 (Read what the critics had to say), and most recently opened at Seattle Repertory Theatre in 2017.