The entire show rocks relentlessly to a non-stop, pulsating, infectious stream of music such as only David Byrne could write: music that�s guaranteed to lift you out of your seat and dance (or sway, as it did to me).
Here Lies Love ends July 28th. Get tickets here. Photo: Sara Krulwich
But if engagement was its goal, the show worked. When Ms. Barchitta left the theater, she had a new mission: She would Google these Marcoses and, with the shimmying behind her, figure out what they were really all about.
Indeed, the uninterrupted music is so infectious, the atmosphere so dynamic, and the performances by Miles and Jose Llana (as Ferdinand) so charismatic that you often forget you're boogying down to the beat of a deeply repressive regime that used martial law and murder to silence discontent.
Here Lies Love extends until June 30th. Get tickets here. Photo: Sara Krulwich
Now Byrne has joined with the Public's Oskar Eustis and an altogether impressive production team to turn Here Lies Love into -- what? A musical? A disco musical? A theatrical extravaganza? All three jumbled together, and something not quite like anything New York theatergoers have ever seen.
Ruthie Ann Miles as Imelda Marcos. Photo: Joan Marcus
Jose, Ruthie Ann, Melody and Conrad deliver powerful performances that make you still pay attention to what�s going on onstage while you are boogieng down.
Kudos to David Byrne�s exciting music and Alex Timbers� amazing direction. It definitely is one memorable theater experience you will never forget.
Conrad Ricamora stars as Ninoy Aquino in Here Lies Love. Photo: John Black
"If I thought about playing Ninoy the icon and national hero every day, I wouldn�t be able to get out of bed in the morning!" Philippine Daily Inquirer 05.06.13
Ruthie Ann Miles stars in Here Lies Love. Photo: Sara
Krulwich
Imelda was known during and immediately after her husband's reign... for her shallow, callous decadence. How do you build a moving story around such a figure? Director Alex Timbers' solution is, in part, to keep us on our toes. USA Today 05.06.13
Watch Chance Magazine's video interview with David Korins, set designer for Here Lies Love
Here Lies Love, his [David Byrne] disco musical about Imelda Marcos that opened Tuesday night at the Public Theater, is a life-giving, roof-raising, booty-shaking blast of pure joy from start to finish. Vogue 04.24.13
With its catchy mix of emotional ballads and disco ditties, Here Lies Love offers a percolating beat, tremendous flow and visual beauties led by Clint Ramos�s costumes. The Financial Times 04.23.13
Ruthie Ann Miles and the cast of Here Lies Love. Photo: Sara
Krulwich
There is no dream ballet about designer shoes in Here Lies Love, the new musical about former Filipina First Lady Imelda Marcos, at the Public Theater. And that is a good thing. This infectiously fun dance party of a show manages to get beyond the glitz and glamour that is so often the only thing we associate with Marcos in the USA. Theatermania 04.23.13
Here Lies Love extends until June 30th. Get tickets here.
The whole thing is a little kooky, but then so is the personality at the center of this unusual one-act, biographical portrait.
Huffington Post 04.23.13
Ruthie Ann Miles and the cast of Here Lies Love. Photo: Joan Marcus
Here Lies Love's most remarkable achievement is managing to tell a story about political corruption and popular empowerment without being heavy-handed � even the somewhat preachy revolutionary campfire singalong near the end reveals a sweet center by the time the harmonies climax in the third verse. Entertainment Weekly 04.24.13
Melody Butiu and Ruthie Ann Miles, star as Estrella Cumpas and Imelda Marcos. Photo: Joan Marcus
But despite its unequivocal focus on Imelda, this is very much an ensemble show in which the entire company -- refreshingly all-Asian -- ace their acting duties, vocals and [Annie B.] Parsons� eclectic dance moves. Hollywood Reporter 04.23.13
Jose Llana and Ruthie Anne Miles star as Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos. Photo: Sara Krulwich
Discoth�ques make strange bedfellows. To confirm this dangerous fact of life, just boogie on down � and you must � to the glittery new dance palace at the Public Theater. The New York Times 04.23.13
Ruthie Ann Miles and the cast of Here Lies Love. Photo: Joan Marcus
Directed by Alex Timbers and featuring a dance club score by David Byrne and Fatboy Slim, Here Lies Love is a wholly immersive experience that will put audience members in a 360-degree scenic and video environment.
Broadway 04.22.13
David Byrne�s new musical about Imelda Marcos may not even reference the Filipina dictatress� infamous shoe wardrobe but like everything else the former Talking Head frontman has ever touched, it is hardly short on style. Toronto Star 04.12.13
"Both [Ruthie Ann Miles and Jose Llana] are incredible singers and actors who can adjust performances of a song to convey a wide and complex range of emotions. It�s been eye-opening for me to see what story-telling information a great actor can bring to singing a song simply by phrasing, a look or a gesture."
The Philippine Daily Inquirer 04.12.13
Miles anchors the show, strikingly so for an actress only just out of her touring-company-and-understudy phase: Last year, she was singing the part of an anglerfish in a cartoon for the American Museum of Natural History. New York Magazine 04.15.13
Ruthie Ann Miles as Imelda Marcos. Photo: Sara Krulwich. c/o New York Times
�Here�s a kind of music that�s hedonistic and transcendent, that transports you to another world, and to me that captures some of what a powerful person is feeling." New York Times 04.04.13
Alex Timbers, Ruthie Ann Miles and David Byrne. Photo: Annie Leibovitz. c/o Vogue
�I love pop dance music, and I thought that maybe it could have some meaning beyond the fact that Imelda liked going to clubs,� Byrne says. �It could be evocative of the hedonism or the euphoria that somebody in Imelda�s position was feeling. And I thought it could mirror how the intoxication of politics and power carried over into that bubble world.� Vogue 04.01.13
Director Alex Timbers (left) and David Byrne. Photo: Joseph Moran
For this immersive show about Imelda Marcos � yes, the Filipino ex-president�s wife and numero uno shoe collector � the Public�s LuEsther Theater will be turned into a full-on disco. Prepare to boogie. The New York Post 03.26.13
Former Philippine First Lady, Imelda Marcos. Photo c/o Bettmann/Corbis
Directed by Alex Timbers (�Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson�), �Here Lies Love� seems to be aiming not so much for knowingly mocking the former Philippine first lady as for recounting her rise and fall in an immersive staging.
The New York Times 03.29.13
For love of Imelda I am sure a lot of Filipinos will buy copies of Here Lies Love because it is a unique look at the history of this country. They will be glad to find out that it is also great music with lots of little treats strewn around. The Philippine Star 08.30.10
On the Imelda Marcos Inspired New Album As far as unlikely muses go, creating a modern disco album based on the life of shoe-loving former First Lady of the Philippines Imelda Marcos is quite a bizarre undertaking. But then David Byrne has always enjoyed a challenge. Clash Music 06.05.10
Marcos Seeks to Restore Philippine Dynasty Removing the earbuds, tilting her head slightly, [Imelda] said in an exaggerated tone, "I�m flattered; I can�t believe it!" The New York Times 05.08.10
The rise of Imelda, in her own words People who listen to the entire album will be rewarded with more than narrative depth. They'll hear stunning performances... The Australian 05.01.10
Here lies myth As a historical artifact, the album is a keepsake. Manila Standard Today 04.29.10
Dancing on the grave of history The idea of using dance music to tell the story of Imelda Marcos is both loony and a stroke of genius. The Philippine Star 04.23.10
Dance Mix: Funk Meets Mrs. Marcos A fountain of funk and dance music that's entirely accessible, great fun and can easily be enjoyed a song at a time. The Wall Street Journal 04.19.10
Byrne, baby, Byrne The rock icon on song cycles, cycling, and escaping the past with Imelda Marcos. And you may ask yourself, is this my beautiful new business model? Guernica 04.10
Try putting yourself in her shoes Depending on how you look at it, the timing couldn�t be better, or worse. Now 80 years old, Marcos...is seeking a parliament seat in Ilocos Norte in the northern Philippines. Macleans (CA) 04.15.10
�Menschen brauchen M�rchen� "Ich erz�hle darin auch die Geschichte der Liebe zweier Frauen, die verloren ging." Focus 04.09.10
Lyrics Lush and Gawky Though they�re tied to biographical specifics, the songs breeze along toward irrepressible pop choruses. The New York Times 04.08.10
Dancing barefoot to the Imelda Marcos OST The realization that hey, this is all about Imelda! will surely make you sit up and listen. That is, if you aren't too busy already dancing. GMA News (Philippines) 04.07.10
Here Lies Love [It] has more going for it than museum-piece fascination. The Onion: A.V. Club 04.06.10
Daily Dose Pick: Here Lies Love David Byrne and Fatboy Slim�s star-studded collaborative concept album about the life of Imelda Marcos may sound strange, but it�s no less stunning for it. Flavorwire 04.06.10
David Byrne & Fatboy Slim: "Here Lies Love" Slim is razor sharp at placing proper beats in the music to recall the late-night '70s New York club scene. New York Post 04.06.10
A hymn to the Iron Butterfly Byrne has produced a work that not only tells Imelda�s story but celebrates the art of the album as well. The Globe and Mail 04.06.10
HuffPost Reviews: David Byrne and Fatboy Slim It works so well and so strangely--especially with guests like Steve Earle in the role of Ferdinand Marcos--that you'll wonder why it's never been done before. The Huffington Post 04.05.10
Imelda Marcos's life in funky rhythm ...A sumptuous two-disc feast of harmony, melody, and Latin-accented grooves that the Studio 54-loving Marcos herself would likely appreciate. The Boston Globe 04.05.10
David Byrne and Fatboy Slim: Here Lies Love The pair�s navigation of the narrative is impeccable, as Marcos uses her steely resolve to rise above her troubled childhood. The Times 04.03.10
Top Marcos A glittering array of talent assemble for a complex paean to a former dictator's wife. NME 04.03.10
A rock opera on Imelda Marcos Here Lies Love’s beguiling music and vivid lyrics evoke Imelda Marcos’s corrupt, seductive glamour. Financial Times 04.02.10
Unlikely muses but exceptional music Despite its considerable conceptual ambition, the album finds Byrne reconnecting with his pop roots in a big way. The Star-Ledger 04.02.10
CD of the week: David Byrne & Fatboy Slim As long as inventive, thoughtfully generous souls such as David Byrne are at the controls, rumours about the death of the album will remain greatly exaggerated. Daily Mirror 04.02.10
Here Lies Love: David Byrne and Fatboy Slim, CD review ...A headily atmospheric and inspired combination of humid, late-Seventies, early-Eighties Latin-tilted beats and lyrics you actually want to think about. The Telegraph 04.01.10
David Byrne inspired by dictator's wife The once in a lifetime artist proved once again that he's more than willing to step up to the mark-os. Sky News 03.26.10
Sound check: mad about Imelda Marcos
Despite her crimes Marcos is essentially remembered for her eccentricities. This none-more-eccentric production is a suitable reflection of a very strange life. Evening Standard, 03.26.10
Album Review: David Byrne & Fatboy Slim - Here Lies Love Byrne remains one of the most charismatic and intellectual songwriters of our time, and Fatboy Slim can still produce the coolest beats for people to break-dance to outside of movie theaters. Consequence of Sound 03.26.10
Ruff Manila Byrne says the incongruity of combining club frippery and serious intentions was appealing. MOJO 03.10.10
Imelda Marcos gets the Evita treatment "Basically, DB had worked out the whole thing in his head,” says Cook. “He loves to do the right thing the wrong way..." The Sunday Times 02.21.10
Fatboy Slim y David Byrne hicieron un disco juntos Codo a codo con Byrne, el ex bajista de Housemartins y actual Dj estrella cinceló el pulso de las composiciones y le agregó su habitual clima bailable. 10 Musica 12.16.09
David Byrne mints Imelda Marcos CD
A concept album that tracks the rise and fall of former First Lady Imelda Marcos will be released this year, featuring former Talking Heads frontman David Byrne, British DJ and big beat musician Fat Boy Slim, and 22 guest performers. Manila Standard Today 4.16.09
Byrne 'finishing off Fatboy CD' The pair have roped in a host of guest stars for the project, Here Lies Love, including Santigold and Roisin Murphy. BBC News 4.9.09
David Byrne Meets Imelda
With almost every number in Here Lies Love the audience was ready to dance, even if it was to a lesson in late 20th century southeast Asian history. Time 2.4.07
In New York, David Byrne sings of Imelda Marcos
"This is not artistic licence, this is reportage," Byrne told a laughing audience as the story moved to Marcos' extravagant visits to New York, where she frequented the famed nightclub "Studio 54." Reuters 2.4.07
Imelda: The Nightclub Years
No shoes? No brutal husband? David Byrne tells Andrew Purcell why he teamed up with Fatboy Slim to write an opera about the disco-loving side of Imelda Marcos. Guardian (UK) 1.29.07
Has Opera Lost the Plot?
The music-theatre piece by David Byrne on the life of Imelda Marcos, Here Lies Love, came much closer to a kind of operatic truth… The Weekend Australian 3.25.06
A Steel Butterfly Still Emerging
[Byrne] is proposing that Imelda is no more the sum of her shoes than Jackie Kennedy was just a collection of pillbox hats. The Australian 3.13.06
Retro and Kitsch — So in Style
Introducing the show, Byrne said he was interested in how powerful people justify their morally reprehensible acts to themselves, but he found Imelda more interesting than your garden-variety dictator because she had a disco installed in her New York townhouse. The Age 3.13.06
Imelda Marcos, in her own words
Imelda Marcos pointed a tiny pistol straight ahead of her and a red dot appeared on a screen in the middle of a heart-shaped face labeled "Happy."
The International Herald Tribune 3.8.06
True Stories
So David Byrne calls Fatboy Slim and says: "Here's an idea. Imelda Marcos, OK? Wife of a dictator. Liked to go to discos in her younger days. Could make a good musical. What do you think?" The Australian 2.25.06
Byrne, Baby, Byrne
"The auditions were fairly hilarious," Byrne says. "Because they have to sing for the whole thing and because it's energetic dance music, I set up a karaoke lounge in my studio here." The Advertiser 10.15.05
