'Here Lies Love' where politics clashes with art

The musical "Here Lies Love" continues to stir fierce debate among lovers of Broadway musicals and political activists; between pro-Marcos and anti-Marcos factions; between harsh historical reality and glorified twisted history.

Since the musical debuted Off Broadway several years ago, there are those who absolutely hate the production and there are those who love the way the audience is immersed in the show and ultimately becomes part of the performance. 

The controversial musical, which features an all-Filipino cast, follows the rise and fall of Imelda Marcos, the wife of the dictator Ferdinand Marcos, who ruled the Philippines for 20 years, amassing a fortune stolen from the Fililpino people and arrested and killed opposition leaders and took over businesses.

Yet, Filipino voters, awash in decades of misinformation and rewriting of history, elected the son, Bong Bong Marcos, as the nation's current President.

    FYI: Read more about the controversy surrounding 'Here Lies Love'

Does the musical glorify the Iron Butterfly? Or, does it make the audience realize their own transformation from being seduced by dancing with the former beauty queen; to becoming one with of the People Power  protesters who kicked the Marcos family out of the Philippines.

It is therefore not surprising that academia chimes in on the debate. If you're in the New York area and want to explore the implications of the musical that takes place during a dark chapter of the Philippines, you might be interested in the following two-day event.

The Philippine Studies Initiative at NYU invites you to the launch of “Here Lies Love in Critical Contexts,” a public syllabus by Nerve V. Macaspac (Queens College) and Lara Saguisag (New York University). The syllabus compiles resources that contextualize and complicate the musical Here Lies Love, which premiered on Broadway in July 2023. 

The two-day program, held in commemoration of the 51st anniversary of the declaration of Martial Law in the Philippines, includes film screenings and teach-ins that invite audiences to engage with some of the texts and themes included in the syllabus.

Here Lies Love is hailed as groundbreaking for featuring Broadway’s first all-Filipino cast. While we recognize and celebrate the talent of Filipino and Filipino American artists on Broadway, the organizers of the seminars also invites careful consideration of Filipino presence and representation in the musical and, more broadly, in the performing arts.

The syllabus hopes to bring to light the tensions that constitute and are generated by the Broadway production of Here Lies Love. In what ways can Filipino performers and producers recalibrate and remix a musical that is conceptualized, choreographed, and directed by White creators? What happens when a production that omits or liberally reinterprets facts about the conjugal dictatorship of Ferdinand and Imelda is supplemented by paratexts and community outreach efforts that seek to educate the public about Philippine history? How can projects that attempt to humanize Imelda account for how she shored up power through the dehumanization of tens of thousands of Filipinos? And what do we make of the responses and agencies of audience members, who come to the musical with varying degrees of knowledge about the Marcos regime?

Observed at the performances, some audience members giddily danced as the actors playing the Marcoses sang. At the same time, others stood still as if refusing to sway along. Some cheered when the words “Marcos wins!” flashed on the theater’s walls; later, others joined the performers in raising their hands to make the "L" sign for “Laban!” (Fight) to show their opposition.

“Remember, it’s a party!” This is one of the “party rules” for Here Lies Love’s dance floor ticket holders. The musical encourages the audience to dance and to lose themselves in the glamor of a nightclub setting.

There is no doubt that many are dazzled by its spectacular and innovative design. Yet even before the disco ball starts to turn, some are asking: How do we crash the parties of the powerful, the parties that come at the cost of people’s lives and freedoms?

“Here Lies Love in Critical Contexts” is a practice of paying attention to every beat and every false note, of hearing through distractions and distortions of tyrants. We hope this public syllabus strengthens our capacity and resolve to never again dance with dictators.

FYI: All events are free and open to the public, but registration is required.  Register via this Google Form.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow me at Threads.net/eduardodiok, @DioknoEd on Twitter or at the  blog Views From the Edge.