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HERE LIES LOVE The Filipino cast of 'Here Lies Love' demonstrated the musical talent in Asian American community |
"Here Lies Love," the Broadway musical based on the rise and fall of Imelda Marcos, the egomaniacal wife of former Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos was nominated for four Tony awards.
Premiering in the famous Broadway Theater in the fall of 2023, Here Lies Love made history as the first Broadway production with an all-Filipino and Filipino American cast. It also included a host of Filipino and Filipino American producers and production crew to help deflect some criticism of the show..
Show creators David Byrne and Fatboy Slim earned a nomination for Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theater, Best Sound Design (Musical), Best Choreography and Best Scenic Design (Musical).
FYI: For a complete list of Tony nominees, click here.
What really set the musical apart from other shows and thus revolutionizing the theater. It utilized a shifting stage whicch, at times, put the performers, in the middle of the audience. Audience members surrounding the singers and dancers were encouraged to become part of the production cheering the young Imelda, becomingdisco dancers and turning into anti-Marcos demonstrators of the People Power revolution.
The controversy surrounding the production hampered the show from the start because it was difficult for some Filipinos to separate art from history. Some Filipinos felt that Here Lies Love glamorized the ruthless dictator and his wife, who gained the nickname as the Iron Butterfly. Others criticized the show from the start because its creators were not Filipinos.
The theatrical run from September to November prefenting the show from gaining a stronger support from theater goers, mostly from the East Coast, looking for an evening of simple entertainment. One wonders how the production would have fared in California which has a much larger Filipino population and was the center of the anti-Marcos movement in US.
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HERE LIES LOVE "Here Lies Love" starred, rom left: Jose Llana, Arielle Jacobs and Conrad Ricamora. |
Despite the short run, Here Lies Love demonstrated the wealth of talent available to Broadway, which has underrepresented Asian Americans.
The cast was led by Broadway veterans Arielle Jacobs in the lead role, Jose Llana as Marcos and Conrad Ricamora as Ninoy Aquino. For a month, previous Tony winner Lea Salonga was in the ast as Aquino's mother.
The 77th Tony Awards will be on June 16 and aired live on CBS and streamed on Paramount Plus.
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.
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