Imelda Marcos musical misses its San Francisco run

Ruthie Ann Miles as Imelda Marcos and Jose Llana as Ferndinand Marcos greet their followers played by the audience in the Broadway production of "Here Lies Love."

IT'S TOO BAD that the musical Here Lies Love, won't be coming to San Francisco disppointing thousands of Filipino/American residents of the Bay Area.

The Broadway hit musical by David Byrne about Imelda Marcos' rise from a provincial beauty queen to the Iron Butterfly had been launched on a national tour with its first -- and as it turns out, the only -- stop in Seattle.

It was originally slated to also have a run in San Francisco but production costs proved too expensive for the American Conservatory Theater.

The show was so popular in Seattle that its run was extended to June 18. The general public was disappointed that the orignal run was sold out, mainly to season ticket holders. The extension allowed non-subcribers, some who took part in the anti-Marcos movement, a chance to see the musical that played such a a strong influence in the development of the Asian/American movement. 

ACT announced in November that they had to cancel the planned Here Lies Love porduction. ACT artistic director Carey Perloff says they've been working for two years to bring the piece to San Francisco but "Ultimately the logistics and cost proved insurmountable," he said in a press release.

The difficulty is staging the Tony-award winning musical is the interactive nature of the production in which, the audience, without the traditional seats, become part of the play. In a span less than two hours, the audience becomes the worshippers of the Marcoses, dancers in a discoteque, and protesters against the Marcos dictatorship. 

It would have required ACT to removes the rows of seats in one of its theaters and building a stage that thrusts into the what would have been the best and most expensive seats in the house.

It's hard to believe that ACT couldn't find the wherewithal to house the interactive musical,

Seattle Rep managed to find a way to revamp its theater and benefited from the gamble. Here Lies Love became the best-selling production in Seattle Repertory's history, said the theater company's spokeswoman Michelle Sanders Leyva.

Despite having an audience base 10 times larger than Seattle, San Francisco's ACT chose economy over art; safety over risk. 

That's unfortunate because the critically acclaimed musical most likely would have been sold out and been given an extended run in San Francisco, the center of the anti-Marcos movement in the U.S. and home to one of the  second largest concentration of Filipinos and Filipino/Americans outside of the Philippines. L.A. takes the No.1 honors. 

It is also timely because the Marcos family is attempting to regain power and influence in the Philippines. The dictator's son, Bong Bong, narrowly missed becoming vice president in the last election. He remains as a senator in the Congress of current strongman Rodrigo Duterete.

It's rare that a musical about an Asian subject that appeals to an Asian audience comes along. In San Francisco at least, we have to satisfy ourselves with experimental, low-budget off-Broadway productions. While the smaller plays may be earnest and their themes important -- I don't mean to imply the hard work and talent that goes into them is of lesser quality -- but, why should those productions be relegated to a side stage? 

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However worthy those artistic endeavors might be, they don't usually have the wide audience appeal of a proven Broadway hit. 

In the Bay Area, one of the most diverse regions in America with a strong link with Asia and the Pacific, outsiders shouldn't always be the ones seeking detours and shortcuts into the mainstream. When a production comes along that can bridge the divisions within our society, it should be seen by as many people as possible. That is the essence of art. ACT should have taken that leap with Here Lies Love. Diversity and inclusion should be a two-way street.

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Beam me up Scotty: It got better for Mr. Sulu

IT GOT BETTER for actor George Takei.

People may laugh to learn that I'm a die-hard fan of the TV show Star Trek, a pop culture icon that doesn't shy away from its science fiction roots. The genre is often looked down upon by the intelligentsia or literary snobs.  

While I can't claim to be a Trekker (Don't call me a Trekkie) I can't tell you how influential Star Trek has been in my life. There may be a book out there already written entitled "All I really need to know about life I learned from Star Trek." If there isn't, there should be. Hmmm?

When George Takei "came out" it was not surprising that the news didn't create such a fuss among  the many fans of Mr. Hikaru Sulu, chief helmsman of the original Enterprise crew. Besides the gadgetry, Star Trek was about diversity, tolerance, passion, compassion, logic and friendship. Also not surprising, most of the cast rallied around him with the notable exception of one starship captain.

With an interracial cast, the sci-fi series has always dealt with race either metaphorically or allegorically. It featured TV's first interracial kiss (Kirk and Uhuru) and a number of episodes dealt with inter-species prejudices and discrimination, just like we deal with race on Earth.

But, I digress.

Despite the daring themes Star Trek tackles, Sulu's role - and I dare say, Uhuru's role too, is just a cut above the red shirts, those unknown cast members who end up dying whenever the crew tackles dangerous missions. Their backstories don't get filled in years after the series ended in the books/novels/comics or follow up movies featuring the characters whose fans won't let them fade away. Only do the characters of Spock and Worf get rounded out.

In the five years since coming out, Takei's career has skyrocketed. To say he has been "busy" is an understatement.

Takei's role as mentor for Asian entertainers and elder statesman continues to grow. He is also cemented as a civil rights activist, not only for gays but for all people living on the Edge. His most recent project is a musical called "Allegiance" about the internment of Japanese Americans during WWII. The Broadway-bound production also includes Tony-award winner Lea Salonga in its cast.

In the meantime, catch the premier of the documentary "To be Takei" on DirectTV starting  July 3 through August.