Tony nominee Alex Timbers (Rocky, Peter and the Starcatcher) stages the 90-minute, immersive musical, which centers around the First Lady of the Philippines. The original Public Theater production of Here Lies Love was critically acclaimed and extended four times during its initial run.
Set within a dance-club atmosphere, theatregoers stand and move with the actors for the duration of the show. Here Lies Love will officially open May 1 in the LuEsther Theater, where it premeired last year. The production was initially announced to return in late March, however, performances will now begin mid-April.
Here Lies Love has music by David Byrne of The Talking Heads and DJ Fatboy Slim, with lyrics by Byrne.
Tickets for the open-ended return of Here Lies Love go on sale March 10. The new, open-ended commercial run is produced by Joey Parnes and Emursive (Randy Weiner, Arthur Karpati, Jonathan Hochwald).
In addition to Miles (Avenue Q, Band Geeks) and Llana (Spelling Bee, Flower Drum Song), the cast will many members of the original cast, including Conrad Ricamora, Renee Albulario, Carol Angeli, Melody Butiu, Natalie Cortez, Debralee Daco, Jose Llana, Kelvin Moon Loh, Jaygee Macapugay, Jeigh Madjus, Ruthie Ann Miles, Maria-Christina Oliveras, Conrad Ricamora, George Salazar and Janelle Velasquez. "There was an overwhelming desire, both by the fans of this work and those of us who are committed to it, to get it back to New York this season," said producer Joey Parnes in a statement. "We spent of a lot of time looking for the perfect space to remount it, so when its original home became available, it created a perfect opportunity."
The production received the Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding New Off-Broadway Musical; an Obie Award for Outstanding Music and Lyrics; Drama Desk Awards for Outstanding Music, Lighting Design, and Projection Design and Theatre World Awards for Ruthie Ann Miles (Imelda Marcos) and Conrad Ricamora (Aquino).
According to the Public, "Within a pulsating dance club atmosphere, David Byrne and Fatboy Slim deconstruct the astonishing journey of Filipina First Lady Imelda Marcos retracing her meteoric rise from childhood to her subsequent descent into infamy and disgrace at the end of the People Power Revolution. Here Lies Love is neither a period piece nor a biography, neither a play nor a traditional musical but a wholly immersive theatrical event combining songs influenced by four decades of dance music, adrenaline-fueled choreography, and a remarkable 360-degree scenic and video environment to go beyond Imelda’s near-mythic obsession with shoes and explore the true tragic consequences of power and responsibility."
Here Lies Love has set design by David Korins, costume design by Clint Ramos, lighting design by Justin Townsend, sound design by M. L. Dogg and Cody Spencer, and projection design by Peter Nigrini. Annie-B Parson is choreographer.
