Here Lies Love bogged down by controversy

I would like to salute the cast and creators of Here Lies Love (HLL), the first Broadway musical about the Philippines and the first Broadway musical with an all-Filipino cast. This development is a big validation of the Filipino talent, and a big step towards greater representation of Filipinos on Broadway.

In case you have not heard about it yet, Here Lies Love tells of the rise and fall of Madam Imelda Marcos. The story spans the former First Lady’s days as a young lady in Leyte until the Marcoses’ exit from Malacañang during the EDSA People Power Revolution.

Here Lies Love is about power, it’s about democracy, and it’s about love. In the cast are Arielle Jacobs as Imelda, Jose Llana as Ferdinand Marcos, Conrad Ricamora as Ninoy Aquino, our very own Lea Salonga as Aurora Aquino and many other Filipinos. The concept, music and lyrics are from Grammy, Oscar and Tony Award winner David Byrne (formerly of the band Talking Heads), who collaborated on the music with Grammy winner Fatboy Slim.

The production is a “disco pop musical.” Its venue, the Broadway Theatre, is being transformed into a big dance club and the audience can watch standing on the dance floor or sitting at designated seats. It’s a revolutionary concept and I wish I could go to New York to watch this production live.

I’ve been reading about HLL and asking friends about how the Broadway production is taking shape. I’ve learned that they’ve encountered a major challenge with the American Federation of Musicians Local 802, the world’s largest local union of professional musicians.

You see, in HLL, the cast sings mostly to recorded tracks, or as we call them here in the Philippines, the minus-one. The problem is that Local 802 is insisting that HLL must employ a 19-piece orchestra at the Broadway Theatre. According to Local 802, that is the contract with the Broadway League, the organization representing Broadway theater owners and producers.

In an interview with Variety, HLL producer Jose Antonio Vargas, a Pinoy and Pulitzer prize winner, said that their “disco pop musical” could qualify for an exemption by citing the conditions for Special Situation. And these are “1.) The musical concept expressed by the composer and/or orchestrator; 2.) whether the production is of a definable musical genre different from a traditional Broadway musical; and 3.) The production concept expressed by the director and/or choreographer.”

Local 802 has already posted an online petition against Here Lies Love. Vargas also shared with Variety that HLL cast members are being sent direct messages or tagged online in an apparent effort to exert pressure. He said, “Can you imagine that so many of our company members are making their Broadway debuts, in a historic all-Filipino cast, and some of the messages they’re getting with people DM-ing them on social media? We need them to stop that and follow the procedure.”

Let me give my two cents’ worth on this issue. One, the pre-recorded track is in keeping with the Filipino videoke culture and genre integral to the HLL concept. Two, the disco music track concept also refers to Madam Imelda’s penchant for dancing back in the day. Three, having a 19-piece orchestra would not be a match for its subject. Disco is to Imelda Marcos as much as shoes have become synonymous with her.

It is unfortunate the production is bogged down by this issue, as previews are set to begin on June 17.

I know of Vargas, a journalist and filmmaker, from his essay in The New York Times Sunday Magazine about being an undocumented immigrant, and I admire his advocacy for the unrepresented. In the interview with Variety, he offered a very compelling argument for their cause. He said, “Here’s Broadway after the pandemic. How do we attract new audiences? How do we innovate? How do we think outside the box? All you have to do is enter the Broadway Theatre and know that this is not a traditional Broadway show. We ripped out all the orchestra seats and literally changed this venue so it actually is a nightclub. We are innovating, trying to move Broadway forward.”

I pray for a speedy and amicable resolution to this problem. I do hope that Here Lies Love, will be presented in the way that its creators want it to be, without any external factors pressuring them how their story must be told. Afterall, LOVE is at the heart of this controversy.