David Byrne and Fatboy Slim have announced that Here Lies Love, their collaborative disco-pop musical, is coming to Broadway later this year. The show tells the story of Imelda Marcos, former first lady of the Philippines, and the People Power Revolution, which removed her and her husband, the dictator Ferdinand Marcos, from power in February 1986.
The Broadway production is developed and directed by Alex Timbers and choreographed by Annie-B Parson; producers on the project include Hal Luftig, Patrick Catullo, Diana DiMenna, Clint Ramos, and Jose Antonio Vargas. It’s set to make its Broadway debut in the summer of 2023.
“As a team of binational American producers—Filipinos among us—we are thrilled to bring Here Lies Love to Broadway!,” the producers shared in a statement. “We welcome everyone to experience this singularly exuberant piece of theatre. The history of the Philippines is inseparable from the history of the United States, and as both evolve, we cannot think of a more appropriate time to stage this show. See you on the dance floor!”
Here Lies Love was born in the mid-2000s, with David Byrne and Fatboy Slim presenting music and other multimedia work from the show at Carnegie Hall in New York. Music from the performance was released as an album in 2010. The show was later adapted into a full-fledged theater production, with performances at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art in 2012, New York’s Public Theater in 2013, London’s National Theater in 2014, and the Seattle Repertory Theater in 2017.
Here Lies Love isn’t Byrne’s only contribution to the world of musical theater. He has also written a musical about Joan of Arc, which made its debut at the Public Theater on Valentine’s Day 2017. And, of course, there’s his stage show American Utopia.