‘Here Lies Love’ Imelda musical slammed by Broadway union
Television star Conrad Ricamora (ABC’s “How to Get Away with Murder,” Hulu’s “Fire Island”) plays Ninoy Aquino in “Here Lies Love,” which has angered the industry’s musicians union because it will not be using a band or orchestra for its production. INSTAGRAM
NEW YORK — “Here Dies Love of Live Music,” notes one comment on social media reacting to the latest hurdle faced by the Broadway-bound musical “Here Lies Love.”
The musical has already been provoking strong sentiments due to its subject matter, the life story of Imelda Marcos. (Read about it here.)
Now it has angered the industry’s musicians union because it will not be using a band or orchestra for its production.
The musical is staged in a dance club setting with its cast singing to recorded music. The producers say this staging device is, “part of the karaoke genre inherent to the musical.”
“Here Lies Love” features all Filipino American actors leading the cast, with Arielle Jacobs as Imelda Marcos, Jose Llana as Ferdinand Marcos and Conrad Ricamora as Ninoy Aquino.
Local 802 of the American Federation of Musicians says its contract with the Broadway League, the trade organization representing Broadway producers, guarantees the use of a minimum number of musicians for musicals in certain theaters, specifically 19 for the Broadway Theatre.
The union’s president Tino Gagliardi has said, “A show with no live music … is absolutely an existential threat to Broadway … by using just pre-recorded tracks, it not only cheapens the art, it’s putting jobs and livelihoods at risk.”
Explainer
A statement from the producers, which include Tony Award winning costume designer Clint Ramos and Pulitzer Prize winner Jose Antonio Vargas, said, “Since ‘Here Lies Love’ was first conceived 17 years ago, every production has been performed to pre-recorded track; this is part of the karaoke genre inherent to the musical and the production concept. The music for ‘Here Lies Love’ was inspired by the phenomena of ‘track acts’ which allowed club audiences to keep dancing, much like this production aims to do.”
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Tony Award winner Lea Salonga and Grammy Award winner Fil-Am singer H.E.R. (Gabriella Wilson) are part of the producing team.
The show’s producers have been negotiating with the union to have the show declared a “special situation” to allow for the pre-recorded tracks instead of live instrumentalists. In a statement, the producers said, “We will continue to work in good faith with the union to move through the steps of the contractual process.”
Social media
In the show’s social media accounts, it has posted a lengthier explanation of its staging conceit, that composer David Byrne intentionally employed performance styles that are conceptually aligned and because of the show’s subject matter. Disco track acts and karaoke, which both use vocalists singing along to pre-recorded, synthetic tracks.
“Disco Track Acts, popular in the 1970s and ‘80s disco scenes, were disco singers who popped into dance clubs unannounced, handed the DJ a cassette tape of a song, and sang live to it on a temporary platform as the crowd danced.
“Karaoke, or sing-along, is deeply rooted in Filipino Culture—and the diasporic Asian culture at large. In the Philippines, karaoke is ubiquitous, crossing class, generational, and economic lines. Almost every Philippine home has a karaoke machine.
“While visiting the Philippines to conduct research, Byrne realized that not only was Karaoke inescapable, it was also prevalent in Imelda Marcos’ political strategy.
“The slickness and artificiality of the music relates directly to the synthetic seduction of political figures… [the musical’s] every moment is informed by the concept of dance club Track Acts and Karaoke.”
The posts go on to say that “Here Lies Love” is “not a traditional Broadway musical” and denounces “artistic gate-keepers.”
Reactions in the comments support and oppose the situation. One comment reads, “If it is not a traditional musical, it should not be in a traditional musical theater.”
Another states, “As a Filipino musician and scholar, I already find the subject matter of this show deplorable, but to disregard live musicians? Musical theatre is about the liveness of performance.”
One comment states, “The criticism is all from people who haven’t seen the show. There is nothing for live musicians to play. Do you go to Fatboy Slim and DJs performing at dance clubs and lament they don’t have live musicians?”
Visit Herelieslovebroadway.com.
