With the extreme damage that was done to the Philippines by the recent typhoon, it is only natural that David Byrne raise money for relief efforts with his musical about one of the country's most infamous women.
Here Lies Love is the story of Imelda Marcos who, though still admired by some, is best known as the symbol of extravagance during an era in the Philippines under her husband, Ferdinand Marcos. Byrne and Fatboy Slim turned her story into a musical which was originally released as a concept album in 2010. It opened off-Broadway at Joseph Papp's Public Theatre on April 23, 2013 for a limited run that ended on July 28. The show won the Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Musical, the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Music and the Obie Award for Best Music and Lyrics.
Byrne has reassembled the original cast for the show for the benefit, which will be a concert version including original costumes but will lack some of the interactive design from the full stage. All proceeds from the show will got to Doctors Without Borders for their efforts in the Philippines.
Byrne said in a statement "The show is about the resiliency of the Philippine people – it couldn't be more timely. Upon hearing about this tragedy, the cast contacted me about doing a show to raise money for relief efforts. Most of our cast is Filipino, and all of us feel the same way. It's personal for all of us."
The singer went into further detail in a message posted on-line. "...we'll do EVERY song, in order, with the original cast and costumes – plus I’ll be helping out and singing as well. The show is wall-to-wall songs. If you didn't see or hear the production, now is your chance to hear it and at the same time to do something for the survivors in the Philippines. Wear comfortable shoes!"
The concert will be Monday, November 25 at Terminal 5 in New York. Tickets are available via Ticketmaster.
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