Watch David Byrne Preview Imelda Marcos Musical Here Lies Love On CBS Sunday Morning

Watch David Byrne Preview Imelda Marcos Musical Here Lies Love On CBS Sunday Morning

If you’ve been following the rollout for David Byrne’s new Broadway musical Here Lies Love through the music press, you might know more about the labor dispute involving the attempted use of pre-recorded tracks instead of live musicians than about the subject matter. The play, based on Byrne and Fatboy Slim’s album of the same name, is about former Philippines first lady Imelda Marcos. In 1986, she was ousted from the country along with her husband and her infamous 3,000-pair shoe collection after overseeing years of violent rule. In the United States, she developed a love of disco music and dance clubs, even installing a mirrorball in her home.

Byrne and the staff of CBS Sunday Morning get into this story in a new TV segment that aired over the weekend. The cast members, including Tony winner Lea Salonga, also share their perspective on the story (Here Lies Love is acted by the first all-Filipino company on Broadway), and the production designers explain how they turned a Broadway theater into a dance club. They also address concerns that the story might be whitewashing the Marcos story. “It’s not like I want to glorify her, but I want to start with, as much as possible, a clean slate. She has a history, she has a story, but I want you to start with a person and try to understand what made her do the things she did.”

Watch the segment below.

Here Lies Love is now being staged at the Broadway Theatre.

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