🎭 Finding Hope in Straight Crooked Lines | "Here Lies Love" @ CTG/Taper

Many years ago, I got the off-Broadway cast album for Here Lies Love, a musical about Imelda Marcos by David Byrne and Fatboy Slim. I fell in love with the last song on the album, “God Draws Straight”. In my mind, I thought it was about LGBTQ stuff, similar to “God Don’t Make No Trash” from bare. Well, yesterday afternoon we saw Here Lies Love at CTG/Mark Taper Forum, and I came to realize the song means something different—something more timely. It means that building a more just and democratic society can be done, but it isn’t a straight path. There are fits and starts, and sometimes you go the wrong direction, but if you persevere and keep protesting and fighting, you will reach your goal.

This musical was written in 2010, and didn’t open Off-Broadway until 2013. This was long before the rise of Donald Trump. Yet the musical hits today as something very timely: the behavior of Ferdinand Marcos in office is very similar to the behavior of Trump. Abusing democracy, grabbing power, using the military against citizens, disappearing people. The key difference is that Melania shows no interesting in personally taking power (thankfully). “God Draws Straight” concludes on a hopeful note, but alas recent history hasn’t borne that out, with Duterte‘s rise to power, and then the election of BongBong Marcos, Imelda and Ferdinand’s son. But the parallels remain.

This is the first regional production of Here Lies Love in Los Angeles, after an initial Broadway run in 2023. This production reimagines the story from a disco to a noontime Philippine TV show hosted by a drag-queen, still telling Marcos’ story. It also retains a controversial aspect from the original production: recorded music. I became suspicious of this in the program, where in an interview with Byrne, he talks about «”track acts” in dicos, live disco sets with backing tracks where artists would perform karaoke version of their hits». I also noted that there were no credits for the musicians in the program: only a music director and a music producer. I agree with the Broadway Unions somewhat here: Theatre requires live performance, and if at all possible, live music (I make some exceptions for intimate theatres that have neither space nor budget). If you are going to do recorded music, at least have the courtesy to record and acknowledge the musicians that performed the music for the recording.

The concept of the musical is entertaining, and does a great job of educating people about the history of the Marcos regime in the Philippines (similar to the way Evita educates about the rise of the Peron Family in Argentina). The fear is that the upbeat and pop nature of the musical masks the actual terror and fear of those that had to live under the regime, and potentially makes Marcos appear to be a better person than she was. This is a form of historical whitewashing (or, to use a less charged term, gaslighting), similar to the whitewashing that has taken place about the People Power Revolution. Luckily, the program for the show helps one to see through the glitz to the reality. As I write this, I realize the parallel to the change that CTG made in this production: the drag queen narrator provides a similar façade: a face of glitz and glamour, with something different underneath. In a world of those who would be authoritarian and who would grab and take power, the truth and the reality doesn’t matter. What is important is the façade, the image, the story created by the media. As noted before, this musical speaks well today.

The performances were top-notch, with an incredibly large cast for the small Taper space. We had an understudy in the narrator position of Imeldific, Steven-Adam Agdeppa. Steven-Adam was wonderful, showing the transition from the glitz to the man under the glitz. Reanne Acasio was a very strong Imelda, and Josua Dela Cruz was a great Ninoy Aquino. Carol Angeli stood out as Estrelia Cumpas, Imelda’s nanny and childhood friend. Also notable, although I can’t tell from the program which ensemble member she was, was the ensemble member who played Cory Aquino, Ninoy’s wife. She just had a look that drew my eye to her. The ensemble members were interesting to watch, especially the facial expressions and their interactions with the audience. I’ll note that this show is very audience-interactive; it is not a proscenium-stage show that plays to a passive audience.

I should also note: There is no mention of Imelda Marcos’ shoe obsession; the only hint is at the beginning when she is given her first set of heels to replace her flats. I’ll also note that the term “Imeldific”, which is used as the name of the drag-queen in the show and is a Philippine adjective meaning «”anything exaggeratedly ostentatious or in bad taste”, referring to clothing, architecture, décor, etc.» is something that could equally be well-applied to Trump’s taste and decorating style. Parallels upon parallels indeed. Perhaps the media needs to start using the term Imeldific to describe Trump.

The story of Marcos is told in Here Lies Love generally in a sung-through fashion. Although there are small snips of dialogue, most of the story comes through the dance numbers and the projections on the upper screen. We brought our binoculars, but sometimes focusing on watching the faces and the dancers meant that we missed some of the story on the projections.

The show also contains my current pet peeve: Confetti that drops from the ceiling. There is no real story need for this other than the glitz. It creates plastic that just gets thrown away, which is horrid for the environment. We need to push back against this trend (and I know I’ll see it next week at Spamalot).

Overall, we really enjoyed this show. We learned a lot of history, realized a lot of (scary) parallels, and were entertained through the performances. Yes, I did tear up when “God Draws Straight” started; it just hits that way. If you can get tickets, I recommend the show. Tickets should be available through the CTG website.

Credits

Here Lies Love. Concept, music and lyrics by David Byrne. Music by Fatboy Slim. Choreography by William Carlos Angulo. Directed by Snehal Desai.

Cast [underscores indicate “at our performance”; strikeouts indicate “not at our performance”; ↑ indicates “swung up”]: Reanne Acasio Imelda Marcos; Joan Almedilla Aurora Aquino; Carol Angeli Estrella Cumpas; Joshua Dela Cruz Ninoy Aquino; Sarah Kay Maria Luisa; Aura Mayari Steven-Adam Agdeppa Imeldific; Chris Renfro Ferdinand Marcos. Ensemble: Steven-Adam Agdeppa, Kayla Amistad, Kelvin Co, Joanne Javien Coudriet, Audrey Lyn Crabiño, Jefflorenz Garrido Garrick; Goce Macatangay, Danielle Louise Mendoza, Justine Rafael, ↑ Hayden Rivas, Ryan Salazar. Swings: ↑ Hayden Rivas, Johnisa Almariya Breault, Zandi de Jesus.

Music Department: Joe Cruz Music Director. Jennifer Lin Music Director; Justin Levine Music Producer, Vocal Arrangements; Matt Stine Music Production, Additional Arrangements. No credit is provided for the actual musicians.

Production and Creative: David Byrne Concept, Music, Lyrics; Fatboy Slim Music; Snehal Desai Director, CTG Artistic Director; William Carlos Angulo Choreographer; Hayden Rivas Dance Captain; Arnel Sanciaco Scenic Designer; Jaymee Ngerwichit Costume Designer; Marcella Barbeau Lighting Designer; Brian Hsieh Sound Designer; Yee Eun Nam Projection Design; Kaleena Jordan Wig, Hair, and Makeup Design; Ely Sonny Orquiza Dramaturg; Janelle Dote Portman Assoc. Director; U. J. Mangune Assoc. Choreographer; Jill Gold Production Stage Manager; Miriam E. Mendoza Stage Manager; Jihee Jenny Park Stage Manager; Kimberly Grigsby Vocal Arrangements; Justin Levine Vocal Arrangements; Michael Donovan CSA Casting; Richie Ferris CSA Casting; Joseph Pinzon Casting Consultant; Jimmy Elinski Drag Queen Costume Specialist.

Administrivia

I am not a professional critic. I’m a retired cybersecurity professional, a roadgeek who does a highway site and a podcast about California Highways, and someone who loves live performance. I buy all my own tickets, unless explicitly noted otherwise. I do these writeups to share my thoughts on shows with my friends and the community. I encourage you to go to your local theatres and support them (ideally, by purchasing full price tickets, if you can afford to do so). We currently subscribe or have memberships at: Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre; Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages Theatre; Pasadena Playhouse; The Soraya, Chromolume Theatre, and 5-Star Theatricals.

Want to find a show: Check out the Theatre Commons LA show list. Other good lists are the Theatre in LA listings; the TodayTix listings; OnStage 411 (use the “shows” drop down); and Theatermania.

Some interesting shows that have caught my eye. Wisteria Theatre is doing Reefer Madness: The Musical (in April), as is Long Beach Playhouse (in October/November).  Wisteria was overpriced for a black-box; I might look into Long Beach’s production (but have to factor in the drive). Ebony Rep is doing Ain’t Misbehavin’ at the end of May into June. I love the show, but the prices are a bit high and I’m still trying to decide. I have a hold on the calendar. Casa 0101 is doing the play version of Real Women Have Curves from the end of March into May. Conundrum Theatre is doing a bunch of shows, but notably Big Fish in December 2026. And, as noted earlier, the Colony Theatre is doing Catch Me If You Can in the September/October 2026 timeframe. I’ll look into ticketing the fall shows once I know the CTG Season, to prevent conflicts. Broadway in Hollywood has announced its 2026-2027 season, and it is spectacular. The only major shows missing are Oh Mary, Boop: The Musical, and Just In Time. I expect Oh Mary to show up at the Ahmanson, and possibly Boop; Just In Time might be in the following Broadway in Hollywood season as I haven’t seen it announce any tour dates. Perhaps some local theatre will decide to mount Real Women Have Curves – The Musical or Dead Outlaw. One can hope. Lastly, I’ll note Group Rep in NoHo has announced their season, which includes a mounting of Applause in the July-August timeframe. That’s useful if you missed the MTG one-nighter; I haven’t yet decided if I want to see it again (although Group Rep does a great job with older and rarely done musical re-visits).

I used to do more detailed writeups; here’s my current approach.

Upcoming

♦ Theatre / ♣ Music / ◊ Other Live Performance – Next 90ish Days (⊕ indicates ticketing is pending).

• March: MoTAS Poker Tournament; ♦ Spamlot at BIH/Pantages.
• April: ♦ Kim’s Convenience Store at CTG/Ahmanson; ♦ Ride the Cyclone at The Main; ♣ Jeremy Jordan at The Soraya; California Science and Engineering Fair at CLU; ♦ Flower Drum Song at East/West Players; ♦ Real Women Have Curves at Casa 0101. NOTE: We need judges for the California Science and Engineering Fair. If you have a degree in the sciences and are available to judge April 12 at Cal Lutheran in Thousand Oaks, sign up to judge here.
• May: ♦ Falstaff at LA Opera; ♦ The Sound of Music at BIH/Pantages; ♦ Brigadoon at The Pasadena Playhouse; ♦ Hells Kitchen at BIH/Pantages.
• June: ♦⊕ Ain’t Misbehavin’ at Ebony Rep; ♦ Elegies at Chromolume; ♦ Primary Trust at CTG/Taper; ♦ Mamma Mia at CTG/Ahmanson; plus whatever I schedule from the Hollywood Fringe Festival.

This entry was originally posted on Observations Along the Road as 🎭 Finding Hope in Straight Crooked Lines | "Here Lies Love" @ CTG/Taper by cahwyguy. Although you can comment on DW, please make comments on original post at the Wordpress blog using the link to the left. You can sign in with your LJ, DW, FB, or a myriad of other accounts. Note: Subsequent changes made to the post on the blog are not propagated by the SNAP Crossposter; please visit the original post to see the latest version. P.S.: If you see share buttons above, note that they do not work outside of the Wordpress blog.