“Panic at the Disco” is a new essay series that unpacks the impact of the Center Theatre Group’s new production of Here Lies Love. The critical journey will explore the complexities of artistic depictions of traumatic events and cultural figures in history and how it impacts the community it represents. Donate to DIASPORAto support independent journalism and more work like this!
I am open about my feelings about the musical Here Lies Love. Out of all the Filipino and Filipino American narratives out there, why keep beating the drum and bolstering art depicting an authoritarian era in the Philippines that traumatized an entire diaspora – a trauma that still flows through family legacies that will forever be wounded.
It’s as if they slapped a mirror ball Thanos-style gauntlet on the iron fist of former Philippines president Ferdinand Marcos and treated his sociopathic wife Imelda like the disco queen of Studio 54.
And all of this originating from the mind of two white men.
My Here Lies Love knowledge goes back to a time in the mid-aughts (ca. 2010) when I found a CD case with Imelda Marcos in a traditional Filipino terno dress encrusted in pastel florals, holding a parasol looking more vapid than ever. She has a constipated barely-there smile, and her eyes are void of soul and filled with a glamorous cocktail of wealth, greed, and beauty.
The CD was among my dad’s Tagalog music collection. I barely remember listening to it, but I recollect looking at the artists included and noticed none of them were Filipino, save Charmaine Clamor. The remainder of the musicians were a cavalcade of white women of the Lilith Fair persuasion. I thought, “What the hell does any of this have to do with the Philippines?”
The musical iteration of Here Lies Love made its Off-Broadway premiere at the Public in 2013 and jumped through hoops before finally getting a place on Broadway in July 2023 with Conrad Ricamora, Jose Llana, and Melody Butiu reprising their roles as Ninoy Aquino, Ferdinand Marcos, and Estrella Cumpas, respectively. Arielle Jacobs stepped into the role of the glamazon Imelda Marcos while Lea Salonga played Aurora Aquino for a limited run.
The all-Filipino cast was a benchmark in Broadway history. The disco-infused narrative has been more than just a musical for the Filipino diaspora; it’s been a significant cultural moment for the community – whether they liked it or not.
And like it or not, it’s still a Filipino narrative told through a white lens.
Here Lies Love is seemingly harmless, and it is – depending on who you ask. Yes, I love the cunty aesthetic of Imelda but that’s the only thing that seems to be speaking to me. And I can get my fill of cuntiness somewhere else.
There are people in the Filipino community who are gung-ho with Here Lies Love. All they want is to be entertained by people who look like them. They couldn’t care less about the political dialogue and cultural conversations hovering over it.
On the other side of the coin, there is a contingent who are adamant with their hate for a musical about a dictator of the Philippines. Some see Here Lies Love as a glamorization of authoritarianism, and this hits too close to home at a time when the U.S. is witnessing an erosion of democracy under a corrupt administration, and the Marcos regime has returned to power in the Philippines. The political trauma inflicted by the Marcoses has reverberated through generations and still has an impact on many Filipino families today.
When Here Lies Love made its Broadway debut in 2023, I wrote a piece titled “The Great Here Lies Love Divide: Filipino-Fronted Broadway Show Causes Mirrorball Rift In Culture”. I have never thought that this musical was the greatest idea. Although the Broadway production bolsters Filipino representation in the arts, it also monetizes the trauma of an entire community. But who am I to say if you want to watch it? If that’s your truth, go forward and prosper.
I never saw the musical, but it doesn’t matter how good or bad it is. It’s – let’s say it together one more time – a Filipino narrative rooted in music created by two white people. That’s the main reservation of this entire thing.
As the Broadway run continued, I felt as if this musical was dividing the community more than uniting it. I saw no benefits for the greater community from this historical moment. I read arguments in comment sections on social media, and there were think pieces galore. Then there are some that remained blissfully ignorant of the musical Marcos mess.
After 33 previews and 149 performances, Here Lies Love closed on November 26, 2023, due to low ticket sales. Part of me felt bad, but another part of me was relieved because we would never have to talk about this musical ever again.
Fast-forward to 2026, and I took a Zoom call with Snehal Desai, the Brindell & Milton Gottlieb Artistic Director of the Center Theatre Group in Los Angeles. When he told me that they were doing a production of Here Lies Love, my body language immediately told him, “Now why are you gonna do that?” and I think I may have rolled my eyes. Either way, I know my body language wasn’t leaping with joy.
I immediately told him my stance on the musical, but I was more focused on the impact it would have on the community. The production was guaranteed to “poke the bear”, but I had an open mind. When he told me, “This isn’t gonna be a disco party”, I was curious. This new iteration is a reclaimation of sorts. What that means, exactly, I don’t know, but it sounds like a challenge that Desai was up for.
When he was at East West Players, he directed an all-Asian production of Mamma Mia! anchored by a Filipino family and proved that even the most aggressively basic of jukebox musicals can be redeemed with the right vision. That said, I am putting my trust in Desai and the team at CTG to do the right thing: make this a moment of education and call to action rather than jazz-hands entertainment.
There seems to be good vibes and a thoughtfulness about this production based on the conversations I had with Desai and members of the staff. They seem to be hyper-aware of the material and genuinely want to do right by the community. They, of course, kept in the tradition of an all-Filipino cast that includes Reanne Acasio (Hamilton) as Imelda Marcos, Joshua Dela Cruz (Blues Clues) as Ninoy Aquino, Chris Renfro (Oh, Mary!) as Ferdinand Marcos, Carol Angeli (from the Broadway production of Here Lies Love) as Estrella, Joan Almedilla (Miss Saigon) as Aurora, and Aura Mayari (RuPaul’s Drag Race) as Punong-Abala.
There is no law written in stone that every depiction of trauma must be a drama. Otherwise, we’d be overwhelmed with an avalanche of devastation. That said, the variety of genres of art and media about political trauma can have the ability to harm and heal a community.
There will always be a tension when it comes to the artistic expression of historical trauma. Unlike the aforementioned films, Here Lies Love lacks a “genre” and exists only as a musical based on the work of two white men, with nary a Filipino in sight when it comes to the original album. With the glaring omission of Filipinos and the unresolved, sensitive historical baggage within the community, Here Lies Love has more landmines to navigate while it pivots to a narrative that serves as a reclamation of the divisive musical.
Every artistic interpretation of history within a diaspora has and will never satisfy every member of its community. However, the diaspora has every right to scrutinize and be protective of the history that the art represents.
At this point, I am more curious than excited to see this subverted production of Here Lies Love. The initial promotional material features a woman wearing a terno with an exploding mirrorball for a head. The image is bold and odd, showing us that this may not be the production of Here Lies Love you would expect.
I recently received an email promoting Here Lies Love with the words “Come For The Party. Stay For The Revolution” at the top.
Perhaps it should say “Come for the Revolution, Stay for the Party.”
Stay tuned for Part II of DIASPORA’s “Panic at the Disco” essay series!
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