Here Lies Love has returned!

[ARTc3]

Posted: 4/15/14 at 1:22pm

I would love to read some comments from anyone who's been back. Are there any changes? Additions? Etc.? I won't be attending till next month, but would love to read anyone's thoughts.

[luvcaroline]

Posted: 4/16/14 at 6:49pm

We're seeing it in June and would love to hear about it as well!

[ARTc3]

Posted: 4/16/14 at 7:28pm

I'm going back sooner than June. I'm planning on an early May visit.

[Addison D.]

Posted: 4/17/14 at 12:52pm

I just saw 'Here Lies Love' for the first time last night.

Despite having grown to love the album, I hesitated to see the show. I think I feared the "immersive" experience. I should have trusted David Byrne--I enjoyed the show immensely. I thought the performances, staging, music were all wonderful.

It was also a thrill to find myself dancing next to...David Byrne!...for a good part of the evening. He was taking copious notes as well as line-dancing like a maniac.

It was really thrilling--well, just to be near him, honestly, but also--to see his reaction to the performances. His presence certainly seemed to energize those of us standing near him.

I'd be interested to know if/how the show has changed since the previous run. I'm also curious to hear if people know if Byrne is a regular attendee.

When we walked out of the theater, there was a bike locked up out front that just had to be his. I couldn't bring myself to take his picture, but I snapped a fan photo of his wheels...

Updated On: 4/17/14 at 12:52 PM

[ARTc3]

Posted: 4/17/14 at 5:02pm

When I saw, Here Lies Love, months ago, he wasn't in attendance, but I found myself in a conversation with one of the usher/stagehands. She said that he not only attended often, but sometime he worked as one of the stagehands, wearing the required pink jumpsuit.

I suspect he's there a lot these days as it is in previews and there is an opportunity to make any additional changes that they didn't make during the first production.

Updated On: 4/17/14 at 05:02 PM

[ClydeBarrow]

Posted: 4/17/14 at 5:09pm

I'm sorry but why does that have to be his bike?

[Rainbowhigh23]

Posted: 4/17/14 at 5:23pm

Matt Stone was at the performance I attended last year. He was moved all around the floor just like the rest of us.

That bike looks like a ghost.

Updated On: 4/17/14 at 05:23 PM

[Addison D.]

Posted: 4/17/14 at 5:32pm

Fair question, ClydeB.

If I analyze my "certainty", it is based on several things:

1. There was something about the bike's front-and-center-ness--directly opposite the main entry to the theater that caught my eye;

2. D.B. famously--or, "famously" to other urban bikers--rides his bike everywhere. (His 'Bicycle Diaries' is one of my favorite books--I can't recommend it highly enough);

3. The bike had an Umberto Dei saddle--a relatively unusual, Italian, leather seat that suggests a bike aficionado of substantial means;

4. I wanted it to be his bike.

Granted, No. 4 was, doubtless, a pretty big influence on my thought process, but it was strongly supported by Nos. 2 & 3 and, to a lesser degree, No. 1.

When I got home I asked the Google, which provided multiple images of him on a bike identical to the bike in question--down to the cool, rectangular basket, which doesn't show up so well in my photo.

Updated On: 4/17/14 at 05:32 PM

[RippedMan]

Posted: 4/18/14 at 12:41am

Are there rush/cheap tickets for this show or do I have to throw down for a real ticket?

[ARTc3]

Posted: 4/18/14 at 9:17am

$40 general rush tickets day of. They're not guaranteed, but if there are any available spots, they're distributed at 6p. 2 per person.

The show is brilliant. Don't miss it!

Updated On: 4/18/14 at 09:17 AM

[brdway411]

Posted: 4/23/14 at 10:20pm

Just home from the show. I have to say I enjoyed it, but some of the audience members were not as into it as others. The stupid, drunk people in front of me kept talking and disturbing others around me. We finally told them to SHUT UP! The good part about the way it is "staged" is you can move around the space if needed and we moved away. Also some idiot who also smelled like a brewery kept touching my friend in an unwelcomed way. I am left wondering if the creators of Rocky saw this show before bringing Rocky to Broadway because of the ending of the show. I am surprised how much tech they can pack into that small space. Anyway, catch a rush ticket to this show and check it out.

Updated On: 4/23/14 at 10:20 PM

[ARTc3]

Posted: 4/23/14 at 10:30pm

Here Lies Love and Rocky are both directed by Alex Timbers.

[brdway411]

Posted: 4/23/14 at 10:33pm

That would explain it. I just wish the stupid drunk people were banned from the show. What a pain in the butt.


Updated On: 4/23/14 at 10:33 PM

[RippedMan]

Posted: 4/23/14 at 10:55pm

It's actually not all that technical. It's just a bunch of moving platforms.

I saw the show tonight and rather enjoyed it, but didn't flat-out love it. The music is good, but gets a little tiresome after awhile. It's hard to watch a show about people dying and exploiting their power and then they tell you to "jump the right. jump the left" ... I just wish the music had been more diverse. It just all sounded very similar and it was hard to understand what they were all saying. If I took a test on Imelda after the show I would have failed miserably.

All the actors were great. I wish Ruthie Anne Miles had been a little stronger vocally, but I liked her performance.

The direction was great, and some beautiful stage pictures, but much like Rocky, I didn't really get any sense of time. I don't really get why they wanted to go with this 70s disco club feel? It didn't seem like the whole Studio 54 experience was a strong element in her life. I guess

I like what Alex Timbers does, but after seeing most of the shows he's directed I wish he'd challenge himself more. It all just looks the same. Same lighting, same basic tech elements. Much like I felt in Rocky, I felt like the whole momentum of the show just kind of languished while you waited for the platforms to move at the end and for them to get the audience on stage, etc. Just felt like the whole show was like wadding in the water and trying to keep you at the level, but I just couldn't get on board.

[mjohnson2]

Posted: 4/24/14 at 10:46pm

Well I just got back, and it was my first time seeing it because I was stupid enough to miss it the first time it came, and I really liked it. I thought that the subject was fascinating and the music was crazy good with wonderful performances from the whole cast. One thing I will say is that the weird setup was totally unnecessary. The show is quite linear and would work well in a regular theatre, so the audience stand-up was just weird. In fact, it made my neck hurt and was a little awkward, so I think it would be better in a regular theatre. Definitely would work in a Broadway house.

[ARTc3]

Posted: 4/24/14 at 11:56pm

mjohnson2, you've missed a very important point about Imelda Marcos. She was fascinated with club culture and was quite often seen at Studio 54. The choice to stage, Here Lies Love, in a club (Studio 54) environment is an important part of her story and the decadence that would overshadow her "rule" over the Philippines.

In addition, it was so much fun dancing through a disco musical. I think a lot would be lost if it was staged in a traditional proscenium.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 4/25/14 at 1:26am

I would agree, but I think it could work in a Broadway house. I could see them taking out half the orchestra and building out the stage so the orchestra is level with stage.

It could work, but maybe wouldn't be as intimate as the Public space. Interested to see how it works in London as a lot of the show seems built into that particular theater.

[mjohnson2]

Posted: 4/25/14 at 11:25am

ARTc3, I get that about Mrs. Marcos, but that doesn't mean that the staging works very well. In fact, Studio 54 would be a great place to stage this show if Roundabout decided to pick it up. In regards to the dancing, there wasn't nearly enough music to dance to, especially towards the end when it got heavy, that it just felt unnecessary.

[VernonGersch]

Posted: 4/28/14 at 9:10pm

Singlehandidly the best immersive theatrical experience I've ever had in my life. From the moment you check your coat and then up the stairs to the club, I knew I was in for something innovative and special. The music (ok so I'm a huge David Byrne fan) along with Fatboy Slim plus the spectacular staging and performances had me grinning ear to ear.

It also was a privilege to see David Byrne there in the audience on Sunday afternoon

This is a must see

[ARTc3]

Posted: 4/28/14 at 11:32pm

^ Love your post. I too think, Here Lies Love is magical.

[tmbyru]

Posted: 5/1/14 at 7:46am

Could someone better explain the dancing to me? Is it line dancing, just everyone dancing freely? Is there sitting down at any point? In everything I have read it has not been made clear. I would love to see it but not sure who would go with me since I can't explain the immersive part.

[Play Esq.]

Posted: 5/1/14 at 9:27am

You're not really dancing the entire time -- actually, most of the show the audience is left watching from various points around the theater having been guided around a revolving stage by ushers. Many of the actors step off the stage and interact with the audience. This the immersive aspect of the performance.

Much of the dancing takes place towards the end with the encouragement of the cast. There is a brief period towards the end where some of the audience can sit, but I would say that section lasts no more than 10 to 15 minutes. Most of the audience stands throughout the entire show.

Hope this helps! It really is a brilliant show and should not be missed.

[tmbyru]

Posted: 5/1/14 at 9:48am

Thanks so much! I am excited to see it. Sounds amazing. Listened to some of the songs as well and I love it.

[Theater'sBestFriend]

Posted: 5/2/14 at 9:03am

The NY Times on Here Lies Love's reopening last night at the Public Theater:

"Discothèques make strange bedfellows. To confirm this dangerous fact of life, just boogie on down — and you must — to the glittery dance palace at the Public Theater..."


Brantley on Here Lies Love's Re-Opening Updated On: 5/2/14 at 09:03 AM

[themysteriousgrowl]

Posted: 5/2/14 at 9:20am

What's the deal with member discounts for this? Or is there no deal at all?