Video: Lea Salonga Reveals the People Power Revolution Began During Her 15th Birthday Party

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Video Video: Lea Salonga Reveals the People Power Revolution Began During Her 15th Birthday Party

The Tony winner talks about her personal connections to the story of Here Lies Love, and what the musical has meant to her at this point in her career.

By Leah Putnam

July 26, 2023

Broadway's Here Lies Love delves into the recent history of the Philippines—recent enough that producer and cast member Lea Salonga remembers growing up during time the musical is set in.

“I found myself during the rehearsal process having flashbacks or being thrown back into my childhood, early teenhood," says Salonga in a recent interview with New York Live. Here Lies Love tells the story of Filipino First Lady Imelda Marcos, and the Marcos family which remained in power for 20 years while Imelda's husband Ferdinand ruled as dictator. But that all came to an end in 1986 when the murder of Philippine senator and Marcos family critic Ninoy Aquino sparked the People Power Revolution. "It started on my 15th birthday," Salonga reveals. "I was having a party, and then we got the phone calls. The kids have to go home because the tanks are rolling out on the thoroughfare where everything happened.”

Salonga also speaks in the interview about making her producing debut in the theatre she made her Broadway acting debut in (she played Éponine in Les Misérables in 1991 shortly before starring in Miss Saigon, also in the Broadway Theatre). Salonga describes this return to the Broadway Theatre as a “homecoming.” Watch the video above to hear Salonga say more about shepherding stories about people of color to Broadway and the respect needed for artists’ boundaries and space in reference to the recent incident of fans sneaking backstage to see the Tony winner.

Here Lies Love opened July 20 after beginning previews June 17. The immersively-staged disco musical features a score by Grammy, Tony, and Oscar winner David Byrne and Grammy winner Fatboy Slim, with music by both, and concept and lyrics by Byrne.

Arielle Jacobs stars as Imelda Marcos opposite Jose Llana as Ferdinand Marcos with Conrad Ricamora as Ninoy Aquino. Both Llana and Ricamora reprise their performances from the musical's 2013 Off-Broadway run. Tony and Olivier winner Lea Salonga plays Aurora Aquino, Ninoy Aquino's mother, in a limited guest engagement through August 13. Following her run, guest stars from the Philippines will take over the role.

The all-Filipino cast, a first for Broadway, also includes Broadway alums Melody Butiu (Doctor Zhivago), Jaygee Macapugay (Shucked), Julia Abueva (KPOP), Aaron Alcaraz (Mean Girls), Kristina Doucette (Wicked), Jeigh Madjus (Moulin Rouge!), Geena Quintos (Miss Saigon), Shea Renne (Hadestown), and Angelo Soriano (Aladdin), as well as Moses Villarama, Jasmine Forsberg, Reanne Acasio, Renée Albulario, Carol Angeli, Nathan Angelo, Roy Flores, Timothy Matthew Flores, Sarah Kay, and Aaron "AJ" Mercado. For many, the show is personal as several of them and their families lived in the Philippines when the Marcos family was in power.

Conrad Ricamora and Arielle Jacobs in *Here Lies Love* Billy Bustamante, Matthew Murphy, and Evan Zimmerman

Returning to the project are original director Alex Timbers (Moulin Rouge) and choreographer Annie-B Parson. They are joined on the creative team by music director J. Oconer Navarro, Tony-nominated scenic designer David Korins, Tony-winning costume designer Clint Ramos, Tony-winning lighting designer Justin Townsend, sound designers M.L. Dogg and Cody Spencer, Tony-nominated projection designer Peter Nigrini, and cultural and community liaison Giselle “G” Töngi. Casting is by Tara Rubin, Xavier Rubiano, and Gail Quintos. Bobby Garcia served as casting consultant. General management will be by Foresight Theatrical. Tom Gandey and J Pardo have also contributed additional music for the production.

Developed over the past decade since its original 2013 Off-Broadway run at The Public, Here Lies Love ran at the National Theater in London in 2014 and Seattle Rep in 2017. Each production was met with a variety of responses, and conversations have cropped up again on social media as attention returns to the musical with the upcoming Broadway run. In response to online criticism, the official Here Lies Love Broadway accounts on Twitter and Instagram published a lengthy statement that included the production's intentions in portraying this vulnerable moment in Filipino history onstage in 2023. Additionally, Salonga and Jacobs both spoke about why they stand by the show in this interview with Playbill.

Here Lies Love is produced by Hal Luftig, Patrick Catullo, Diana DiMenna and Plate Spinner Productions, Clint Ramos, and Jose Antonio Vargas. Aaron Lustbader serves as executive producer. Also serving on the producing team are H.E.R., Lea Salonga, Bobby Garcia, Giselle “G” Töngi, Celia Kaleialoha Kenney, Jo Koy, Girlie Rodis, Miranda Gohh, Rob Laqui, Georgina Pazcoguin, Don Michael H. Mendoza/Lora Nicolas Olaes, Adam Hyndman, LaChanze, Yasuhiro Kawana, Triptyk Studios, Iris Smith, Shira Friedman, James L. Nederlander, John Gore Organization, Kevin Connor, Andrew Diamond/Patrick Trettenero, Craig Balsam, Elizabeth Armstrong, Cathy Dantchik, Wendy Federman/Suzanne Niedland, Luke Katler/Ryan Solomon, Laura Ivey/Janet Brenner, Alexi Melvin, Warner Music Entertainment, Eastern Standard Time, The Shubert Organization, and Hunter Arnold/TBD Theatricals.

Go inside the opening night red carpet below.