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David Byrne has reached an agreement with musicians’ union, Local 802, for the upcoming production,Here Lies Love,his play about the former First Lady of the Philippines, Imelda Marcos.
The musical, which Byrne co-wrote with Fatboy Slim, had previously planned to use pre-recorded tracks. Per the agreement, the show will hire 12 musicians, including three actor-musicians, all of whom are union members.
“After negotiation, we have reached an agreement that will bring live music toHere Lies Lovewith the inclusion of 12 musicians to the show.Broadwayis a very special place with the best musicians and performances in the world, and we are glad this agreement honors that tradition,” Local 802 wrote in a statement.
“On behalf of our entire cast, company and creative team, we have reached an agreement with Musicians Union Local 802, per the collective bargaining agreement,” producers forHere Lies Loveshared a statement on Friday. “We look forward to welcoming audiences to experience the revolutionary musical experience that isHere Lies Loveat the Broadway Theatrebeginning on Saturday, June 17.”
They added, “Here Lies Lovehas always had three actor-musicians and a musical director in every production. The show’s integrity and the musical concept remains the same.”
Byrne’s musical producers had previously been working toward getting the Broadway League to categorize the musical as a “special situation” that would allow for a smaller team of musicians, per theNew York Times.“SinceHere Lies Lovewas first conceived 17 years ago, every production has been performed to prerecorded track; this is part of the karaoke genre inherent to the musical and the production concept,” Bryan-Brown said at the time. “The music forHere Lies Lovewas inspired by the phenomena of ‘track acts,’ which allowed club audiences to keep dancing, much like this production aims todo.”
Here Lies Love debuted in its original run at New York’s Public Theater in 2013, and chronicles the early life of the former first lady of the Philippines. The dance-filled play is scheduled to begin previews on June 17 and open July 20.
