HERE LIES LOVE Reviews- Page 5

[Wayman_Wong]

Posted: 8/7/23 at 10:21am

I've had great luck catching Conrad Ricamora onstage. I saw him in ''Little Shop of Horrors,'' and his Broadway debut in ''The King and I.'' I've seen him multiple times in ''Here Lies Love,'' when it played the Public about a decade ago, not to mention recent shows now on Broadway.

In 2018, I interviewed Ricamora for BroadwayWorld.com and asked him about the prospects of ''Here Lies Love'' finally making it to Broadway. He said: ''I just hope it happens in the next few years 'cuz I'm getting too old to do that show. It's so hard jumping up and down those platforms. I can't do that forever. (Laughs.) ... (For the record, Ricamora is now 44; Llana is 47, and Jacobs is 34.)

''Here Lies Love'' is a great show, but such a grueling show to do. Can you imagine how much Arielle Jacobs, Jose Llana and Ricamora are racing up and down the length of the theater, not to mention climbing up and down stairs and platforms, all the while belting their faces off? And in Jacobs' case, she has 18 costume changes in 90 minutes! The show is such a high-energy cardio workout. I can't even imagine how the leads do the 5-show weekends (1 on Friday, 2 on Saturday and 2 on Sunday). On top of everything else, the leads have been a slew of interviews to promote the show. Here's to everyone's health in the cast!

Updated On: 8/9/23 at 10:21 AM

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 8/8/23 at 6:45pm

Salonga is back tonight and she will not do stage door.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 8/8/23 at 7:30pm

Very curious to hear if the cast is back tonight.

[bellelinus]

Posted: 8/10/23 at 8:19am

I was there last night (8/9) and Jaygee was on for Imelda but Conrad and Lea were both in.

[hayden6]

Posted: 8/10/23 at 2:41pm

bellelinus said: "I was there last night (8/9) and Jaygee was on for Imelda but Conrad and Lea were both in."

I was there too -- I was initially disappointed to miss Arielle, but considering it was my fourth visit to Club Millennium, I can't complain & really enjoyed getting to see Jaygee!

I'm hoping we'll get a new cast recording... even with 2/3 leads already captured on the Off-Broadway recording, I would really love the chance to listen to Arielle & the rest of the new OBC recorded!

[Joe Vernuccio]

Posted: 8/12/23 at 11:50am

Anyone know of the cast is all in this weekend?  I have Tickets for Sunday night which was supposed to be Lea Salonga's last performance but now extended.  Thanks!

[Wick3]

Posted: 8/12/23 at 11:16pm

Everyone was in when I saw the show today. Enjoy HLL tomorrow!

[quizking101]

Posted: 8/13/23 at 2:31pm

I went last night and the whole cast was in and in fine voice. Jacobs is getting there, but there were times where I felt her voice thin out a bit. Llana remains strong (and FINE in a bathing suit). To me, Ricamora and Melody Butiu are the real scene stealers because Ricamora has such a strong presence and you can see his resolve get chipped away by the Marcos' actions and then has the crushing end of "Gate 37". Butiu also has such soul and heart that it makes Estrella almost a moral compass to check Imelda, than just a cameo in Imelda's life - and "Solano Avenue" broke my heart more this time.

I will also never not cry during "God Draws Straight".

I did rush and ended up in the VIP Lounge, which is cool seeing the show from a different vantage and then getting to go out on the dance floor later on. The Lounge isn't really anything special though, unless you need privacy or want to spend the entire show drinking expensive cocktails.

The stage door was a HELL of a lot more organized this time around and the crowd was easily 150-200 people (almost to the end of the block). Lea did not sign but she waved and got into her car. There is a sign on the door that says "Due to recent spikes in COVID cases, cast members may decline to sign autographs" or something to that effect. I felt bad for Moses (the DJ) though because he came out after Lea left and by then, everyone had hustled out of there except the few of us.


There are also still Lea Salonga autograph hunters abound - Gross.

Updated On: 8/13/23 at 02:31 PM

[yyys]

Posted: 8/14/23 at 12:05pm

Doing the HLL reprise does not make sense ..... think about the storyline.... Glad they made the right choice.

 

starlightlocamotion said: "Saw it again last night. Caught the show during previews from the mezz & decided to give the dance floor a whirl this time around...loved it just as much. Though I will say...the HLL reprise is sorely missed, and I would almost rather no post bows dance at all then what we ended up with ?? But that issue aside...just love this show."

 

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 8/14/23 at 2:22pm

Fatboy Slim is DJ'ing a post-show set on the 31st — amazing!!!

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cv71Ghdu8on/

[Wick3]

Posted: 8/14/23 at 6:04pm

After Lea Salonga leaves on Aug 19th, does anyone know who will be the next special guest cast member?

 

[B212323]

Posted: 8/14/23 at 10:44pm

EDSOSLO858 said: "Fatboy Slim is DJ'ing a post-show set on the 31st — amazing!!!

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cv71Ghdu8on/"

They jacked up prices though - I was so ready! 

[KJisgroovy]

Posted: 8/14/23 at 11:04pm

"Doing the HLL reprise does not make sense ..... think about the storyline...."

The show has ended. The actors bowed. The storyline is over. They are dancing to a pop song.

[HeyMrMusic]

Posted: 8/15/23 at 1:02am

KJisgroovy said: "The show has ended. The actors bowed. The storyline is over. They are dancing to a pop song."

A pop song that glorifies Imelda by using direct quotations. I’m glad they reconsidered. I don’t care how much of a bop it is.

[TaffyDavenport]

Posted: 8/18/23 at 9:42am

Vina Morales joins the cast as Aurora Aquino from September 22 through October 22.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CwFjpAnun2q/

Updated On: 8/18/23 at 09:42 AM

[quizking101]

Posted: 8/18/23 at 10:00am

I went back again the other night and I just wanted to shout out Aaron Alcaraz, who was the understudy for Ninoy Aquino. I thought he was utterly fantastic and really brought a boyish charm to the role (especially in Ninoy’s early years) and, should you ever see him on, you will not be disappointed at all.

[yyys]

Posted: 8/18/23 at 10:01am

Ahh nice, she is much bigger than Lea Salonga - shame it's only for one song.

 

TaffyDavenport said: "Vina Morales joins the cast as Aurora Aquino from September 22 through October 22.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CwFjpAnun2q/"

 

[DearTheodosia]

Posted: 8/18/23 at 11:57am

Wayman_Wong said: "I've had great luck catching Conrad Ricamora onstage. I saw him in ''Little Shop of Horrors,'' and his Broadway debut in ''The King and I.'' I've seen him multiple times in ''Here Lies Love,'' when it played the Public about a decade ago, not to mention recent shows now on Broadway.

I guess it’s 3 strikes and you’re out for me! After missing Conrad Ricamora the first two times I tried, I made a special one night detour through NYC before returning home from Boston so I could see him since he seemed to be back. Alas, he was out again on Wednesday night! I live too far away to be back for quite a while, so I guess the fates are against me on this. However, this time I did get to see Lea Salonga, which was a treat.

Anyway, I wanted to give my two cents on the show after seeing it twice, once from the VIP lounge, and once from the floor. As a professional instrumentalist myself, I would like to address the controversy about live musicians by comparing it with the other show I watched earlier that day, Hadestown.  I’ve seen it multiple times, but this time, sitting in the far left front row (lottery.) With the instrumentalists so close, and with a brand new cast member (Solea Pfeiffer,) I became aware of the tight collaboration between the instrumentalists and the singers, and I realized that that is part of what makes Hadestown so special. As a musician myself who has played in many pits, I am very aware of how the instrumentalists adjust with the singers so that the ensemble is always perfectly together. In fact, instrumentalists will even jump ahead if needed when a singer comes in a little early, and I felt like I might have noticed one moment like that at Hadestown. The result is very organic and allows the singers to have some flexibility in their timing and interpretation. It can seem subtle to the average viewer, but it actually makes so much difference. 

Flash forward to that evening. After the negotiation with the musicians’ union, it seems that the instrumentalists have been shoehorned into the very end of the show to meet the requirement. I understand that the show is supposed to have a karaoke quality, but I also have heard that they used live musicians for the cast recording, and you can hear it made a difference. Sitting in the VIP lounge a couple of weeks ago, I wondered if that area could even have been used for instrumentalists. (Those seats are just not great, anyway.)

There are places in the show when the singers seem just very slightly out of sync with the backing tracks, through no real fault of their own, but because it lacks the give and take of playing with live musicians. Having live instrumentalists would have made everything gel more, and would have taken the show to the next level. Overall, I loved this show, but regret this decision on the part of the producers. And when you compare this show to David Byrnes/Alex Timbers’ American Utopia, it is a surprising choice, too. American Utopia actually celebrated the collaboration between vocalists and instrumentalists in a way that was mesmerizing. 

***Edited my post to correct that there were never live musicians in the previous versions of show, but my understanding is that they used live musicians for the cast recording.( I just read the show's explanation for the recorded music as being artificial as to represent of the artificiality of the Marcos. That may be an artistic choice to suit the story, but I still think it detracts from overall quality of the performance.)

Updated On: 8/18/23 at 11:57 AM

[wish i were here2]

Posted: 8/18/23 at 12:51pm

Someone can correct me if I am wrong, but I believe the show has always been presented using tracks in every iteration of the show? (Slide 4 of the post below) 

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cs4g4f1u5W0/?img_index=4

 

DearTheodosia said: " Flash forward to that evening. After the negotiation with the musicians’ union, it seems that the instrumentalists have been shoehorned into the very end of the show to meet the requirement. I understand that the show is supposed to have a karaoke quality, but I also have heard that they used live musicians when it was off-Broadway, and you can hear from the cast recording that it worked!Sitting in the VIP lounge a couple of weeks ago, I wondered if that area could even have been used for instrumentalists. (Those seats are just not great, anyway.)"

 

[DearTheodosia]

Posted: 8/18/23 at 12:56pm

Oh, right! I think what I was thinking of was that I read that the cast album was done with live musicians. And it sounds really great. I stand corrected about the original show, though. I’ll edit my post.

 

wish i were here2 said: "Someone can correct me if I am wrong, but I believe the show has always been presented using tracks in every iteration of the show? (Slide 4 of the post below)

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cs4g4f1u5W0/?img_index=4



DearTheodosia said: "Flash forward to that evening. After the negotiation with the musicians’ union, it seems that the instrumentalists have been shoehorned into the very end of the show to meet the requirement. I understand that the show is supposed to have a karaoke quality, but I also have heard that they used live musicians when it was off-Broadway, and you can hear from the cast recording that it worked!Sitting in the VIP lounge a couple of weeks ago, I wondered if that area could even have been used for instrumentalists. (Those seats are just not great, anyway.)"

"

 

[fisheyelenses]

Posted: 8/18/23 at 5:55pm

TaffyDavenport said: "Vina Morales joins the cast as Aurora Aquino from September 22 through October 22.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CwFjpAnun2q/"

yeah, to provide context from at least my little slice of Filipino experience, this announcement prompted both my mom AND dad (who is normally not interested AT ALL in these things) to suddenly want to see HLL.

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 8/18/23 at 6:07pm

Broadway's Here Lies Love to Host Special Matinees Offering Free Childcare

This seems like a great idea if it can be done with regularity (i.e. the first Saturday of each month), and even better if it can be done across multiple shows. I don't know how much it'll move the needle and may need a big marketing push to make it visible. But will be interesting to see the results.

[Wayman_Wong]

Posted: 8/18/23 at 11:58pm

A recent interview with Melody Butiu, who plays Estrella, Imelda's childhood friend, in ''Here Lies Love.''

Trivia: Butiu actually made her Broadway debut in the same theater, back in 2015 in ''Doctor Zhivago.''

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8p7BYALf8tI

Updated On: 8/19/23 at 11:58 PM

[fisheyelenses]

Posted: 8/24/23 at 1:32am

Looks like they added a medley for curtain call today. From what I saw on Instagram, it constitutes at least “Please Don’t,” “Eleven Days,” and the title song.

[meredithchandler73]

Posted: 8/24/23 at 6:11am

fisheyelenses said: "Looks like they added a medley for curtain call today. From what I saw on Instagram, it constitutes at least “Please Don’t,” “Eleven Days,” and the title song."

Oooh - basically the three catchiest songs! I'm looking forward to seeing/hearing that!

Trying to think of other instances where a show changed its curtain call after opening.