HERE LIES LOVE closing November 26- Page 6

[quizking101]

Posted: 11/26/23 at 9:19pm

NYCtheaterguy said:

- Unless I just never noticed it before, at the beginning of Eleven Days, ensemble members got to shout out various lines like "what you drinking' baby girl?"

This was always part of that number as far as I can remember. It's not on the cast recording though so I sometimes forget about it until I got back to see it.

- the dance floor was uncomfortably packed. In addition to the producers and cast members on the floor mentioned by quizking101- some of whom may certainly have purchased a ticket - I saw someone duck in from the left-side cast entrance and quietly thank/greet a pink jumpsuited helper, and I spotted both merch people there too. Also many people with lanyards. During the final 1/3 there was a lot less space near the front stage and for moments my arms were touching that of neighbors and you couldn't really move around. Part of it might have been that many people didn't follow the DJ's entreaties to get on the back platform as everyone wanted to stay up close for the final numbers and curtain call. But it meant when they need to pull Aurora on the large platform we all had to squeeze together with great difficulty to make room. Thankfully no on panicked.

This is usually part of the path I had (a lot of us superfans had our own trajectories mapped out that optimized the experiences, performers, and interactions we liked most in the show). In the past, full dance floors have at least had a little wiggle room to get around during the find number, but at the end of "Don't Ask The Flowers", when I headed down the center stairs toward the front, it seemed everyone had dug their heels in despite the wranglers encouraging people to back up into open gaps. Normally I would try to sidle off to the side to not block people during "Why Don't You Love Me" through the finale, but I wasn't able to do that this time.

...I did however find myself close enough to the drumline clearance path in the center where, once I realized there was no curtain call speech, I was able to be out the door and first at coat check (which never happened ever)

 

[yyys]

Posted: 11/26/23 at 10:08pm

Did they do rush for the last two days?

[B212323]

Posted: 11/26/23 at 10:52pm

They didn't today

[B212323]

Posted: 11/26/23 at 10:56pm

bear88 said: "DrMonicaDeMoneco said: "Hope the producers have learned a valuable lesson.
hope other producers take notes"

Serious questions: What lessons should the producers have learned, and what should the producers of future new musicals learn?

I can think of mistakes I think the producers made, but the truth is that I don’t think any of it would have mattered. My wife and I enjoyed the musical, and it was the sort of ambitious show I want to see on Broadway. Is the lesson: Don’t try that? Because that would be sad, and rather depressing for the future of live theater."

HLL was a really buzzy hit off-bway at the Public theater in 2013 - they should've transferred then when it had a lot of heat. 10 years was too long to wait. And for a show this risky opening around Tony time would've been more prudent. But even the most experienced producers are having a hard time figuring out what works in a post-shutdown world. 

 

[BoringBoredBoard40]

Posted: 11/26/23 at 11:01pm

I also think that having David Byrne or Alex Timbers give a speech would have been the wrong tone, they had EVERYONE in the company come out for the ending and let that and the show speak for itself which I think was the right choice 

[seeseveryshow2]

Posted: 11/26/23 at 11:27pm

So - how did that highly publicized dispute and settlement with the Musicians Union work out for everybody?

 

 

[Wayman_Wong]

Posted: 11/27/23 at 2:20am

QuizKing101, thanks for your beautiful report about ''Here Lies Love's'' closing. It was touching to hear that Conrad Ricamora was getting choked up singing the last lines of ''Gate 47,'' Ninoy Aquino's final song. Surely, the lyrics were doubly poignant: ''Do you know what it means to be saying goodbye? Do you know what it means that this might be forever? I might be seeing you now for the very last time.'' ''Here Lies Love'' closed much sooner than it should've, but at least it sounds like it was a blast and went out with a bang. Here's video of the final bows and megamix.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSNUKrfT5Lo

[The8re phan]

Posted: 11/27/23 at 8:43am

So hate to see this show go, but being able to dance with David Byrne at the final performance and say 'thank you' was the ultimate way to say 'farewell'.  I do hope that that such unique and inventive pieces of art will continue to push boundaries and be able to find an audience  someday.....

[QueenAlice]

Posted: 11/27/23 at 9:18am

I suppose this falls under marketing, but I have to say I thought a major mistep for "Here Lies Love" was the lack of a unique, intriuging and instantly recognizable logo design.  This is something every hit show that has ever existed has had going for it.  The logo at the Public a decade ago was colorful and featured a stylized photo of Marcos holding a microphone. It was evocative.   The Broadway logo of a discoball was generic; it was essentially the same logo as "Once Upon a One More Time" -- another bomb.

Lesson to producers -- get a brilliant brand logo before you venture a Broadway production.

[berniesb!tch]

Posted: 11/27/23 at 1:18pm

Not much to say besides echo how beautiful and electric the final show on the dance floor was.

I think I was next to you on the dance floor Quizking101! 

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 11/27/23 at 1:37pm

Beautiful & lengthy 12-part series of posts by Ruthie Ann Miles on her Instagram documenting her time with the show, sharing memories & love & trauma & gratitude. sounds like it wasn't all rosy for her (particularly during the Public 2.0 run, produced by Joey Parnes & co in the Public space), and she was hesitant to see it on Broadway, but she did see the show in its final week and seems glad to have done so.

there's a lot of love between her, Byrne, Timbers, Clint Ramos, and especially Conrad & Jose.

Here's the first post: https://www.instagram.com/p/C0JKvxzOID9/

[NiceWork2]

Posted: 11/27/23 at 3:05pm

QuizKing and others:  

    did others on the dance floor recognize and know who alex timbers was when he was on the dance floor?   the others probably kind of blended in, but Alex is very recognizable if you're familiar with broadway and his shows.   the founder of bloody blooday andrew jackson of course.

[jkcohen626]

Posted: 11/27/23 at 3:41pm

Sad I wasn't able to make it back to the dance floor one last time. If only they'd been able to extend it another week or two! The show itself was far from perfect, but it was a STUNNING production and I'm so glad I got to experience it twice!

[quizking101]

Posted: 11/27/23 at 5:12pm

NiceWork2 said: "QuizKing and others:

did others on the dance floor recognize and know who alex timbers was when he was on the dance floor? the others probably kind of blended in, but Alex is very recognizable if you're familiar with broadway and his shows. the founder of bloody blooday andrew jackson of course."

I don’t think he’s that much of a recognizable entity other than by name. I recognized him since he was with Clint Ramos, but Alex was definitely on the periphery.

[NiceWork2]

Posted: 11/27/23 at 5:30pm

That's a shame, Alex Timbers is so talented and so innovative with his shows.   I met him several times during previews of Rocky.    of course rocky had some of the same pitfalls that did in HLL.    I wonder if any members or staffers for the current Marcos administration ever saw the show?   They had to be receiving reports about it, though no one i'm sure would openly reveal if an administration official ever made it into the Broadway Theatre or the Public Theatre or Seattle, etc.....That had to have been a difficult decison in changing the DJ's remarks during previews and openly mentioning the current presidential administration.    Shows normally try to  stay away from controversial or current political statements.     

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 11/27/23 at 10:59pm

The final "God Draws Straight":

https://www.instagram.com/p/C0LJyWeNmHI/

[JBM84]

Posted: 11/28/23 at 4:23pm

quizking101 said: "They also signed my fan that I bought at “Imelda’s Fire Sale” (which was everything at the merch stand was being sold for half price or less).

Tonight should not have been the end of this, but I hope they will bring it back again in a future capacity."

Speaking of merch, I'm looking for a Here Lies Love hoodie in Large if anyone knows where I can find one. It's been sold out online everywhere.

[yyys]

Posted: 11/28/23 at 7:25pm

Interesting how Ruthie didn't start posting about the show until after it closed...12 parts mind you.

[quizking101]

Posted: 11/28/23 at 7:34pm

yyys said: "Interesting how Ruthie didn't start posting about the show until after it closed...12 parts mind you."

What makes it interesting? This show was a major part of her life in many ways, gave her career a boost, connected her to other Filipinos in the business, and it also reflects the memory of the younger years of the daughter she lost in an accident a few years later.

I feel like you are suggesting something slightly more...nefarious?

[yyys]

Posted: 11/28/23 at 8:03pm

I am stating an observation. I follow her on Instagram and she never once mentioned or posted about it... then boom, 12 parts. And she didn't wanna tag anyone. Anyway...

Btw, Ruthie Ann is Korean.

 

Updated On: 11/28/23 at 08:03 PM

[LRey95]

Posted: 11/28/23 at 8:35pm

NYCtheaterguy said: "
- Unless I just never noticed it before, at the beginning of Eleven Days, ensemble members got to shout out various lines like "what you drinking' baby girl?"

It was disappointing there was no curtain call speech. With so many producers surely one could have said some words about this fantastic, groundbreaking show? Or David Byrne?"

Actually yes I did notice at least one unscripted part of that song. One of the men shouted something like "NOW YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS" but I couldn't see who said it from my view in the gallery. Otherwise, I remember hearing "Ferdinand Marcos, girl!" and "You're just crazy... IN LOVE" by Maria Luisa, and "Whatchu drinking baby girl" by Press Attache.

I gotta say, now having experienced the show from center mezz, rear mezz, floor, and right gallery, the gallery was my absolute favorite place to be in terms of feeling like I got an almost completely unobscured view of the entire show! In center mezz I sat right where Ninoy addresses the mezzanine as the Philippine congress/public, but had to turn around if I wanted to watch anything happening on the satellite stages. In rear mezz I loved watching those dancing on the satellite stages, but it was hard seeing the fine details of what was happening on the floor. On the floor, Marcos shook my hand during the election, but sometimes I'd get distracted by the wrangling/moving platforms. But in the gallery, I saw almost everything, and for that to be my final view of the show, it was perfect. (Only thing I couldn't see was any dancers dancing on the platforms beneath my side of the gallery.)

The faces of the cast during God Draws Straight just wrecked me. </3 So glad Moses asked the audience to sing along for the choruses. Hearing all the diehard fans joining in was like hearing our own little national anthem. 

I was also disappointed at the lack of speeches. I really wanted to hear SOMETHING. However, the stage door line was just an incredibly loving experience after the show. I met every single cast member except AJ, and even the vacation swings Aaron and Danielle came out, not expecting to sign anything but getting called over by fans regardless. DJ CherishTheLuv was also handing out roses to some of us who were at the front of the line. It was very emotional. One of the security guards kept walking through the line trying to hype everyone up ("I don't know why this line is so quiet!!" *cue tumultuous cheers*), and it was a great mood lifter lol. 

My only regrets now are that I never got to see Jaygee as Imelda, and that all the hoodies were sold out. T_T