LEA SALONGA (who plays Aurora Aquino) with WHOOPI GOLDBERG
Filipino-American Jo Koy, one of the co-producers of 'Here Lies Love', appeared on the July 20, 2023 episode of the program where Whoopi also recalled her experience of watching a preview of HLL.
The star of the film "Sister Act" and "GhosT" said, “I just saw Here Lies Love on Tuesday night (July 18, 2023).
"Not only was I blown away by what they did with the theater, but I forgot a lot of the history and it’s extraordinary.”
HLL is an immersive disco musical with music and lyrics created by former Talking Heads musician David Byrne with music co-created by Fatboy Slim.
The 90-minute show tells the story of former First Lady Imelda Marcos and the People Power revolution and features a performance catwalk, satellite stages, 360-degree lighting and video screens.
It stars an all-Filipino cast headed by Arielle Jacobs, Conrad Ricamora, Jose Llana and Lea Salonga.
Jo Koy, whose real name is Joseph Glenn Herbert, Sr., spoke about the historical and personal significance of HLL.
“I used to live in the Philippines during Marcos. My dad was in the military. It was the dictatorship…”
He described the People Power revolution of 1986 which deposed Ferdinand Marcos as a “beautiful” part of Philippine history. “The people finally stepped up. They did it very nicely. It was peaceful.”
Both Jo Koy and Whoopi pointed out that the 1986 uprising is part of Philippine history as it is of the US.
Whoopi said that HLL is a reminder. “How the evolution of that family evolving into something horrific, I forgot. We forget our history…”
Watch the full interview here:
https://www.facebook.com/TheView/videos/3546289582292357
Here Lies Love opened on Broadway Theater on July 20. For updates about the musical, visit herelieslovebroadway.com and follow herelieslovebway on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Tiktok
