Here Lies Love, a musical created by David Byrne and Fatboy Slim, is facing a hiccup as it attempts to circumvent Broadway's live musician requirements.
The show — which follows Filipino dictator Ferdinand Marcos's wife, Imelda — is set to open at the Broadway Theatre on July 20. The production intends to use pre-recorded music, which is out of alignment with Local 802 of the American Federation of Musicians — which requires 19 musicians for musicals hosted at the venue.
In its prior iterations in London, Seattle and Off Broadway, Here Lies Love has featured no full-time instrumentalists, only actors who occasionally use instruments as part of the plot. As this doesn't match Local 802's contract with the Broadway League, the producers of the show are trying to have Here Lies Love declared a "special situation," which would allow them to employ fewer musicians.
"A show with no live music and just pre-recorded tracks is absolutely an existential threat to Broadway — and is a cultural threat to musical theatre worldwide," wrote Local 802 President and Executive Director Tino Gagliardi. "For generations, audiences have experienced Broadway shows with live music performed by the best musicians in the world, and by using just pre-recorded tracks it not only cheapens the art it's putting jobs and livelihoods at risk."
He continued: "Our musicians are heartbroken that David Byrne — a legend — is attempting this and we strongly hope he reconsiders."
However, Here Lies Love production spokesman Adrian Bryan-Brown claims that recorded music is integral to the show's immersive format. "Since Here Lies Love was 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," he said [via The New York Times]. "The music for Here Lies Love was inspired by the phenomena of 'track acts,' which allowed club audiences to keep dancing, much like this production aims to do."
UPDATE (5/31 12:15 p.m. ET): Here Lies Love has issued a lengthy statement via its Instagram page, referencing Filipino culture and relating karaoke's artificiality to the synthetic nature of political figures. "Karaoke, or sing-along, is deeply rooted in Filipino culture — and the diasporic Asian culture at large. In the Philipines, karaoke is ubiquitous, crossing class, generational and economic lines," the statement reads in part.
In response to the statement, Gagliardi claimed that Byrne "is trying to break the union." "Instead of using his show to lift up musicians that are struggling, he's denigrating their work, tossing them aside and saying they can't do it," he wrote. "That's not the way Broadway has operated for 157 years and we will not stand by as working musicians are told they are not good enough."
Gagliardi continued: "David Byrne must change course now or Local 802 AFM will be forced to take further measures to protect our workers and the experience audiences have expected for generations on Broadway."
Local 802 has also started a petition against Here Lies Love, calling it a "direct attack on the long tradition of Broadway."
While many Broadway shows perform with reduced orchestras, it is rare that a musical has no orchestra whatsoever. Shows without live music are not eligible to be nominated for "Best Musical" at the Tony Awards.
The show — which follows Filipino dictator Ferdinand Marcos's wife, Imelda — is set to open at the Broadway Theatre on July 20. The production intends to use pre-recorded music, which is out of alignment with Local 802 of the American Federation of Musicians — which requires 19 musicians for musicals hosted at the venue.
In its prior iterations in London, Seattle and Off Broadway, Here Lies Love has featured no full-time instrumentalists, only actors who occasionally use instruments as part of the plot. As this doesn't match Local 802's contract with the Broadway League, the producers of the show are trying to have Here Lies Love declared a "special situation," which would allow them to employ fewer musicians.
"A show with no live music and just pre-recorded tracks is absolutely an existential threat to Broadway — and is a cultural threat to musical theatre worldwide," wrote Local 802 President and Executive Director Tino Gagliardi. "For generations, audiences have experienced Broadway shows with live music performed by the best musicians in the world, and by using just pre-recorded tracks it not only cheapens the art it's putting jobs and livelihoods at risk."
He continued: "Our musicians are heartbroken that David Byrne — a legend — is attempting this and we strongly hope he reconsiders."
However, Here Lies Love production spokesman Adrian Bryan-Brown claims that recorded music is integral to the show's immersive format. "Since Here Lies Love was 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," he said [via The New York Times]. "The music for Here Lies Love was inspired by the phenomena of 'track acts,' which allowed club audiences to keep dancing, much like this production aims to do."
UPDATE (5/31 12:15 p.m. ET): Here Lies Love has issued a lengthy statement via its Instagram page, referencing Filipino culture and relating karaoke's artificiality to the synthetic nature of political figures. "Karaoke, or sing-along, is deeply rooted in Filipino culture — and the diasporic Asian culture at large. In the Philipines, karaoke is ubiquitous, crossing class, generational and economic lines," the statement reads in part.
In response to the statement, Gagliardi claimed that Byrne "is trying to break the union." "Instead of using his show to lift up musicians that are struggling, he's denigrating their work, tossing them aside and saying they can't do it," he wrote. "That's not the way Broadway has operated for 157 years and we will not stand by as working musicians are told they are not good enough."
Gagliardi continued: "David Byrne must change course now or Local 802 AFM will be forced to take further measures to protect our workers and the experience audiences have expected for generations on Broadway."
Local 802 has also started a petition against Here Lies Love, calling it a "direct attack on the long tradition of Broadway."
While many Broadway shows perform with reduced orchestras, it is rare that a musical has no orchestra whatsoever. Shows without live music are not eligible to be nominated for "Best Musical" at the Tony Awards.
