The Public's HERE LIES LOVE Extends Through May 19

The Public Theater (Artistic Director, Oskar Eustis; Executive Director, Patrick Willingham) announced a two week extension today for the world premiere musical Here Lies Love, with concept and lyrics by David Byrne, music by David Byrne and Fatboy Slim, additional music by Tom Gandey and J Pardo, and choreography by Annie-B Parson. Directed by Alex Timbers, Here Lies Love begins performances on Tuesday, April 2 and was originally scheduled to close on Sunday, May 5. It will now run an additional two weeks through Sunday, May 19.

HERE LIES LOVE is described as an 85-minute theatrical experience, all filtered through the remarkable vision of David Byrne, one of the great American artists of the last half century. Set within a dance club atmosphere, audiences will stand and move with the actors. Comfortable shoes and clothing are recommended since the audience stands and moves with the actors. Dancing is encouraged.

With an audience capacity of only 150 people a night, theater space is limited. Single tickets for the two week extension (May 6-19) go on sale Tuesday, April 2. Tickets are on sale now for performances through May 5 at (212) 967-7555, www.publictheater.org, or in person at The Public Theater at Astor Place at 425 Lafayette Street. The Library at The Public will be open nightly for food and drink, beginning at 5:30 p.m.

The complete cast of Here Lies Love features Renée Albulario (Ensemble), Melody Butiu (Ensemble), Natalie Cortez (Ensemble), Debralee Daco (Ensemble), Joshua Dela Cruz (Ensemble), Jose Llana (Ferdinand Marcos), Kelvin Moon Loh (Ensemble), Jeigh Madjus (Ensemble), Ruthie Ann Miles (Imelda Marcos), Maria-Christina Oliveras (Ensemble), Conrad Ricamora (Aquino), Trevor Salter (Ensemble), and Janelle Velasquez (Ensemble).
Within a pulsating dance club atmosphere, David Byrne and Fatboy Slim deconstruct the astonishing journey of Filipina First Lady Imelda Marcos, retracing her meteoric rise to power and subsequent descent into infamy and disgrace at the end of the People Power Revolution. Here Lies Love is neither a period piece nor a biography, neither a play nor a traditional musical but an immersive theatrical event combining songs influenced by four decades of dance music, adrenaline-fueled choreography, and a remarkable 360-degree scenic and video environment to go beyond Imelda's near-mythic obsession with shoes and explore the tragic consequences of the abuse of power.

Special funding for Here Lies Love was made possible by The Blavatnik Family Foundation, Hans and Kate Morris and Andrea and Marc Glimcher.

HERE LIES LOVE features set design by David Korins; costume design by Clint Ramos; lighting design by Justin Townsend; sound design by M. L. Dogg and Cody Spencer; and projection design by Peter Nigrini.

Alex Timbers (Director). For The Public, Timbers wrote the book and directed the critically acclaimed musical Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson. He will also direct The Public's upcoming production of Love's Labour's Lost, A New Musical for Shakespeare in the Park in July. Timbers is the Artistic Director of Les Freres Corbusier and his additional Broadway credits include Peter and the Starcatcher, The Pee-Wee Herman Show, and Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, which earned him a Tony nomination for Best Book of a Musical. His additional Off-Broadway directing credits include A Very Merry Unauthorized Pageant; Gutenberg! The Musical!; and Hell House. He is a Tony-nominated writer-director and is the recipient of Lucille Lortel, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Circle Awards, as well as two Obie Awards.
David Byrne (Concept, Music, Lyrics). Known as the force behind Talking Heads and later as creator of the highly-regarded record-label Luaka Bop, David Byrne also works as a photographer, film director, author, and solo artist; he has published and exhibited visual art for more than a decade. Among Byrne's works are Playing the Building, an interactive sound installation at New York's Battery Maritime Building and London's Roundhouse; Everything That Happens Will Happen Today, Byrne's first collaboration with co-writer Brian Eno since 1981's My Life in the Bush of Ghosts; a series of unique bike racks installed throughout New York City in conjunction with the New York City Department of Transportation; Bicycle Diaries, a chronicle of David's travels on his bicycle published by Viking Press and available as an audio book featuring narration and original music by Byrne; Talking Heads: Chronology, a DVD featuring live performances spanning 1976-1983; a soundwork created while in residence at Living Architecture and Artangel's A Room for London installation; and a collaboration with Will Oldham for the soundtrack to the new Sean Penn film This Must be the Place. Most recently Love This Giant, Byrne's collaboration with St. Vincent was released on September 11 and his latest book How Music Works was published on September 12 by McSweeney's.