David Byrne-Fatboy Slim Broadway Musical Reaches Union Agreement Over Pre-Recorded Track Flap
Twelve musicians will be included in the upcoming Broadway production of the David Byrne-Fatboy Slim musical Here Lies Love, an agreement reached today in a labor dispute over the use of pre-recorded music tracks.
“After negotiation, we have reached an agreement that will bring live music to Here Lies Love with the inclusion of 12 musicians to the show,” said Tino Gagliardi, president and executive director of Local 802 NYC Musicians Union. “Broadway is a very special place with the best musicians and performances in the world, and we are glad this agreement honors that tradition.”
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The musical’s producers said in their own statement, “On behalf of our entire cast, company and creative team, we have reached an agreement with Musicians Union Local 802, per the collective bargaining agreement. We look forward to welcoming audiences to experience the revolutionary musical experience that is Here Lies Love at the Broadway Theatre beginning on Saturday, June 17.”
No further details of the agreement were disclosed, but the union had previously noted that the required minimum number of musicians at the Broadway Theatre is 19.
The use of pre-recorded tracks in the musical – a practice producers of Here Lies Love had defended as being integral to the artistic vision of the show, which places the story of former Filipina First Lady Imelda Marcos within a disco dance club context. While producers had insisted that the pre-recorded dance tracks, which had previously been used in Off Broadway and London stagings of the show, were “part of the karaoke genre inherent to the musical,” the union called the concept an “existential threat to Broadway.”
The immersive production will place a segment of the audience seated in a reconstructed section of the Broadway Theatre within the dance club environment.
Developed and directed by Alex Timbers, Here Lies Love features music by Byrne and Fatboy Slim, with additional music by Tom Gandey and J Pardo. The Broadway production begins previews at the Broadway Theatre on Saturday, June 17, with opening night set for Thursday, July 20.
The musical is produced by a team led by Hal Luftig, Patrick Catullo, Diana DiMenna and Plate Spinner Productions, Clint Ramos, and Jose Antonio Vargas.
Here Lies Love features the first all-Filipino cast to perform on Broadway, including, among others, Arielle Jacobs as “Imelda Marcos,” Jose Llana as “Ferdinand Marcos,” and Conrad Ricamora as “Ninoy Aquino.”
The musical made its world premiere Off Broadway at The Public Theater in 2013, returning to the venue in 2014-2015. It debuted at London’s Royal National Theatre in 2014, and most recently opened at Seattle Repertory Theatre in 2017.
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