Christening the National Theatre’s new
theatre, the Dorfman, is Fatboy Slim and David Byrne’s musical ‘Here Lies
Love’. Transferring from New York, the show advertises itself as ‘a
revolutionary musical experience’ following the story of Imelda Marcos’ rise to
power and her terrifying downfall. With a standing ticket in hand I
entered the space and quickly realised that this was a musical that was not
going to stop.
Lights blazing, strobes flashing; colour
surrounds the audience right from the word go. The disco environment is obvious
to those of us with promenade tickets and, other than being herded around by
the vibrant staff in pink jumpsuits at inconvenient times, you really felt like
you were part of the performance. Revolving platforms were used with purpose to
creating different settings and mark important moments, effectively making the
audience aware of key events. With a DJ on a platform in the corner and moments
of choreographed dance with the cast, the unlikely setting worked well and
showed the audience how easy it is to become seduced by the glamour.
The spectacular show of lighting and set
was accompanied by some incredible special effects to add the final touches.
From Marcos’ speeches being filmed around the audience to the feeling of a
helicopter flying overhead, even the tiniest details had been thought about
adding that extra element. Perhaps the most shocking moment of the show came
with Aquino’s death. I saw a number of audience members throw a hand to their
mouth in horror as everyone was jolted into a reality that was previously
hidden behind the elegant speeches and stylish atmosphere, making the seriousness
of the situation apparent.
The story of Imelda Marcos had its highs
and lows. On the surface she is seduced by the beauty and attracted to the
power but we also see the effect of infidelity, illness and her decent into a
struggle that makes her dependent on pills. The part is carried effortlessly by
the incredible Natalie Mendoza accompanied by Mark Bautista as Ferdinand Marcos
and Dean John- Wilson as Ninoy Aquino, who contrast each other but their charm
absorbs the audience. The whole cast endlessly ooze energy that lifts the
production up and the killer vocals just add to their talent. All this mixed
with Annie-B Parson’s unique and upbeat choreography left the audience wanting
to be on stage with them.
By this point it sounds like this was the
best musical I’ve ever seen. If you like repetitive music, then yes. The
important story of corruption and power was lost amongst the glamour; it lacked
moments for us to connect to the characters, to absorb the story, to actually
feel. As I said at the beginning, it just didn’t stop moving until the final
moments of the play where the bombardment of superficiality was stripped back
and we were left with a beautiful acoustic final song. This added poignancy and
meaning to the production and was quite honestly the only moment I was entirely
absorbed. The story became the centre of attention and the rest of the production
needed a few more moments like this.
As a whole the production was incredible. A
massive round of applause has to go to the costume department; I don’t think
I’ve ever counted so many costume changes! The set, lighting and even the story
were put together to revolve around the disco theme, which they achieved. I can
also imagine that it would work fantastically well in New York where you wouldn’t
get the typical, self- conscious National Theatre audience members. For me, it
lacked that emotional connection that was necessary, even if there were hints
of it. A sold-out production for the Dorfman’s first show; clearly the good
outweighs the bad in this instance.
Ends 8th January 2015.
Sold-out but with £20 Friday Rush Tickets
available.
http://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/shows/here-lies-love
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