There's a new disco queen ruling off-Broadway! Jaygee Macapugay, currently featured in the cast of Here Lies Love, will step into the role of Imelda Marcos on October 20. She takes over from Ruthie Ann Miles, who will play her final performance on October 18. Tobias Wong has also joined the cast and is now playing the role of the D.J.
Macapugay has been with the show’s company as a swing and understudy to the role of Imelda. Her other stage credits include Hello Dolly!, Imelda: A New Musical, Miss Saigon, The King & I and Smokey Joe’s Café. Wong is making his off-Broadway debut in Here Lies Love.
Directed by Alex Timbers, with music by David Byrne and Fatboy Slim, the tuner is set to the beat of a throbbing dance club score. Here Lies Love tells the story of Filipina First Lady Imelda Marcos, her meteoric rise to celebrity and subsequent descent into infamy. The production is an immersive theatrical experience that puts audience members directly into the action in a 360-degree scenic and video environment. The show goes beyond Marcos’ legendary obsession with shoes and explores the tragic consequences of the abuse of power.
The production is playing at The Public Theater's LuEsther Hall, with a cast that also includes Jose Llana as Ferdinand Marcos and Conrad Ricamora as Ninoy Aquino.