PHOTO: Center Theatre Group | The South Pasadenan | Here Lies Love Cast
Center Theatre Group is bringing a bold, reimagined production of Here Lies Love to the Mark Taper Forum, running February 11 to March 22, 2026, with press opening on February 18. The groundbreaking musical—featuring music by David Byrne and Fatboy Slim—returns to the stage for the first time since its celebrated 2023 Broadway run, now led by an all-Filipino cast and helmed by CTG Artistic Director Snehal Desai.
The new staging transforms the Taper into an immersive experience pulsing with disco rhythms, kinetic choreography by William Carlos Angulo, and an inventive visual design that reshapes the audience-performer dynamic.
Reanne Acasio stars as Imelda Marcos, joined by Joshua Dela Cruz as Aquino, Chris Renfro as Ferdinand Marcos, Carol Angeli as Estrella, Aura Mayari as the Host, and Joan Almedilla as Aurora Aquino. The full company includes more than 20 Filipino and Filipino American performers, with swings Zandi De Jesus, Johnisa Almariya Breault, and Hayden Rivas completing the lineup.
Here Lies Love traces the rise and fall of Imelda Marcos, charting her ascent to global icon and the authoritarian rule, corruption, and eventual exile that defined the Marcos regime. Far beyond the famous shoe collection, the musical confronts the ways celebrity, politics, and unchecked power collide—and how collective action can reclaim a nation’s future.
“This powerhouse all-Filipino cast fills me with immense pride,” Desai said. “LA is home to the largest Filipino community in the country, and it’s an honor to bring this story here in a fresh and exhilarating new form.”
The creative team includes co–music directors Joe Cruz and Jennifer Lin, scenic designer Arnel Sancianco, costume designer Jaymee Ngernwichit, lighting designer Marcella Barbeau, sound designer Brian Hsieh, projection designer Yee Eun Nam, and more than a dozen additional artists and consultants supporting the production. Casting is by Michael Donovan Casting with Michael Donovan, CSA; Richie Ferris, CSA; and casting consultant Joe Pinzon.
PHOTO Center Theatre Group | The South Pasadenan | Here Lies Love Cast
Praised as “a sensational, one-of-a-kind musical like no Broadway show ever” (Time Out New York), Here Lies Love earned acclaim for its immersive staging, propulsive score, and its urgent political resonance. This new production continues that legacy with a Los Angeles premiere tailored to the region’s vibrant Filipino community.
Tickets start at $40.25 and are available at CenterTheatreGroup.org or by calling 213-628-2772. Performances run Tuesdays through Sundays at the Mark Taper Forum, 135 N. Grand Avenue, Los Angeles.