David Byrne’s Immersive Disco Musical Here Lies Love to Open in Sydney for Vivid

UPDATE 23/1: Here Lies Love has been postponed "due to unforseen acoustical engineering issues," according to producer statements published by the Sydney Morning Herald. This means the show will not open for Vivid in 2015, but new Sydney dates will be announced later in the year.

David Byrne has been cooking up a colossal disco-fuelled musical, ready to serve up a spectacular theatrical event at VIVID next year. Capturing the scandalous story of ex-Philippines First Lady Imelda Marcos — footwear obsessive and disco aficionado — Here Lies Love will make its Australian premiere at VIVID 2015. Composed by the Talking Heads frontman in conjunction with Fatboy Slim, Here Lies Love is not so much a musical as an immersive, multisensory experience.

A 360-degree filmscape transforms the room into a dance club environment, with actors and dancers appearing on moving catwalks and platforms. The action therefore unravels not behind the fourth wall, but around and within the audience. And you’re expected to dance. The soundtrack is an adrenaline-fuelled paean to four decades of dance music, and is at once both energising and haunting. Here Lies Love recounts, not only Marcos's penchant for the nightlife, but also the tragic consequences of corruption and power abuse.

The event began life in 2010 as a concept album, featuring the likes of Sia, Florence Welch and St Vincent. It was Tony-nominated director Alex Timbers (Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, Rocky) who saw its theatrical potential and developed an adaptation. A 2013 off-Broadway premiere at New York's Public Theatre was a sell-out, leading to a second run and inspiring positive reviews. This October, the show will cross the Atlantic to open at London's National Theatre.

Meanwhile, in the leadup to Vivid 2015, Australian auditions will be happening next month. "We are seeking female and male actors in their 20s and 30s reflecting the multiple ethnicities that are found throughout the population of the Republic of the Philippines, from the migrant arrivals from China, Spain, Korea and Southeast Asia, among other nations," says producer Rodney Rigby.

Image credit: Joan Marcus