Here Lies Love finally lands in L.A. with its musical take on corruption as relevant as ever

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The first time David Byrne’s disco musical “Here Lies Love” was publicly staged at Mass MoCA in 2012, Josh Dela Cruz was a bright-eyed ensemble actor thrilled by the novelty of joining a majority-Filipino cast.Like many recent theater school grads, Dela Cruz was still trying to find his niche as a performer, oscillating between the pursuits of ethnic ambiguity — a casting asset — and cultural identity.

But in post-rehearsal chow-downs with his fellow cast members, he felt at ease as his peers spoke about their Filipino upbringings and their experiences processing the show, which chronicles the rise and fall of the infamous Filipino dictator Ferdinand Marcos.The subject matter was emotionally taxing for some, but at the time, Dela Cruz said, “it was something that happened.” Past-tense.

Now, as he takes the stage in a new Center Theatre Group production as the late anti-Marcos leader Ninoy Aquino, he said, “it’s something that’s happening” — and not just in the Philippines.Entertainment & Arts An Imelda Marcos bio-musical headlines Center Theatre Group’s season lineup for the Ahmanson and Mark Taper Forum.

Also coming: “Jaja’s African Hair Braiding,” “Primary Trust,” “& Juliet” and “Mamma Mia!”“Here Lies Love,” which opens Wednesday at the Mark Taper Forum, three years after its Broadway debut, is arriving in downtown L.A.at a prescient moment.

Protests have erupted throughout the U.S.in response to an ongoing federal immigration crackdown that some characterize as part of a broader push toward authoritarian rule.

Meanwhile, across the globe, Marcos’ son, Philippine President Bongbong Marcos, and Vice President Sara Duterte, face twin impeachment complaints accusing them of high-level corruption and other violations of public trust.Similar events worldwide have dovetailed with the narrative landscape of the musical, wh...