Arielle Jacobs Knows That Audiences Need HERE LIES LOVE Now More Than Ever
August 02, 2023
"I feel like every day I'm time traveling," said Arielle Jacobs about her latest role in Broadway's newest hit, Here Lies Love. The leading lady portrays one of her most complex characters to date, the controversial world leader, Imelda Marcos. "Getting transform into each and every window of time, because the costumes really take me through not only the decades, but from poverty to how glamorous she became... I get to live through so many different eras and emotional states. I'm given so much in terms of the sound and the music from David Byrne and Fatboy Slim. It's such a gift. I get help from everything around me!"
Here Lies Love re-defines the musical theater experience, turning the rise and fall of a dictator and his wife into an exuberant party. Developed & directed by Tony Award winner Alex Timbers, with choreography by Olivier Award nominee Annie-B Parson, Here Lies Love transforms the Broadway Theatre (1681 Broadway at 53rd Street) into a nightclub where the audience is literally immersed in the story, witnessing history up close. While some audience members stand and move with the actors, others enjoy from traditional theater seating. Everyone is close to the action.
The experience is special for Jacobs for more reasons that one. "This is the first time that I've gotten to play a Filipino character," she explained. "I've gotten to do so in a full Filipino cast, which is historic in its own right. What's so special is getting to fulfill this dream that my grandfather had... I feel like I'm completing this circle and this show has given me the opportunity to do that."
Watch as Arielle chats more with BroadwayWorld's Richard Ridge about the challenges of playing such a well known person, how (and why) she relies on the audience every night, and so much more!
