David Byrne is becoming quite adept at writing musicals about women.
His first move into the musical theater came in 2005 when he and Fatboy Slim wrote a rock musical about the life of Philippines first lady Imelda Marcos in Here Lies Love. First recorded as a concept album and released in 2010, it made its theater debut at The Public Theatre in New York in 2013 and returned for an open ended run in 2014 when it ran for eight months.
From February 14 to April 16, Byrne will return to The Public Theatre for his latest show, Joan of Arc: Into the Fire, telling the story of “a girl who talked to God. She built a nation, and they burned her for it.”
Alex Timbers returns to direct the show after also helming Here Lies Love. Starring as Joan of Arc is Jo Lampert who is a member of the group tUnE-yArDs.
According the Byrne, the show is not a straight telling of the story but rather is the story about “a pop star [who] decides to give in to the Joan obsession and tell her epic story in concert.”
