Melody Butiu
Teller of Tales/Singer of Songs
SAG-AFTRA, AEA
Hot off the Presses
Kristin Chenoweth, Melody Butiu, Nina White, More to Lead Boston Premiere of Stephen Schwartz Musical The Queen of Versailles
The new work is inspired by real-life beauty queen and socialite Jacqueline "Jackie" Siegel.
BY Andrew Gans, Logan Cullwell-Block
February 08, 2024
The new Stephen Schwartz musical The Queen of Versailles will have its world premiere this summer at Boston's Emerson Colonial Theatre. The Broadway-aimed production will begin previews July 16, with the five-week engagement currently scheduled to continue through August 18.
Tony winner Kristin Chenoweth will star in the new musical, which is based on the 2012 documentary of the same name, centered on socialite and beauty queen Jacqueline "Jackie" Siegel. Lindsey Ferrentino (Ugly Lies the Bone, Amy and the Orphans) penned the book, and Tony winner Michael Arden (Parade, Once on This Island) will direct.
Read more HERE.
EXCLUSIVE: F. Murray Abraham, Here Lies Love’s Melody Butiu, and Kimberly Akimbo’s Nina White have joined the cast of workshop presentations of The Queen of Versailles starring Kristin Chenoweth being held in New York next month.
by Greg Evans for DEADLINE
October 3, 2023
Featuring music by Stephen Schwartz, The Queen of Versailles is a new musical based on the acclaimed 2012 documentary about socialite and TV personality Jacqueline “Jackie” Siegel.
Read it HERE.
Sampling Filipino Fare with ‘Here Lies Love’s Melody Butiu
by Max McCormack for OBSERVER
August 8, 2023
The actress talks about her role in the history-making cast, addresses the criticism and shares her favorite Filipino dishes.
Read it HERE.
At Here Lies Love's Opening Night, Filipino Fashions Old and New Took Center Stage
by Audrey Carpio and Joyce Oreña for VOGUE
Photos by Martin Romero
July 23, 2023
Here Lies Love is ingenious and captivating. The Filipino energy was contagious. The entire house couldn’t resist this magic. From the cast to the audience, Club Millennium was transformed into a disco party. This musical is not only monumental for the Filipino community but also to the entire world. With its unique storytelling and staging—distinct from any other Broadway show—it has given us an immense opportunity to tell our narrative and to showcase Filipino talent. It was an honor for Vogue Philippines to be part of this trailblazing event.
Read it HERE.
Here Lies Love Is an Unsettlingly Good Time
by Jackson McHenry for Vulture
July 20, 2023
"Melody Butiu, as Imelda’s discarded caretaker and childhood friend Estrella Cumpas, is especially poignant, with a powerful voice to match. She also has my favorite gesture of the show, which comes while Estrella watches through a bit of fencing as Imelda’s wedding celebration passes by. When Butiu moves around the dance floor to sing another verse, she simply carries the fence with her on the platforms around the audience and then starts into the next verse, as if still trapped on the other side. In the midst of so much Broadway-scale pomp, you get something human-size."
Read more HERE.
Review: David Byrne and Fatboy Slim’s Here Lies Love Is the Party to End All Parties
by David Gordon for Theater Mania
July 20, 2023
"A handful of original cast members have returned to complete the journey, and it’s an extra treat to see how much deeper Llana, Ricamora, and Melody Butiu have dug in their portrayals of Ferdinand, Ninoy, and Imelda’s betrayed childhood friend Estrella...Butiu devastatingly delivers her numbers to the rafters and then some."
Read more HERE.
Hit The Dance Floor For The Disco Broadway Musical ‘Here Lies Love’
by Darryn King for Forbes
July 5, 2023
The David Byrne-Fatboy Slim disco-pop musical “Here Lies Love” began life as a concept album, before becoming a hit Off-Broadway production at the Public Theater.
On July 20, the show, which tells the story of the rise and fall of Imelda Marcos and the People Power Revolution, arrives on Broadway. Uniquely for a Broadway show, audience members have the option of experiencing the show from a dance floor.
The production represents another exciting first. “Here Lies Love” will be the first Broadway show to feature an all-Filipino cast.
Ahead of the occasion, the actors Melody Butiu and Jasmine Forsberg told Forbes about the show, their roles, and this milestone for Filipinos on Broadway.
Read it HERE.