The show: “Here Lies Love” at the Broadway Theatre in New York City

What is it?: An immersive audience experience in a completely reconfigured Broadway theater about the rise and fall of Imelda Marcos and her husband, the long reigning dictator of the Philippines.

What makes it special?: Let me repeat: This is an immersive audience experience like you’ve never seen before on Broadway; with music by David Byrne (Talking Heads) and Fat Boy Slim with additional music by Tom Gander and Jose Luis Pardo. Also with a cast of Filipinos or those with Philippine heritage. And oh yes, the entire environment is a disco club. The ingenuity of this production with David Korns ‘ (“Hamilton”) set design, Annie-B-Parson’s choreography, Justin Townsend’s lighting, the sound design of M.L. Dogg and Cody Spencer, and Peter Nigrini’s projections, is staggering.

A disco, you say?: It’s a metaphor — and a powerful one as it follows the biography of the glam queen of the Phillippines — Imelda Marcos.

Oh, yes, the First Lady of Shoes: The famous collection of shoes is never mentioned. (Too easy a joke and a distraction to the more serious issues). Instead it follows her ambitious rise from poverty to be the First Lady of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986 — and to become a partner in corruption with the autocratic leader.

Oh, just like the musical “Evita:” Not quite. Though the staging is exciting and creative, underneath it all is a devastating study of power and how intoxicating it can be when mixed with celebrity, fashion and bling.

You said is was a disco? Explain: The audience is split in two — Studio 54 -like — with some audience members standing and moving about on the main floor beneath a huge disco ball as platform stages move around the m ain floor with the actors performing scenes and singing songs atop. The other part of the audience (which is more comfortable seating during the 90-minute, no-intermission show) is in the balcony which borders the dance floor.

What’s the point of all this?: As I said, it’s a powerful metaphor and another way of story-telling, and an apt one in this case with the Studio 54-loving Imelda. At the end of the show, the throbbing music winds down, the lights come up and things turn acoustic — and real. As Jose Llana told me when I interviewed him just before rehearsals began earlier this year, that is when we see the sober reality of it all: the dirty dance floor and the sad mess of things; in short, the terrible day-after hangover. We see the horror for what transpired and see it for what it was — and to be inspired by those who defied Marcos’ regime and began rebuilding their country.

Any reservations?: I wish it were a bit longer — something I rarely say about a show (“Leopoldstadt” is another piece of theatre that would have benefitted from more time, too, and I thought I would never say that about a Stoppard play.) I wanted more about the partnership the U.S. had with Marcos that is only gleamed lightly.

But the music is infectious and the beat is irresistible. (Go ahead, dance.) The performances are terrific, many from when the show was produced off-Broadway about 10 years ago (which I also saw).

Though she doesn’t quite have the charisma and depth of Ruthie Ann Miles who played the role of Imelda a decade ago, Arielle Jacobs still gives a significant performamnce, both demionstrating then character’s cunnimng and obliviousness . She sings beautifully. Also with gorgeous voices are Llana, simply chilling and more than a little bit sexy as Marcos and Conrad Ricamora who strikes a noble-yet-human pose as opposition leader Ninoy Aquino, who was assassinated upon his return from exile by forces thought to be associated to the Marcoses. All three of these performers deserve their stardom. For the first weeks of the show, Lea Salonga played Aurora Aquino, mother of Ninoy, who delivers the powerhouse ballad “Just Ask the Flowers,” sung at her son’s funeral.

Who will like it?: Fans of Byrne. Those who embrace new ways of presenting theater. Those who have been wanting more authentic representation on stage of people of color, races and all diverse backgrounds. Especially when powerful messages are presented in such a creative and exciting way — and not just as didactic finger-waving. It’s theater after all.

Who won’t?: Perhaps those who don’t want to show the Marcos in any glamorous context. But I think those people miss the point that the seduction to a charismatic leader is intertwined with the con: giving false hopes to a delusional citizenry — as democracy implodes, pockets are being picked, and the poor suffer the most. To fully appreciatre the lesson of the fall, one has to see the attraction of the rise and the hypnotic pull of the glamourous swindle. (The parallels to our country are obvious and adds to the gut-wrenching feeling the show gives out.)

For the kids?: The audience was filled with young people when I saw it, especially on the main floor. (I was seated on the perimeter balcony looking down at the action though a part of me wanted to be in the thick of this movable feast of theater.)

Thoughts on leaving the parking lot: Director Alex Timbers is the master of creative environmental staging with this spectacle following previous dynamic productions such as “Moulin Rouge! The Musical,” “Rocky,” “Bettlejuice,” “The Pee-Wee Herman Show” and “Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson,” the latter which is a show that deserves to be revived. Another thought as I was leaving: How the hell is this show going to tour? But no matter for now, because this Broadway production is a stunner with power and purpose and that offers a totally new experience that adds up to one of the most exciting shows the commercial theatre has seen in years.