A young girl from a humble background finds national and then worldwide celebrity after marrying a politician whose leadership will not be remembered fondly by history. This has been the premise for two Broadway musicals: The first, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s “Evita,” which opened at New York in 1979 after proving a hit at London, traced the short but busy life of Eva, the glamorous wife of an Argentinian strongman, Juan Perón.

Now, “Here Lies Love” arrives a decade after having its celebrated premiere at the Public Theater. Conceived by rock visionary David Byrne — whose concert-based “American Utopia” was one of the most exuberant productions to land in the theater district in years — and featuring music by Mr. Byrne and electronic savant Fatboy Slim, “Love” traces the rise and fall of Imelda Marcos, widow of a Filipino dictator, Ferdinand Marcos. Empowered by support from the American government, Marcos’s reign of terror included nearly a decade of martial law starting in 1972, and he remained an oppressive force until deposed by 1986’s People Power Revolution.