Instead, Mr. Byrne’s libretto keeps the focus on Imelda’s rags-to-riches story. Mr. Byrne has said he wants his audience to “reluctantly empathize” with Imelda, who, after listening to a CD of songs portraying her rise from a poor provincial beauty to first lady, told reporters she was “flattered.” The one song that explicitly addresses the infamous “Order 1081” that proclaimed martial law even seems to celebrate it: “Now it’s safe to walk the streets at night — a new world has begun. Ev’rybody’s sleeping soundly — thanks to 1081.”
