Take Me to the Theater: David Byrne's 'American Utopia' show opens on Broadway today

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Credit: Catalina KulczarDavid Byrne‘s Broadway adaptation of his live show supporting his 2018 album American Utopia opens today at New York’s intimate Hudson Theatre.  It features Byrne performing solo material and Talking Heads songs while accompanied by an ensemble of percussionists, musicians and dancers who move freely about an empty stage.

Byrne tells ABC Audio that he thinks presenting his music in this free-form manner helps the people watching the show feel more connected with the performers.

“We’re all kind of untethered and moving around in a certain way that makes us more like the audience,” he maintains. “We’re not protected by our gear or our equipment. We’re just standing there playing and singing and moving in the same way that they could be.”

David adds that after doing the American Utopia shows, he finds it “hard to imagine going back to a show where everybody’s rooted in place…surrounded by gear.”

He adds, “That just seems, like, ‘Oh, I think we’ve just moved past that.'”

The American Utopia show’s concept reflects the same themes of the American Utopia album: various things that inspire him to feel optimistic during this time of political and social upheaval.

“It’s aspirational,” he says of the show. “In that it’s saying, ‘We think there’s a lot of good here and we’re going to…demonstrate that for you.’ So we’re kind of there to say…’We’re gonna imply that a lot of things are possible, but we’re also going to show you that they are possible.'”

Regarding the storyline of the show, Byrne notes, “There’s a kind of journey that the lead character, kind of the Everyman — that’s me, I guess — goes on, and hopefully the audience recognizes themselves in part of that.”

American Utopia‘s Broadway engagement runs through January 19, 2020.

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