11/10/2023 0 Comments David burns american utopia broadway![]() ![]() You who kept the faith, who held on to your tickets, well, you knew this would happen eventually!" Byrne said in a statement. “It is with great pleasure that finally, after a year+ like no other, I can announce that our show is coming back to Broadway. They include returning band members Jacquelene Acevedo, Gustavo Di Dalva, Daniel Freedman, Chris Giarmo, Tim Keiper, Tendayi Kuumba, Karl Mansfield, Mauro Refosco, Stéphane San Juan, Angie Swan and Bobby Wooten III. In American Utopia, the Talking Heads superstar is joined by 11 diverse musicians from around the globe. The show, which already announced its return to the New York stage, will play the St. Parson moves the dozen performers about deftly, making dynamic use of the bare stage, and Rob Sinclair’s lighting jives with the gentler tone of Byrne’s music, never trying to dazzle or overstimulate.David Byrne’s American Utopia has found a new Broadway home. The musicians move as a unit both cohesive and shaggy this dichotomy is exemplified in their costuming, where performers are both barefoot and clad in silvery suits. A pair of dancers (Chris Giarmo and Tendayi Kuumba) executes the flicky, unpretentious choreography while the rest of the band-a multinational and immensely talented tensome of guitarists, percussionists, and a keyboardist-bops along. Her musical staging is a lovely and natural extension of Byrne’s feel-good and world beat music. Parson’s simple choreography certainly helps in enticing audiences to groove along. ![]() Sure, this is indeed a concert, but nonetheless, it is also the most animated I’ve ever seen white people in a Broadway house. And lift they do the night I saw the show, audiences stood to their feet almost every other number and swayed along to Byrne’s classic songs. The show commits itself to this medium, which means the songs are actually given a chance to breathe, accelerate, and uplift. Because of this rushed pacing, I found myself caring less about Tina’s emotional journey-and life.Īmerican Utopia, meanwhile, wholeheartedly knows it’s a concert. In Tina, and other biomusicals that have mostly plagued instead of electrified Broadway, songs are clipped just as they might start to build, gaining steam just as they have to cut out to make room for the next Billboard-topping tune. Just this month I saw Tina: The Tina Turner Musical Adrienne Warren’s Tony-winning turn as the Queen of Rock ‘n Roll is a tidal wave, but what jukebox musicals often stifle, ironically, is the music itself. ![]() In watching American Utopia ’s exuberant execution and enjoyment of its own music, I couldn’t help but think of other Broadway shows-jukebox musicals-where beloved, Grammy-winning songs are similarly the main draw. Triumphant as those performances were, what David Byrne and his American Utopia -with choreography and musical staging by Annie-B Parson-is offering is more unique, at least on Broadway: a near-nonstop concert that’s also an invitation. Of course, Broadway is occasionally blessed with titanic performances from older performers-Glenda Jackson in King Lear and Jane Alexander in Grand Horizons are two recent examples. It’s a rare treat to see a performer of Byrne’s age get to lead and command a Broadway show-at almost 70, he exudes a youthful, idealistic charm takes lead vocals on every song and buzzes around the theater like a bee on the first day of spring. James Theatre, American Utopia is an infectious showcase of Byrne’s decades-long career. ![]()
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