David Byrne’s American Utopia (Photo: David Lee/HBO; used with permission)
The acclaimed production of David Byrne’s American Utopia has announced the rescheduled dates and location of its return engagement on Broadway. The excellent new production began on Sept. 17, 2021 at the St. James Theatre, with dates currently scheduled through April 3, 2022.
In the June 17 announcement of the new location, Byrne said, “It is with great pleasure that finally, after a year+ like no other, I can announce that our show is coming back to Broadway. You who kept the faith, who held on to your tickets, well, you knew this would happen eventually! We’re moving to the St. James Theatre – just down 44th Street from the Hudson, where we were before. The stage is a little wider and the capacity is a little bigger – I guess we did alright! Seriously, New York is back, and given all we’ve witnessed, felt and experienced, it is obvious to me that no one wants to go back to a world with EVERYTHING the way it was – we have an opportunity for a new world here. See you there.”
The original sold-out run was at the intimate Hudson Theatre. The show had been scheduled to return there from Sept. 18, 2020 through January 17, 2021 but the pandemic caused the further delay.
Tickets for the new run are available here.
Spike Lee’s filmed version premiered on HBO (and for streaming on HBO Max) on Oct. 17, 2020. Watch the official trailer for that presentation below.
Watch the official trailer for Lee’s presentation of David Byrne’s American Utopia
“Spike and I have crossed paths many times over the years, obviously I’m a huge fan and now finally here was an opportunity for us to work together,” said Byrne. “I am absolutely thrilled with the result. The Broadway show was a wonderful challenge as well as an opportunity – it was a joy to perform and, well, best to let the quotes speak for themselves. Thrilled that this show and the subjects it addresses will now reach a wider audience.”
David Byrne in ‘American Utopia’ (Photo by Catalina Kulczar; used with permission)
David Byrne’s American Utopia features David Byrne with Jacquelene Acevedo, Gustavo Di Dalva, Daniel Freedman, Chris Giarmo, Tim Keiper, Tendayi Kuumba, Karl Mansfield, Mauro Refosco, Stephane San Juan, Angie Swan and Bobby Wooten III.
The design team includes Rob Sinclair (lighting) and Pete Keppler (sound). Karl Mansfield and Mauro Refosco are Musical Directors. Alex Timbers is Production Consultant with Choreography and Musical Staging by Annie-B Parson.
Following a Sept. 2019 tryout in Boston, the original Broadway production ran from October 4, 2019 to January 19, 2020, to rave reviews.
American Utopia began as an album that Byrne released on Nonesuch Records in March 2018. The recording was his first to reach #1 on the Billboard album chart and was also his first to reach the top 5 on the Billboard 200 chart. The theatrical concert, which includes songs from American Utopia along with songs from Talking Heads and his solo career, played more than 150 dates in 27 countries over nine months in 2018.
Watch the ensemble perform the Talking Heads’ “Road to Nowhere” during the original Broadway production
Byrne said the following about the creation of the Broadway production: “As I was recording the songs for my American Utopia album it occurred to me that they would be exciting to play live, and I realized that a lot of my older material would fit right in….I imagined a live show….I pictured a lot of drummers, a kind of drum line/samba school/second line- that would create the rhythms.”
Related: Watch David Byrne and choir sing David Bowie’s “Heroes”
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