“Someone like me, who kind of grew up with the downtown music world and arts world, we kind of forget how much of a thing Broadway is as part of New York. Now, he has a new appreciation for Broadway since its reopening. Credit: Matthew Murphy © 2019īyrne remained in New York for most of the “pretty brutal” days of the pandemic last year, biking around the city with his “American Utopia” band members to get fresh air and sometimes cycling through the desolate Theater District. It was like the curtain had been pulled back … And I thought, ‘Well, that’s what we’ve been trying to do in the show.’ As a performer, I felt obliged to address the world we live in.” “American Utopia” held its official Broadway reopening at the St. We would drop all these issues into the show, and then of course when the pandemic hit, a lot of that stuff really came to the forefront of people’s consciousness. “ Back in 2019, we were talking about immigration, voting, race. “It seems like we kind of saw what was coming,” said Byrne. No doubt, “American Utopia” - which weaves tracks from Byrne’s 2018 album of the same name, other songs from his solo career and some Talking Heads tunes into a socially conscious statement on the country - feels eerily prescient after the pandemic, last year’s contentious presidential election and the protests against racial injustice. It means we have to work to win them over, and we basically have to do a good show that is not relying on them being Talking Heads fans or anything like that.” David Byrne’s 2018 album “American Utopia” inspired his Broadway show of the same name. It looks to me like some people in the audience aren’t familiar with my music, which to me is a good thing. “Way back in 2019, we wanted that to happen, but now, after the pandemic, it actually is happening. “The audience to some extent is getting younger and more diverse,” said Byrne. James Theatre with a whole different crowd on the Great White Way. Credit: Matthew Murphy © 2019Īnd by breaking Broadway norms, Byrne is now burning down the house at the St. David Byrne is back in his gray-suited groove with “American Utopia” on Broadway. But then again, the art-rocker has never played by the rules. “American Utopia” - a theatrical, quasi-concert production that incorporates music, interpretive dance and Byrne’s stage banter, which ranges from comical to topical - won a special Tony last month because it defied categorization by not fitting into the musical or play divisions. “I think she’s been to the show about eight times!” In fact, the audience included one famous friend who has become a bit of an “American Utopia” groupie: “Amy Schumer came to the opening,” said Byrne. “You could see all these people that we knew, so it was really like playing for your friends, which meant I had to try not to look at them. “I would look out and I’d go, ‘Oh, there’s so and so’s family!’ ” the 69-year-old music icon told The Post. ‘David Byrne’s American Utopia’ film heads to HBO with director Spike Leeįor David Byrne, the Broadway reopening of “American Utopia” last Sunday - 24 months after his now Tony-winning show first opened in 2019 - was a “friends and family” affair. Talking Heads drummer dishes on ‘cold’ David Byrne in new memoir What fast food chain are you based on your zodiac sign? ‘Here Lies Love’ review: David Byrne musical makes Broadway a nightclub
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |