AMERICAN UTOPIA comes to Broadway- Page 2

[theaterdarling]

Posted: 9/24/19 at 12:02pm

Saw this in Boston and absolutely loved it. I am not a rabid Talking Heads fan but certainly have always have enjoyed their music (and loved the seminal Stop Making Sense concert film)  so even those only minimally aware of his music through his most popular songs (I think) will enjoy this as long as one remembers that 1) this is not a traditional concert and 2) Byrne is an idiosyncratic performance artist at heart and, artistically, is in his head a lot.  That being said, the show is extremely accessible, satisfying and can be appreciated even only for its surface joys.

Don't know quite how to categorize it (which is a good thing) but definitely not even close to the Talking Heads "musical" as one poster wishes for.  At its simplest, the show is a barefoot David Byrne fronting, literally, an also barefoot singing/dancing marching band choreographed whimsically but wonderfully by Annie-B Parson. "Marching band" might imply showmanship over musicianship but the band was comprised of extraordinary musicians (especially the percussionists), and though they almost never stop moving in unending formations and groupings like a kaleidoscope,  they bring the goods musically and vocally. Byrne's songs have never sounded better. Though an extremely spare set, there is so much movement on stage, both tangential and center stage, that sometimes you don't know where to look -  but I usually couldn't take my eyes off of Byrne.    

As to narrative arc, it might be all in the eyes of the beholder. Byrne himself described the arc to Broadway Direct as “a journey of self-discovery, and of discovering a larger community that’s supportive, and eventually being able to engage the larger world, step by step. The songs don’t always address that lyrically, but it’s about what you see on stage. We’re not just talking about how things can be; we’re showing that. To show is more effective than to talk.”  I don't know if you always experience the arc as Byrne intended but the raw experience is still wonderful from just a movement/production/sound sense.  Mufish is right in noting that he sets his narrative up the beginning very directly and then comes back to it (most overtly) in the end.  Perhaps they will tighten the arc or make it more apparent,  but I hope not--Byrne is an enigma and I want to ponder his meaning-don't need to have it spelled out. However, since this is not a traditional concert,  others might have more of need for a tidier narrative thread.                                   

Also, Mufish mentioned the "PSA" for voting as a one-off civics appeal,  they also did a very impactful piece using the Janelle Monae song "Hell You Talmbout," a very political and extremely moving shoutout to Black Lives Matter, seemingly wedged into the thematics of the show but was very, very affecting miles away from the more generic "please vote" plea.                                                                

Byrne makes a pre-recorded announcement before the show pleading that people put away the cameras and enjoy the show. I did not perceive it merely as a suggestion. The ushers were on top of shutting down people when started to film and hats of to them for their vigilance and tenacity. They took their jobs seriously and I was impressed. (For god's sake people, hate to state the obvious but can you not just sit back and take something for only an hour and 40 minutes without a phone in front of you....)                                                                                                                                                         

Byrne is not an optimist but this show left me with so much joy-reflective of the joy and passion on stage- and it stayed with me for days after - wishing you all experience the same. (By contrast, I walked out of "Springsteen on Broadway" incredibly moved, but incredibly melancholy!)                                                                                                                          

[pjc1]

Posted: 9/27/19 at 11:38pm

The critic reviews have been coming out in Boston the last day or two and they've been just gushing over this show.

Saw it tonight and can't add much to what's already been written in this thread.  It's a thorough joy from beginning to end.  Not much of a narrative arc, but there's a thematic arc that we're guided through by Byrne's narration.

I'd be curious if it has the same appeal to people unfamiliar with (or not enamored with) Byrne's work, but I thought this was a delight.

[Susanswerphone]

Posted: 9/29/19 at 7:20am

Had a very different experience than previous attendee-posters.
The phones and tablets were out in full force, despite the pre-show admonition, and the ushers did nothing to stop it.
Given the concert vibe, people dancing in their seats, leaving mid-song, etc., the technology wasn't that distracting.
I grew up with the Talking Heads, so for me it was an enjoyable, if predictable, reminisce. But there's nothing remotely theatrical, or special, about this. The band is tight, the dancers are perfect!
Maybe I'm old, but trotting out Janelle Monae's "Hell You Talmbout", after recounting he'd asked her permission to perform it, felt a wee precious.