David Byrne's American Utopia begins performances on Broadway

The Broadway premiere of David Byrne's theatrical concert is scheduled for an official opening at the Hudson Theatre on October 20, 2019.

Ready for the New Wave? The Broadway premiere of David Byrne's American Utopia begins previews at the Hudson Theatre tonight, ahead of an official opening on October 20 and a limited engagement through January 19, 2020.

Synopsis: "David Byrne's American Utopia is the once-in-a-lifetime Broadway event that marks a major cultural milestone in the worlds of music and theatre. Innovative pop/rock icon David Byrne shares the spotlight with a diverse ensemble of 11 musical artists from around the globe, delivering a theatrical concert that's as surprisingly poignant as it is supremely funky."

David Byrne previously commented: "Because of how theatrical the show is, others started telling me 'this needs to go to Broadway.' Why not? But what did that mean? Parked in a beautiful Broadway theater we can perfect the sound, the lights, the movement. I thought to myself that this new context might be good- it might bring out the narrative arc a little bit more, to make it just a little more explicit. I asked Alex Timbers, whom I'd worked with twice before on musicals, to help. He brought some original and insightful ideas to the room, ideas I was too close to imagine, and we used those to build on what we had."

Talking Heads singer/songwriter David Byrne has once again teamed up with his Here Lies Love collaborators choreographer Annie-B Parson and production consultant Alex Timbers to stage this theatrical concert, inspired by his #1 album "American Utopia," which has already enjoyed a hugely successful international tour, with more than 150 dates in 27 countries in 2018.

Alongside Mr. Byrne, the cast also includes 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 creative team behind David Byrne's American Utopia features musical direction by Karl Mansfield, lighting design by Rob Sinclair and sound design by Pete Keppler.

The "American Utopia" album was released in March 2018 and became David Byrne's first recording to reach the top spot on the Album Chart, as well as the top 5 on the Billboard 200 chart. The theatrical concert features songs from the album of the same name, alongside earlier hits from Talking Heads and his solo career.

David Byrne's American Utopia Tickets are available now for performances through January 19, 2020.

^{(Photo by Catalina Kulczar)}