On October 4, 2019, performer-composer David Byrne, with 11 musician, opened American Utopia at the Hudson Theatre in previews. The show garnered raves, officially opened on October 20, closed on February 16, 2020 and was scheduled to return in September 2021. Of course, the corona virus pandemic put an end to that design. But now we have the film version, and another chance to catch this remarkable show. For those with HBO or access to it, the consensus is more raves.
American Utopia is based on Byrne’s 2018 CD of the same name. The film version has been adapted from the stage by filmmaker Spike Lee, who shot the movie in February with a live audience and a dozen cameras. The movie records Byrne and company—all barefoot and identically clothed in closely-tailored shark-gray suits and shirts—perform 20 songs on a nearly bare stage using a minimum of props. Byrne speaks of this and that between many of the musical numbers.
To quote Manohla Dargis in The New York Times: “Some filmed stage shows die on the screen from a sheer lack of visual energy and invention. Lee, a master of the art, uses cinema’s plasticity to complement this production, making it come alive in two dimensions. Using a variety of camera angles — the first image is an overhead shot of Byrne — Lee shows you parts of the show that normally only the theater crew would see. At other times, when a camera dives in alongside the musicians and dancers, you fluidly transform into one of the cast and begin grooving to the syncopated beat.”
David Byrne’s American Utopia. Not rated. Running time: 1 hour 45 minutes on HBO and HBO Max.
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