It feels so comfortable and correct to be able to make this art at this level, but we're just following a legacy of innovation in music and performance that's been around for decades but is only now reaching a wider audience. UTOPIA CAST MOVIEI feel like we've always been on to some magical thing that blows the minds of whatever audience we present it to (whether that's on the road, in living rooms, in movie theaters, or on Broadway), but to us, it's just what we do. On Broadway, we have two different lives, one revolving around the show and one with our family duties or any other given activities."Ĭhris Giarmo (vocals/dance): "Getting to return to making music with my American Utopia family feels like coming home. On tour, the connection is really intense because we are forced to live in a traveling circus where we see each other on a daily basis, and that becomes your life. The love we felt towards David Byrne and also the respect and love we have for the whole team that works in the background is required to have this show back up and running. Once we started rehearsals, you could sense the deep love and respect we have within the cast. Over those long 18 months, we kept a bit of chat going among ourselves, but mainly we were cocooned in our own worlds. Somehow, after a long 18-month hiatus and tons of uncertainties brought by the whole pandemic, getting back on the stage feels like we are more connected among ourselves and with the audience. Mauro Refosco (music direction, percussionist): "Getting back to performing live has been nothing short of magical, from the perspective of both the cast and our audience members. That being said, as we've gotten comfier with this new normal from the stage, I've begun to notice when a slight lift of a mask on a face happens, illuminating to me that the smiles are still there! Some things are different while others feel very similar, but what's life without change and growth? I feel grateful to be a part of a show that speaks on world issues like immigration, voting, and Black lives matter, both before and after the year that was 2020." Performing in front of a fully masked crowd is a different energy, a lot of the perceptible body language though a smile is removed. That's not to say that COVID's presence still isn't evident (though hopefully never literally in the theater). Broadway does this, but the same cannot be said for the nature of touring music shows. James Theatre through March 6, 2022.īobby Wooten III (bass): "I feel EXTREMELY fortunate to be in an environment that allows us the ability to perform six shows a week. David Byrne's American Utopia will play at the St. Read on for more reflections from members of the band about their Broadway return. It's a new run in a new theater, but the production still feels as vital and poignant as it did before - same as it ever was, you might say. a tiny bit more diverse - all of which is a dream for me - to reach an audience that maybe isn't already familiar with the songs, but engages with the show and the subjects we address."Īmerican Utopia features Byrne singing songs that span his musical oeuvre with Talking Heads and beyond, as he and the band move constantly around the stage playing "untethered" instruments. That our audience seems to be a little bit younger and 3. They've missed that collective experience. That audiences are thrilled to be out and together again. "It's been wonderful to be back on stage doing this show," Byrne remarked in a statement to EW. When Byrne addressed the audience during a recent performance to say, "Thank you for leaving your homes," he then added, "I used to say that in the old world, and it had a different meaning. James Theatre in New York City.Īmerican Utopia is in many ways the same show that played Broadway in 2019/early 2020, and then was captured by Spike Lee for a filmed version that streamed while the pandemic forced everyone inside their homes, but some parts have taken on new meaning in our current reality. Joan Marcus The cast of 'David Byrne's American Utopia' poses atop the St.
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