American Utopia

I’ll admit, I was underwhelmed when we first streamed American Utopia. From the perspective of a salty old Talking Heads fan, 1984’s Stop Making Sense set the bar impossibly high for subsequent David Byrne concert films. It almost certainly can never be outdone, by Byrne or anyone else for that matter. Held to that standard, American Utopia only stood to disappoint.

As a Broadway show—which, in fact, it is—American Utopia is phenomenal, however. A must see for any Talking Heads enthusiast or music lover passing through Manhattan. Sure, some of the newer Byrne numbers feel like filler alongside reworkings of “Slippery People,” “Once in a Lifetime,” “Born Under Punches,” “Burning Down the House” and the like. But what Broadway show is without its share of forgettable tunes? In the case of American Utopia, you almost need the occasional snoozer to recover from the outpouring of exuberance following a succession of hits. Byrne knows his newer material doesn’t quite hit like the Talking Heads favorites. The crowd knows it too. No one in the theater seems to care, nor should they. Musically and choreographically, American Utopia is without peer. Not to say that it's better than every other stage show, but rather that it successfully carves out a new performance medium on its own terms. The marching-band-turned-samba-turned-rock-band orchestration, the extensive vocal harmonies, and the modern dance that threads throughout are spellbinding to behold.

Go see it. Or just stream it on HBO Max. But if you do, remember to embrace it for the Broadway musical it is. Learn from my mistakes and avoid comparing it to early-80s Talking Heads.