![]() Every time it threatens to stumble off the rails, Byrne's humility brings it back to Earth – or whatever not-quite-Earth Byrne speaks from.Īs a concert film, too, this is compelling. This is a performer who belts out Everybody's Coming to My House as a pro-migrant anthem and interweaves recognisable Talking Heads hits with messages about low voter turnout and bizarre, philosophical meanderings that are just one step away from Lonely Island-a-like Incredible Thoughts silliness. There's a beauty in the way that American Utopia twists this music into a rallying cry. The show is less a focused manifesto than it is a desperate, fractured cry of hope for the future. Byrne's persona, not to mention the energy and flair of his diverse, talented band, manages the transitions effortlessly. One of the tracks is inspired by nonsense poetry and emerges as a series of grunts, while he concludes the show with the Janelle Monae protest song against racial brutality Hell You Talmbout. ![]() Within that space, Byrne is joined by 11 musicians of immense skill and quality, moving freely around Byrne in grey suits of their own and with nary so much as a flip-flop or an ankle sock between them.Īs fans of Byrne and Talking Heads will be able to attest, the sound is unusual and experimental, merging crowd-pleasing pop anthems with avant-garde elements and myriad influences from all over the world. The relatively tight, square stage area is surrounded by hanging tendrils as if representing those brain receptors – or the severed connections between human beings at a time of hate and division. It's a note of optimism for a work-in-progress America, the nation Lin-Manuel Miranda's Alexander Hamilton called a “great unfinished symphony”.īyrne begins the show by waving around a plastic brain as he sings, before describing the way human beings lose brain connections as they get older, pruning the unnecessary to amp up what's needed. Byrne's politics are clear – his union with this particular director is no accident – but this is no empty tirade against Trump. It's a fascinating musing on the world in the 21st century and the challenges, both new and timeless, we face as a human race. This is inspiring, experimental movie-making in which it feels as if you're ascending to a higher plane.įilmed in New York, the movie is a restaged version of Byrne's acclaimed Broadway production, using the music from his 2018 album of the same name. He is surrounded by an ethereal glow as he performs Once in a Lifetime and raises his arms as if beckoning followers forward during the brilliant new track Everybody's Coming To My House. In Spike Lee's filmed version of the former Talking Heads frontman's show American Utopia, the 68-year-old morphs in front of the audience's eyes into a white-haired, barefoot Messiah in a steel-grey suit. Benson moved to New York from London on a Fulbright for Theatre Direction.David Byrne is the deity we never knew we needed. This work has been recognized with six OBIE Awards, three Drama Desk nominations and The New York Times Outstanding Playwriting Award. At Soho Rep, Benson has commissioned and produced work by artists including David Adjmi, Annie Baker, Dan LeFranc, Thomas Bradshaw, Cynthia Hopkins, Jomama Jones, Young Jean Lee, John Jesurun, Nature Theatre of Oklahoma and Anne Washburn. Upcoming: World premiere of Richard Maxwell’s Samara. She has also worked on new plays at the O’Neill Playwrights Conference, New York Stage & Film and New Dramatists. ![]() Other credits include: Gregory Moss’ House of Gold (Woolly Mammoth in Washington, D.C.). New York credits include: David Adjmi’s Elective Affinities (site-specific) Gregory Moss’ Orange, Hat & Grace (Soho Rep) Polly Stenham’s That Face (Manhattan Theatre Club) Sarah Kane’s Blasted (Soho Rep) for which Benson received a Drama Desk nomination and OBIE Award. At the A.R.T.: Futurity, Sophocles’ Ajax. Sarah Benson has been the Artistic Director of Soho Rep since 2007.
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