Optimism with a Call to Action: 'David Byrne's American Utopia

This review originally appeared on The Broadway Blog.

"Fifty Shades of Grey" takes on an entirely new meaning in "David Byrne's American Utopia," a theatrical concert inspired by his 2018 album of the same name and now featuring a globally sourced ensemble of musicians, singers and dancers.

Fans of Byrne's nearly 50-year career are flocking to the Hudson Theatre to see the Grammy winner (for the score of "The Last Emperor"), and what they'll find is a charming theatrical take on Byrnian philosophy.

"These songs don't describe this imaginary and possibly impossible place," Byrne describes in his description of the album, "but rather they attempt to describe the world we live in now – and that world, when we look at it, as we live in it, as it impacts on us – immediately commands us to ask ourselves – is there another way? A better way? A different way?"

His sense of humor peeks throughout the percussion-heavy score, with political nods both subtle and assertive:

I see the states, across this big nation
I see the laws made in Washington, D.C.
I think of the ones I consider my favorites
I think of the people that are working for me

Byrne, born in Scotland, then arriving in the U.S. with his family by way of Canada, recognizes that the American Dream is not without a price. Throughout the evening, he calls the audience to action, encouraging all to register to vote in the lobby through a collaboration with HeadCount.