David Byrne's American Utopia

Spike Lee documents the former Talking Heads frontman's brilliant timely 2019 Broadway show based on his recent album and tour of the same name.

David Byrne's American Utopia brings the Talking Heads frontman's critically acclaimed Broadway show to the big screen in a one-of-a-kind film directed by Oscar and Emmy-winner Spike Lee.

Recorded during its late 2019 to early 2020 run at Broadway's Hudson Theatre in New York City Byrne is joined by an ensemble of 11 musicians singers and dancers from around the globe inviting audiences into a joyous dreamworld where human connection self-evolution and social justice are paramount.

The special includes performances of songs from Byrne's 2018 solo album of the same name in addition to popular Talking Heads favorites such as "Once in a Lifetime" and "Burning Down the House."

The musical numbers accompanied with brief monologues allows Byrne to address various sociopolitical topics from police brutality immigration climate change to the critical 2020 US election.

RELEASE DATE
Thursday 26th November

DURATION
101 min

RATING
M

CAST
David Byrne

DIRECTOR
Spike Lee

GENRE
Concert

PARTICIPATING CINEMAS
The Astor Theatre Pentridge Cinema Palace Balwyn Palace Cinema Como Palace Dendy Brighton The Kino Palace Westgarth Palace Norton Street Palace Verona Palace Central Palace Byron Bay Palace James St Palace Barracks Palace Electric Cinema Palace Raine Square

palacecinemas.com.au

David Byrne's American Utopia | Official Trailer

Official Trailer | Netflix

REVIEW: David Byrne's American Utopia

David Byrne was front and centre for one of the greatest music concert movies of all time 1984's Stop Making Sense. In those days he was the driving force behind Talking Heads. Now Byrne works in a selfdefined space where the lines between recorded music performance art and cultural commentary are erased moved or blurred as he alone sees fit. It is in this space his most recent crossmedia project ended up enjoying a short sellout run on Broadway in 2019. Luckily just before its close renowned director Spike Lee (Blackkklansman) was tapped to film Byrne's show for posterity. The end result? A brilliant music concert movie in the same exalted company as Stop Making Sense itself. All you see is multi-tasking musician-dancers working through a repertoire of Byrne's solo output and his time with the Heads. However what you feel is a total sensory overload with Lee's cameras moving through around and above the activity onstage with an exemplary eye for detail. Magnificent stuff.

LEIGH PAATSCH Review - HeraldSun