David Byrne's American Utopia Opens on Broadway October 17 | Playbill

Broadway News David Byrne's American Utopia Opens on Broadway October 17 Previews for the return engagement began September 17 at the St. James Theatre.
David Byrne and cast in David Byrne's American Utopia Matthew Murphy

David Byrne’s American Utopia, which returned to Broadway September 17, officially opens at the St. James Theatre October 17. The acclaimed production received a Special Tony Award at the September 26 Tony Awards ceremony.

Byrne is joined by returning band members Jacquelene Acevedo, Gustavo Di Dalva, Daniel Freedman, Chris Giarmo, Tim Keiper, Tendayi Kuumba, Karl Mansfield, Mauro Refosco, Stéphane San Juan, Angie Swan, and Bobby Wooten III. The company standbys are Renée Albulario, Alena Ciera, Chris Eddleton, Evan Frierson, Abe Nouri, and Natalie Tenenbaum.

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Gustavo Di Dalva, Jacquelene Acevedo, Daniel Freedman, Mauro Refosco, Stéphane San Juan, and Tim Keiper in David Byrne's American Utopia Matthew Murphy

Byrne said in an earlier statement, “It is with great pleasure that finally, after a year+ like no other, I can announce that our show is coming back to Broadway. You who kept the faith, who held on to your tickets, well, you knew this would happen eventually! September 17—remount previews begin. We’re moving to the St. James Theatre—just down 44th Street from the Hudson, where we were before. The stage is a little wider and the capacity is a little bigger—I guess we did alright! Seriously, New York is back, and given all we’ve witnessed, felt and experienced, it is obvious to me that no one wants to go back to a world with everything the way it was—we have an opportunity for a new world here. See you there.”

A limited number of $44 seats for each performance are sold via a digital lottery random drawing powered by Lucky Seat.

The initial run opened October 20, 2019, and continued into 2020. The production recouped its initial $4 million investment in mid-December, 10 weeks after opening.

READ: How David Byrne Redefines the Broadway Concert Experience With American Utopia

Oscar winner Spike Lee filmed the theatrical concert during the tail end of its Broadway run; it premiered on HBO October 17, 2020. The film recently won two Creative Arts Emmy Awards: Lighting Design/Lighting Direction for a Variety Special and Sound Mixing for a Variety Series or Special.

Under the guidance of production consultant Alex Timbers (Moulin Rouge!), the show features lighting design by Rob Sinclair, sound design by Pete Keppler, and musical direction by Karl Mansfield and Mauro Refosco. Annie-B Parson provides choreography and musical staging.

David Byrne’s American Utopia is produced by Kristin Caskey, Mike Isaacson, Patrick Catullo and Todomundo with Hal Luftig, Jonathan Reinis, Shira Friedman, Annapurna Theatre, Elizabeth Armstrong, Thomas Laub, Steven Rosenthal, Erica Lynn Schwartz, Matt Picheny, Steve Traxler, Len Blavatnik, Nonesuch Records, Warner Chappell Music, and Ambassador Theatre Group Productions. Allan Williams serves as executive producer.

 
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