‘DAVID BYRNE’S AMERICAN UTOPIA’: David Byrne (center) & cast. Photo: Matthew Murphy

DAVID BYRNE’S AMERICAN UTOPIA
Performed by David Byrne & cast
Production consultant Alex Timbers
Choreography & musical staging by Annie-B Parson
St. James Theatre
246 West 44th Street
(877) 250-2929, https://americanutopiabroadway.com/

Editor’s note: This review is from the 2019 production at the Hudson Theatre.

By Scott Harrah

Way back in my university days, there were many “cool” musicians that students at my large Midwestern college admired. However, there was one guy in particular everybody loved listening to: David Byrne of the Talking Heads. He was artsy, edgy and nerdy enough to appeal to the “left-wing liberals” I worked with on the college newspaper, but mainstream enough to be heard at virtually every party on campus. His videos were on MTV all the time and his songs were all over the radio. Everybody loved David Byrne. With his crazy big suits and David Bowie-style whine of a voice, he was that proverbial man all the girls wanted to be with (or so I was told) and all the guys wanted to be. Fast forward more than three decades later, not much has changed. David Byrne, looking great and in fine voice at age 67, is an indie artist for the masses, starring in one of the hottest shows on Broadway in David Byrne’s American Utopia.

Mr. Byrne still wears the funky suits, as do the other 11 musicians and performers on stage, most in their bare feet. The show opens with Mr. Byrne on a stage surrounding by industrial-looking metal curtains. He’s holding a plastic brain and talking about how babies have more “neural connections” than adults, asking if that means babies might be smarter and if we get “stupider” as we age. The stage is bare but what happens over the next 100 minutes is consistently amazing, inspiring and upbeat.

The 11 performers seen and heard with Mr. Byrne include a guitarist, a bassist, two singers who double as dancers, and a variety of percussionists. With clever, innovative and razor-sharp choreography and musical staging by Annie-B Parson, Byrne and company constantly move, with some singing while others play instruments. The show is based on a 2018 album of the same name and, although many of the songs will be unfamiliar to most, it doesn’t matter because American Utopia is all about the experience of seeing 12 people, Byrne included, performing live music without any prerecorded tracks. He even includes a short speech about how everything in the show is live when he introduces his performers.

Mr. Byrne truly delivers when he performs his biggest hits, including “Once in a Lifetime,” “Naive Melody (This Must Be the Place)” and the iconic “Burning Down the House.” He encourages people to get up and dance if they want, despite what fire marshals would say. At the performance I attended, audience members were bopping, clapping and singing along to “Burning Down the House,”a cherished golden oldie and his signature song.

Politics also play a role in the show. A native of Scotland who naturalized as a U.S. citizen years ago, Mr. Byrne says he appreciates immigrants and notes many of his cast are from all over the world. He also discusses working to help register voters in North Carolina in 2016. He notes that the average age of voters in the last election was 57 and most will be dead before the full effects of climate change wreak havoc. He explains that voter registration workers are camped out in the lobby of the Hudson Theatre and can register anyone in any state. In addition, he shines a spotlight on part of the audience, in the orchestra, mezzanine and balcony and states that this is 20 percent of the audience and in local elections, only an average of 20 percent vote. By avoiding voting, people are letting only a fraction of the public decide their fate, he notes. It is a chilling thought but also underscores the zeal and faith Mr. Byrne obviously has regarding today’s youth and their ability to make a difference.

Politics are also part of a cover Mr. Byrne does of Janelle Monae’s song “Hell You Talmbout” for which he said he had to get permission from the artist because he wasn’t sure she wanted a “white man of a certain age” singing the tune, a protest anthem that mentions famous victims of racist violence from Trayvon Martin to Eric Garner. For some reason, Mr. Byrne did not include his classic hit “Psycho Killer,” possibly due to all the mass shootings in America lately, and he knows gun control is such a divisive issue and might make the evening too heavy-handed.

Overall, American Utopia is a celebration of life and Mr. Byrne’s quirky perspectives about the world. Everyone in the cast is in perfect sync, whether they are dancing, singing or playing instruments, and the collective synergy of Mr. Byrne’s company is mind-blowing. Most of his performers were probably either babies or not even born yet when he was doing all his iconic MTV videos back in the 1980s. In a sense, the show is a tribute to the younger generation, giving them hope in these dark days of America.

For the encore, Mr. Byrne and company do a rousing rendition of the 1985 Talking Heads classic “Road to Nowhere,” but in the dynamic 100 minutes of American Utopia, Mr. Byrne shows us that by believing in ourselves and our nation and voting in leaders who care about the planet and ways to advance us as conscientious human beings, the road to the future does not have to lead to “nowhere.” David Byrne believes Americans all have a chance for a better tomorrow, and that’s a trenchant and encouraging notion everyone needs to know right now.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published November 1, 2019
Reviewed at October 30, 2019 press performance.

‘DAVID BYRNE’S AMERICAN UTOPIA’: (from left to right): Daniel Freedman, Bobby Wooten III, Chris Giarmo, David Byrne (center),Tendayi Kuumba & Stéphane San Juan. Photo: Matthew Murphy

‘DAVID BYRNE’S AMERICAN UTOPIA’: (left to right) Mauro Refosco, David Byrne (center) & Gustavo Di Dalva. Photo: Matthew Murphy

‘DAVID BYRNE’S AMERICAN UTOPIA’: The company (left) & (right) David Byrne. Photo: Matthew Murphy

‘DAVID BYRNE’S AMERICAN UTOPIA’: David Byrne (center) & cast. Photo: Matthew Murphy

‘DAVID BYRNE’S AMERICAN UTOPIA’ : (from left to right): Jacquelene Acevedo, David Byrne, Mauro Refosco, Chris Giarmo, Angie Swan & Bobby Wooten III. Photo: Matthew Murphy.

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‘HEAD OVER HEELS’: Taylor Iman Jones & the company. Photo: Joan Marcus

HEAD OVER HEELS
Songs by The Go-Go’s
Based on The Arcadia by Sir Philip Sidney
Conceived & Original Book by Jeff Whitty
Adapted by James Magruder
Music supervision, orchestrations & arrangements by Tom Kitt
Choreographed by Spencer Liff
Directed by Michael Mayer
The Hudson Theatre
141 West 44th Street
(855) 801-5876
www.HeadOverHeelsTheMusical.com

By Scott Harrah

Being an aging Generation X member and a longtime Go-Go’s fan, I was initially thrilled when I heard about Head Over Heels, thinking it would be a fun chronicle of the ups and downs of Belinda Carlisle, Jane Wiedlin, Kathy Valentine and the rest of the L.A. all-female rock group from the 1980s. When I later realized the show is a jukebox musical featuring Go-Go’s music and a story based on Sir Philip Sidney’s obscure Elizabethan story The Arcadia, my expectations were low indeed. A tale set in a mythical land with a royal family facing the threat of its beloved “beat” sounds like an absurd premise for a jukebox musical showcasing the iconic hits of the most successful female rock band ever, but naysayers and skeptics beware: The show grows on you if you simply go along with it and accept it for nothing other than the mindless, splashy entertainment it is.

Brought to us by musical supervisor Tom Kitt, choreographer Spencer Liff, book writer Jeff Whitty and director Michael Mayer–the creative team behind such Broadway blockbusters as Hedwig and the Angry Inch and American Idiot, Spring Awakening and Avenue Q—Head Over Heels is a mixture of a 17^th century romance with gender-bending characters that often speak in Shakespearean iambic pentameter.

The plot revolves around the King of Arcadia, Basilus (Jeremy Kushnier) and Queen Gynecia (Rachel York) reigning over an ancient kingdom, along with their younger daughter Philocea (Alexandra Socha). The younger princess is romantically involved with a shepherd, Musidorus (Andrew Durand). Their older daughter Pamela (Bonnie Milligan) has a secret. The kingdom’s future is threatened when the non-binary Pythio, the Oracle of Delphi (Peppermint), unleashes a prophecy of doom.

Such Go-Go’s classics as “We Got the Beat,” “Vacation,” “Our Lips Are Sealed,” “Turn to You” and “Lust to Love,” along with the Belinda Carlisle solo hits “Mad About You” and “Heaven is a Place on Earth,” are woven into the wacky narrative of changing genders, revolution in the monarchy and sexual discovery.  The story’s humor is sometimes riddled with corny visual puns, such as the choreography for “Mad About You” when dancers are dressed as sheep. Get it? Ewes.

The show is a colorful mess, thanks to winning period costumes by Arianne Phillips and Spencer Liff’s frenetic choreography.

Some of the cast members are also refreshing. Jeremy Kushnier, Andrew Durand and Rachel York give good but mostly serviceable performances, and Peppermint as Pythio primarily serves up the boilerplate camp that made her (or they?) famous on “RuPaul’s Drag Race.” The true standouts here are the winning Bonnie Milligan as Pamela, the brash and zaftig young princess who gets many of the laughs, as well as Taylor Iman Jones as her gal pal Mopsa. Both Ms. Milligan and Ms. Jones are a sheer delight whenever they are onstage.

In comparison to some of the dreadful jukebox musicals recently, from the inane Escape from Margaritaville (featuring Jimmy Buffett songs) to the factually challenged Summer: The Donna Summer Musical, Head Over Heels is a vast improvement for the genre. Perhaps an escapist tale with Go-Go’s songs, full of characters exploring nonconformity and sexual freedom, is exactly the tonic needed in these troubled times.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published August 3, 2018
Reviewed at August 2, 2018 press performance.

‘HEAD OVER HEELS’: Rachel York & Jeremy Kushnier & the company. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘HEAD OVER HEELS’: Peppermint (center) & the ensemble. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘HEAD OVER HEELS’: Tom Alan Robbins & Jeremy Kushnier. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘HEAD OVER HEELS’: Andrew Durand & Alexandra Socha. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘HEAD OVER HEELS’: The ensemble. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘HEAD OVER HEELS’: The company. Photo: Joan Marcus

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‘THAT GOLDEN GIRLS SHOW! A PUPPET PARODY’: Rose, Dorothy & Blanche enjoy cheesecake. Photo: Russ Rowland

THAT GOLDEN GIRLS SHOW!
A PUPPET PARODY
Created & directed by Jonathan Rockefeller
Puppet creation & puppetry direction by Joel Gennari
Through December 31, 2016
DR2 Theatre
103 East 15th Street
800-745-3000, http://www.thatgoldengirlsshow.com/

By Scott Harrah

One doesn’t have to be a fan of “The Golden Girls,” the classic 1980s TV sitcom about four sassy older women in Miami, to appreciate this “puppet parody” of the show, but it helps.  This hilarious one act is more like a tribute to the aging best friends and roommates than a bona fide send-up because many of the classic one-liners are literally lifted from actual episodes, but nothing in creator/director Jonathan Rockefeller’s delightful puppet version is meant to be taken as serious theater.  As a puppet paean to four of TV’s most beloved comic icons, it definitely works, and is the perfect escape anyone looking for laughs this holiday season.

Many of the trademarks of the show are lovingly depicted here in David Goldstein’s kitschy set, from the gaudy 1980s pastels, floral prints and wicker furniture to the kitchen where countless cheesecakes are shared amongst the geriatric “girls.” Just like in the mega-hit Avenue Q, the puppeteers are all visible on stage, bringing the colorful characters to life. There’s, of course, quick-witted octogenarian widow Sophia (Emmanuelle Zeeman) and her dry-humored divorcée daughter Dorothy (Michael LaMasa); sex-crazed, self-absorbed Southern belle Blanche (Cat Greenfield); and simple-minded nitwit Rose (Arlee Chadwick), the lovable former Minnesotan who can’t stop telling her endless, annoying St. Olaf stories.  The only non-puppet character here is Dorothy’s “yutz” of an ex-husband, Stanley (Zach Kononov).

Much like many in the classic “Golden Girls” episodes, the plot in That Golden Girls Show! A Puppet Parody is paper-thin. Suffice it to say (without giving too much away), Stanley has returned to ex-wife Dorothy with a promise of newfound riches (a recurring storyline in the actual show).

There’s another reason to see the show other than to laugh at tried-and-true ”Golden Girls” one-liners: The amazing onstage puppetry of the gifted cast, with their exaggerated facial expressions and spot-on vocal impersonations of the real-life actresses that played the original “girls” back in the day.  The two biggest standouts are Mr. LaMasa, who replicates Bea Arthur’s inimitable, domineering Dorothy with winning zeal; and Cat Greenfield’s sultry, madcap camp take on Rue McClanahan’s over-the-top Blanche.

The show’s self-referential skewering of episodic TV and gleeful celebration of the cult following of “Golden Girls” in syndication are perhaps more solid than the production itself.  At times, it really does seem like we’re watching an extended version of several classic episodes from 30 years ago with raunchier language, but so what?  That Golden Girls Show! A Puppet Parody is so much mindless fun it deserves—like the real Bea, Rue, Betty and Estelle in syndication—to run forever.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published November 14, 2016
Reviewed at press performance on November 13, 2016

Scenes & outtakes from That Golden Girls Show! A Puppet Parody

via GIPHY

via GIPHY

via GIPHY

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