Broadway Review: David Byrne’s ‘American Utopia’ Is an Artistically Stunning – and Surprisingly Political – Tour de Force

One constant of David Byrne’s long and prolific career is his ability to grow a seemingly simple idea into something brilliant, whether it’s the melody of “Road to Nowhere” or the concept of the “Stop Making Sense” tour some 36 years ago, where the concept of bringing out nine musicians, one at a time per song, grew into one of the most iconic tours in modern music history. What is perhaps most remarkable is his ability to keep coming up new ideas that seem obvious, but obviously aren’t.

To that end, the concept underpinning “American Utopia,” his 16-week Broadway show that officially launched Sunday, is equally simple in theory: A completely bare stage with “untethered” performers, bound by no wires or stationary equipment, moving more or less constantly throughout the show. As he described the concept to the audience at the Hudson Theater on Wednesday night, “It’s just us — and you.”