When
Friday 29 September 2023, 7pm
Presented by Civic Theatre Newcastle & New Annual
A filmed version of Talking Heads frontman David Byrne's hit 2019 Broadway show of the same name, American Utopia is euphoric, politically engaged concert film from Academy Award-winning director Spike Lee. A showcase for Byrne's distinctive blend of music and ideas that recalls Stop Making Sense in its high-energy display of pure joy and peerless showmanship.
This is a unifying musical celebration that inspires audiences to connect to each other and to the global community.
If Stop Making Sense is a film of awe, David Byrne's American Utopia is a film of ecstasy - the ecstasy of being alive, of creating, of connecting, of hoping, of healing, of uniting. That ecstasy is in every breathless moment of what we're seeing on stage, and every bombastic moment of the filmmaking itself.
The only way this could possibly be better is if you were sitting in the Hudson Theatre yourself - and even then, you might lose the singular magic of this film.
Great art speaks directly to the human soul, tells us that we are seen and that we are all in this together. David Byrne's American Utopia is a celebration of everything that makes us human, and the dream that is what America could be. See it in a cinema, and pray they turn up the sound as loud as they can.
Why you should see this film
You may find yourself in a beautiful cinema, watching a beautiful film. And you may ask yourself, well, how did I get here? Find yourself in another part of the world with this musical extravaganza, which brought down the house as the opening night film of the 2020 Toronto International Film Festival.
Running time 105mins
Recommended for ages 13+