David Byrne received a Special Tony Award for American Utopia proving that awards season isn’t always completely awful.
The 74th Tonys were held yesterday, September 26th, after being delayed from June 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It meant that the awards celebrated plays and musicals from the 2019-2020 season, with the bright lights of Broadway being dimmed for most of the past 18 months.
And as per Stereogum, there was a noteworthy inclusion in the non-competitive special category, with David Byrne being honoured with a Special Tony Award for his 2020 concert film American Utopia. Directed by none other than Spike Lee, the film is a live recording of a Broadway performance of a modified performance of Byrne’s album of the same name. 11 other musicians featured alongside the Talking Heads icon, all performing with wireless or portable equipment.
American Utopia started on Broadway all the way back in October 2019, finishing in February 2020 but the show has since returned to the theatre district just last week. As it wasn’t a proper play or musical, American Utopia was only eligible for a Special Tony Award, given to outstanding productions that don’t fall into any of the competitive categories.
Byrne even got to accept the award in-person at the ceremony but the best part has to be him rocking up to the event in a bright blue suit on his bike. No limousines for this guy.
Even on his way to @TheTonyAwards @DBtodomundo is riding his bike! pic.twitter.com/ijS2JJgVwY
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— Jeremy Wein (@thismyshow) September 26, 2021
Probably nothing says more about the artistic legacy of David Byrne than the fact that he’s now starred in two of the most acclaimed concert films of all time: over three decades before American Utopia, Jonathan Demme directed Stop Making Sense, filming Talking Heads over four nights at Hollywood’s Pantages Theater; Robert Christgau even called it “the finest concert film”.
There was another music-related winner at the Tonys, with Jagged Little Pill, a musical based on Alanis Morissette’s 1995 album of the same name, winning two awards out of 15 nominations.
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Check out the American Utopia trailer:
