David Byrne: American Utopia

MUSIC / DANCE / THEATER
WEDNESDAY – SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 5 – 9, 2020 (continuing through FEBRUARY 16)
8:00 PM WEDNESDAY – FRIDAY
5:30 & 9:00 PM SATURDAY
3:00 PM SUNDAY

Hudson Theatre
141 West 44th Street, Midtown, Manhattan

$86-$449
https://americanutopiabroadway.com/

I suppose it's time to remove the stick from my ass about this show.  If David Byrne and Annie-B Parson were collaborating on an extravaganza production at, say, Skirball Center, or Peak Performances in Montclair, I'd almost certainly List it.  So just because this is on Broadway, that's no reason to disregard it, right?  OTOH, although I try to keep my recommendations price-blind, if this were at Skirball or Peak Performances, the prices wouldn't hover around $300 for decent but not top tickets.  Is it worth paying $300 to see this when you can see Caroline Shaw for $40 or A Hunger Artist for $35 — and even The Mother of Us All tops out at $145?  I certainly wouldn't have dreamed of spending whtever the then-equivalent of $300 was to see the Talking Heads when they were in their absolute prime.  I'm on the fence, then.  But if you want to spend a few hundred dollars to see superannuated '70s/'80s pop avant-garde, don't let me stop you.

MAKE A NIGHT OF IT:  It's surprising how good Theater District Italian standby Osteria del Doge is, considering how bad you'd assume it to be.