Inside the Broadway Premiere of David Byrne’s American Utopia

“What is your utopia?” reads a sign above the entrance into the vast Hudson Theater. For some on Sunday night, the answer could be found just behind the theater doors, where a star-studded Broadway premiere of David Byrne’s American Utopia was underway.

In the production, The Talking Heads frontman and guitarist is backed by a motley crew of 11 musicians, singers, and dancers of diverse ages and ethnicities—all of whom perform barefoot in gray suits dreamt up by Byrne and made into a reality by master tailor and Brooklynite Martin Greenfield. Maggie Gyllenhaal, Darren Aronofsky, Florence Welch, Elvis Costello, and Vogue’s Anna Wintour were among those in attendance, rocking out to tracks from Byrne’s 2018 studio album along with new-wave Talking Heads songs, such as “Don’t Worry About the Government” and “Burning Down the House.”

Many showgoers dressed the part in ensembles with a rock and roll edge. Take Tony-winning actress Lena Hall, who suited up in an all-black Malan Breton tuxedo paired with a Saint Laurent clutch and a red statement lip. “I’m going for a very minimalist, monochromatic look,” she said. “I wanted classic chic—something that never goes out of style.” Hall, who was seeing American Utopia for the third time, praised the show for its raw, stripped-down appeal. “The coolest thing about it is its simplicity—you wouldn’t think something so simple could hold your attention, but it really does,” she added. “Sometimes, pure minimalism is the only way to go.”

Meanwhile, actor-slash-director John Cameron Mitchell hit a graphic note in a houndstooth Rag Bone bomber jacket and a black-and-white checked tie made to match his signature streaked coiffeur. “David Byrne is a real hero of mine,” Mitchell said moments before the curtain went up. “He’s kind of like the Chrysler Building. He’s always just so and seems to age not at all.”

Several of the show’s songs had the entire theater on their feet, and the revelry continued at Second for the after-party. As the evening wore on, it was the rock soundtrack that had guests boogying—and burning down the house—late into the night.