Meyer Sound Powers Dual Broadway Runs of American Utopia

Meyer Sound’s LEOPARD loudspeakers provided an enhanced audio experience for the acclaimed David Byrne’s American Utopia.

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Meyer Sound Powers Dual Broadway Runs of American Utopia

Choreography and Musical Staging by Annie-B Parson + Production Consultant Alex Timbers The Once-In-a-Lifetime Theatrical Event at Broadway’s St. James Theatre (246 West 44th Street) Pictured: David Byrne (center) and the company of American Utopia. Credit: Matthew Murphy © 2019

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A musical epic that defies categorization, David Byrne’s American Utopia has earned acclaim as a Grammy-nominated record album, a sellout concert tour, an HBO film directed by Spike Lee, and as a Tony Award-winning Broadway production in a split run. The first engagement, at the intimate Hudson Theatre, ended its performances in February 2020. A second run at the larger St. James Theatre opened in September 2021. For both American Utopia productions, Meyer Sound provided its LEOPARD line array loudspeakers to anchor the main audio systems.

The Challenge

Visually and aurally, American Utopia is atypical of Broadway. There is no set, and for music, there is no isolated “pit” band relying on click tracks and pre-records. Instead, all music is live on the stage by an ensemble, including Byrne and 12 musicians/vocalists. Six are on percussion and all 12 have vocal mics. Everybody is thus completely mobile using wireless connectivity. This allows for a freeform choreography that blends the fluid movements of Brazilian percussion ensembles with the disciplined formations of American marching bands.

Also Read: Meyer Sound Constellation Transforms Repurposed Concert Hall Venue

Managing the mix on this shifting mosaic of sounds is Pete Keppler, a veteran FOH engineer. Keppler came on board prior to the tour and mixed the shows at outdoor festivals and in venues clustered in the 3,000 to 5,000-seat range. When American Utopia transitioned to the 970-seat Hudson Theatre, Keppler sought a loudspeaker system scaled to a new set of demands.

Setting up the Audio

“There was essentially no room beside the proscenium, and the creative team was adamant that the arrays stay out of sight lines,” says Keppler, who took on the dual role of sound designer and production sound mixer. “I needed a powerful system suited to rock levels but with a slender profile.”

Keppler says he then consulted with the crew at Sound Associates, and they recommended LEOPARD. He adds, “I had heard LEOPARDs before as delays and in some smaller tour venues, and I liked them. I immediately agreed.”

The main hangs at the Hudson were relatively straightforward, with left and right arrays of 12 LEOPARD line array loudspeakers. “That was far more power than I needed, but I needed the array height to cover the vertical,” says Keppler.

The follow-up production at the 1,710-seat St. James Theatre involved more complications as the location of box seats required a split array configuration. This meant six LEOPARD loudspeakers on the lower hang and eight on the upper. Six LEOPARD loudspeakers were set three per side as infills, with ten more as balcony delays. Additionally, eight 900-LFC low-frequency control elements fill out deep bass, while five UPJ-1P and 11 UP Junior loudspeakers were deployed in fill and delay systems. Finally, four Galileo Callisto processors provide system drive and optimization.

“LEOPARD is the best smaller PA I’ve ever had my hands on,” says Keppler. “What I’ve gotten out of it at both the Hudson and the St. James is absolutely wonderful, exactly what I wanted to hear. And I’m also a big fan of the 900 subs. They impress me as being very musical. I can hear the full spectrum of bass notes from keyboard, low guitar strings, and drums tuned to specific notes.”

Installation Success

Keppler expresses his pleasure on the integrated suite of design and optimization tools. “The [Meyer Sound MAPP] modeling software was great. When we set up the system, the coverage went exactly where it was supposed to be. The Galileo processors sound really good, and I love the Compass software. It’s easy, intuitive and boots up on a tablet in seconds. Domonic Sack from Sound Associates did the time alignment, showed me a couple things with it, and I just took it from there.

He also credits Sound Associates as “one of the best sound companies I’ve worked with.” Keppler continues, “Domonic, Peter Fitzgerald, Greg Reif, and Bob Hanlon, along with Matt and Joe Maloney, all greatly contributed to the success of this show.”

Thus, the front-end equipment for the Broadway production includes 70 channels of Shure wireless with Axient digital for microphones and PSM-1000 systems for IEMs. Keppler mixes on a DiGiCo SD10 console equipped with a Waves outboard processing package.

In its review of American Utopia, England’s influential NME stated that Byrne’s stirring epic “may just be the best live show of all time.” A critic’s pick of the New York Times praised the Broadway production as “dazzling, rapturous and jubilant”. Meanwhile, Variety called it “an artistically stunning tour de force.”

David Byrne’s American Utopia received a Special Tony Award in 2021. It closes at the St. James Theatre on April 3, 2022.

Meyer Sound, located in Berkeley, Calif., provides integrated solutions for sound reinforcement, spatial sound and acoustic systems.

Click on “View Slideshow” on upper-right corner for images of the Meyer Sound audio system setup for American Utopia.

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