The other night I attended the opening night of the smash hit musical American Idiot, held here in Los Angeles at downtown’s Ahmanson Theatre (sitting two rows away was Tom Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson, I was dying). I had been wanting to see this show ever since it garnered rave reviews on Broadway and was nominated for a number of Tony Awards back in 2010 including Best Musical (unfortunately it lost out to Memphis). It’s based on the band Green Day‘s 2004 critically-acclaimed concept album of the same name and lent itself to a surprisingly tight stage adaptation. I’ve been to a lot of musicals in my time (nothing beats a live theater experience) but this was hands down one of the most energetic I’ve ever seen, I was very impressed by all the performers, plus the music (connected by a simple storyline about three friends who end up on different life paths) was excellent especially Boulevard of Broken Dreams, 21 Guns and my personal favorite Wake Me Up When September Ends. The show is playing now thru April 22nd, if you’re looking for a fun night out, you seriously can’t go wrong with American Idiot, particularly for those people who might not be huge musical theater connoisseurs, it definitely has something for everyone.
Slinging razor guitars, thundering drums and an anti-hero named Johnny. Not the prelude of typical entries in the canon of musical theatre. But these elements herald a groundbreaking American musical all the same: with the burning passion of characters who yearn for something more, songs bursting with emotion and a story that dares you to feel and celebrate and hope.
The music of Green Day and the lyrics of lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong captured the zeitgeist of a generation with its Grammy® Award-winning multi-platinum album. American Idiot puts those raw emotions front and center in a highly theatrical and thoroughly satisfying rock opera that burns up the stage.
Monster hits like “Boulevard of Broken Dreams”, “21 Guns,” “Wake Me Up When September Ends,” “Holiday” and the title track soar like they were written for the stage under the direction of Tony Award® winner Michael Mayer (Spring Awakening), choreography by Olivier Award winner Steven Hoggett (Black Watch) and music supervision, orchestrations and arrangements by Pulitzer Prize winner Tom Kitt (Next to Normal).
