Hey guys, it's Joe. And this is my (self-indulgent, some say)blog.
As a reward for finishing the Marathon, I headed to NYC with Dev and Rachel to see American Idiot. Yes, it's a musical based on Green Day's album of the same name, along with some tracks from "21st Century Breakdown" and an original tune or two thrown in for good measure. Helmed by Michael Mayer (the guy who brought Spring Awakening to life), American Idiot had a regional run last September at the Berkeley Rep in California. Green Day had a pretty big say in creating the show, Billie Joe Armstrong is credited along with Mayer as the book writer, and have seen the show numerous times, including the night we went. I was looking forward to it, it received quite a few good notices in CA and I'd consider myself a casual Green Day fan ("Dookie" was one of the first cd's I owned. I'll admit I wasn't familiar with the entire album, but had heard, and enjoyed, most of it). It was also heralded as the show to beat come awards time. It opened to mixed to positive reviews, including an ever important rave from The New York Times. I had also been checking the website, following it on twitter, saw some pictures, and it looked pretty exciting.
Basic premise: 3 friends, Johnny, Will and Tunny, totally disenchanted with their lives in dead-end Jingletown make a pact to get out and achieve the American dream. Before they even leave, Will's girlfriend is pregnant, and thus stays behind. While they're on the road, Tunney sees a catchy ad for the Military and promises of being America's "Favorite Son" and joins up. Left alone, Johnny turns to drugs and pusher St. Jimmy. Sadness, political commentary and life lessons ensue. The opening number "American Idiot" left me a little skeptical, there was A LOT going on - strobe lights, projections on what seemed like 100 monitors - but it was none the less exhilarating. After the initial jolt of energy, the show settled in nicely and the 90 minutes pretty much flew by. Three things really stuck with me - first, the incredible performances of John Gallagher Jr as Johnny and Stark Sands as Tunny. Yeah, the plot was paper thin (if non-existent) but Gallagher and Sands made you feel for these characters, character development be damned, and actually care about what happened to them. There's a great sequence about half way in that takes place in a military hospital that's stunning, and the last 10 minutes of the show are nothing short of extraordinary. Initially, I hated how it ended, and the last song "Whatshername" seemed tacked on to just try and fit in another song. After thinking about it for a while and listening to the CD a couple more times, I realized that it was the perfect epilogue, and was one of the most thrilling endings to a show I've ever seen. The crowd gave an immediate standing ovation, to which I whole-heartedly agreed with.The second thing that I was most taken with were the orchestrations and arrangements. Tom Kitt, who orchestrated my favorite show last season, Next to Normal, was responsible for fleshing out songs written for guitar, bass and drums into something suitable for a Broadway musical. The vocal arrangements are incredible too. Even if you have the studio album of American Idiot, I encourage you to pick up the cast recording too - it's sensational. I've been playing it for the past month. I think it's a crime that he was overlooked for a Tony nomination for his work, but that's another post for another day.
Finally, Michael Mayer's direction and vision. The attention to detail was out of this world, on everything from the set, video projections to the props. I was honestly expecting a revamp of Spring Awakening, and there were indeed shades of it, but this was completely new and engaging. The way the cast moved around the stage, and the amount of energy the had for the entire 90 minutes - it was exhausting just watching them. I can't possibly imagine doing that 8 times a week. Unfortunately he was egregiously overlooked for a Tony nomination as well, but at least he's in good company.
It's been interesting to see how polarizing the show is - it's either been a love it or hate it, not a whole lot of middle ground. Count me in the "love it" camp. Is it as groundbreaking as some want it to be? Sadly, no, but it's a major leap forward in the genre and introducing an entire new audience to Broadway.
I can count on one hand the number of times I've been speechless after leaving a show. Add American Idiot to that list.
photo courtesy of The Chicago Sun-Times
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