American Idiot Musical (Theatrical Production)

[J'net]

Hey again everyone - so I saw the show on the 17th from Row L and then on the 20th from Row A. I just got back from San Francisco last night around 11pm, and I'm at work now, but when I'm home later, I will construct something that resembles a review/opinions/thoughts/criticisms, etc and post it here. I absolutely loved it though, though I think I was far too tired to completely enjoy it on the 17th (I had been awake for 20+ hours). I'm really hoping it transfers to New York. And I just have to give a shout out to Tony [Vincent] who was probably one of the best in the cast and portrayed St. Jimmy exactly as I'd imagined him.

I'll be looking forward to reading your thoughts about the show (and I agree about Tony Vincent).

[Guest Shangri-La]

This is pretty freakin' awesome: http://networkedblogs.com/p12465533

[J'net]

This is pretty freakin' awesome: http://networkedblogs.com/p12465533

Wow, I would have loved to see that exhibition while I was there!!!

[sundaymorning6am]

DISCLAIMER: There are probably SPOILERS in here - I just can't figure out how to make the background black.

So, I saw American Idiot twice in the last five days. I thought it was awesome; absolutely awesome. I love Green Day and I love theatre – putting them together was a dream-come-true for me. I’ve seen a lot of the cast in other things (I’ll put those in parentheses). The first show (the 17th) was full cast, the second (matinee of the 20th) had one understudy, Omar Lopez-Cepero for one of the ensemble members (he was great, and absolutely adorable). Here are my thoughts:

Well, everyone has been asking me since I saw it, “is there really a story??” and having only listened to the CD, sung all by Billie Joe (save for Tre’s one brief song), it’s extremely hard to tell there is a story. I remember trying to write the book to American Idiot and I couldn’t decipher characters at all, aside from a main character and St. Jimmy. Seeing it onstage though, with different characters singing parts of the songs, gave the show an incredible life and a definite plot. I was also incredibly excited because I’ve seen many of the cast in multiple other roles. The little bits of dialogue they added in helped immensely too. Anyways.

The set: It’s incredible, and it’s huge. Not terribly complicated, but it’s awe-inspiring because it’s so high (I also have to think the musicians hazard pay is awesome because of how high up some of them sit – I wouldn’t doubt that they’re harnessed in up there). It’s an extremely minimal, but 100% effective.

Choreography: I felt the choreography in “City of the Damned” (during the “Hey!” parts) was extremely cheesy. In fact, the first time, I thought a lot of the choreography was really repetitive and kind of cheesy. The second time though, I appreciated some of it. I really took a liking to the choreography in “I Don’t Care.” (the hand-on-the-shoulder-slap thing.) And yes, a lot of the choreography was extremely similar to that of Spring Awakening (“Boulevard of Broken Dreams,” “Before the Lobotomy,” all of the hand gestures are unmistakably reminiscent of Spring Awakening), but it was all appropriate. I usually hate the use of projections in theatre, but I loved the moving back drop of the city in “Boulevard of Broken Dreams,” it added another level of emotional depth. The choreography for “Before the Lobotomy II” was reminiscent of Julie Taymors’ in “Across the Universe” in “I Want You”… Anyone else?

Some Comments on the Songs: I loved the staging and basically everything about “Holiday,” a long time favorite song of my on the album. I especially love what Theo Stockman did with the “Zeig Heil” part. I loved when they brought down the part of the set that John Gallgher was standing on (the first time I had no idea how they did it), and when they used it as a bus.

Another favorite number was “St. Jimmy,” like I said before, and it’s also another favorite song of mine. It was energetic, mind-blowing, and loud – everything that I’d imagined. Tony Vincent (previously seen in Rent, Jesus Christ Superstar) is just unbelievable. I’ve been a fan of his for about ten years, and this is just the best I’ve ever seen him. I love his duet with Rebecca Naomi Jones (previously seen in Passing Strange), “Last Night on Earth.” I also love that he sang “Know Your Enemy.” He really wailed the high note in the middle of the song. If you hate vibrato, I can see how you can hate his voice, but come on, it’s so pretty.

“Letterbomb”: I love that the girls sang this! Rebecca Naomi-Jones nailed it and they turned it into a kick-ass girl power song (kind of). (Choreography is a bit cheesy though.)

“Extraordinary Girl”: Such an awesome concept and staging – very mysterious and interesting, though Caplan looks kind of asinine in a harness. Christina Sajous does a beautiful rendition of the song.

“Wake Me Up When September Ends”: It was really beautiful, lots of beautiful harmonies, and it was really [again] emotionally gripping. The paper falling at the end, I didn’t think signified 9/11 so much as it did the vast majority of the population getting back to a daily grind of “pushing paper” daily.

Directional comment: Michael Mayer did the same thing at the end of Spring Awakening, the second the last song, he made feel like it would be the last song. And honestly, “Homecoming” does feel like it should be the end so I was afraid of how he would work these last two songs so that they wouldn’t feel disjointed (like in Spring Awakening). Fortunately, he somehow made it work much better here.

“Homecoming”: I loved Vincent’s voice in this, again, of course, but just like on the CD, it brought the whole show together. I also love Stockman’s voice in “East 12th Street.”

“Whatshername” just gave me chills. That’s it. It was beautiful. It was a beautifully choreographer reminder of everything we’d seen through-out the show with amazing harmonies and beautiful emotional reflection from John Gallagher Jr.

Orchestrations & Arrangements: Hat tip to Mr. Kitt for once again orchestrating beautiful music. I’ve always been a big fan of harmonies, and he just took what was on the CD and made it even better (I’ll have them all in my head for quite some time). He added some really great parts to end some of the songs so there’s a big button – it was awesome. At the post-show Q&A, one audience member asked what they think when they hear Green Day on the radio and Gerard Canonico responded, “I think, hey, we sing that! And then I also think, That’s not how it goes!” I’m probably going to think the “that’s not how it goes!” thought for a while.

The Cast: The cast is all-around fantastic. John Gallagher Jr. (previously seen in Spring Awakening) can sing, but it’s his brilliant acting ability that makes him such an amazing performer.

Other cast members who pull of rock edginess while still sounding beautifully theatre-esque: Tony Vincent, Brian Charles Johnson (previously seen in Spring Awakening), Rebecca Naomi Jones, Andrew Call (previously seen in High Fidelity, Glory Days), Theo Stockman (previously seen in Hair), Alysha Umpress (I’ve worked with her on a few benefit concerts in New York), and Michael Esper (Jesus, what a beautiful vibrato he has even while singing rock!).

The rest of the leads and ensemble were all equally as amazing, but I had to make those few special mentions.

The only cast member that I had issues with is an actor I usually have issues with, Matt Caplan (previously seen in Rent and High Fidelity [music also by Tom Kitt]). His voice was the best in “Before the Lobotomy” but I generally think his voice is extremely whiny. I always want to like him, but I never do. Apparently Ben Thompson, I believe, played his role in the workshop that was done in the winter, and dear god, I wish he would play it again.

I got most of the cast to sign one of the posters after, and I’d forgotten how chatty Gallagher was. And Mary Faber was extremely surprised that I’d seen her in “SLUT! The Musical” back in the day. After the second time I saw it, I looked on the stage as I walked past and one of the fake syringe needles was laying there – so I took it as a souvenir. Haha.

So, those were my very long-winded, very theatrical thoughts. For pictures, click here! (Yes, that is a shamless plug for my blog to get hits. I admit it.)

[J'net]

DISCLAIMER: There are probably SPOILERS in here - I just can't figure out how to make the background black.

To block out spoilers, you can just select the text you want to block and then click on Insert: SPOILER to the left (OR) you can type in the spoiler inserts yourself. Just put the word spoiler inside square brackets [] at the beginning of the section you want to block out. Then put /spoiler in square brackets at the end of that text. If this doesn't make total sense, let me know, and I'll give you some help.

Thanks for sharing all these thoughts! I love hearing everyone's perspectives on the show.

[sundaymorning6am]

To block out spoilers, you can just select the text you want to block and then click on Insert: SPOILER to the left (OR) you can type in the spoiler inserts yourself. Just put the word spoiler inside square brackets [] at the beginning of the section you want to block out. Then put /spoiler in square brackets at the end of that text. If this doesn't make total sense, let me know, and I'll give you some help.

Thanks for sharing all these thoughts! I love hearing everyone's perspectives on the show.

How do I edit my post?

[J'net]

How do I edit my post?

Click the Edit button on the bottom of the post you want to edit. Then to insert spoilers, you can just choose Quick Edit. Let me know ... if you should need some help .

[sundaymorning6am]

Call me an asshole but there's no button at the bottom that says 'Edit'!

[J'net]

Call me an asshole but there's no button at the bottom that says 'Edit'!

Hmmmm ... maybe it's because you haven't been on the forum long enough. Certain things only kick in after you've made 100 posts. I'll check for you. And if that's the case, be prepared to tell me what you want to edit, and I'll take care of it for you.

[GDM]

Is anyone going to the Friday, September 25th show?

If so, let me know. I'd love to meet up.

I might also try and see if there are matinee tickets on Sunday, but not sure about that.

[sallysimpson]

DISCLAIMER: There are probably SPOILERS in here - I just can't figure out how to make the background black.

So, I saw American Idiot twice in the last five days. I thought it was awesome; absolutely awesome. I love Green Day and I love theatre – putting them together was a dream-come-true for me. I’ve seen a lot of the cast in other things (I’ll put those in parentheses). The first show (the 17th) was full cast, the second (matinee of the 20th) had one understudy, Omar Lopez-Cepero for one of the ensemble members (he was great, and absolutely adorable). Here are my thoughts:

. . . .

So, those were my very long-winded, very theatrical thoughts. For pictures, click here! (Yes, that is a shamless plug for my blog to get hits. I admit it.)

Fabulous review. It's always interesting to hear others' thoughts and comments. I'm eager to see how it changes once it gets to Broadway.

Edited September 23, 2009 by sallysimpson

[leacalifornia]

My friend and I were planning on flying up there for a weekend to see it.....

Then we just figured maybe it'll do well and come somewhere closer....

*ahem* LA!

does anyone think they'll do shows outside Berkeley eventually??

[GDM]

Just a general announcement for anyone in Berkeley... Paulina and I are meeting for dinner at Rudy's at 5 on Friday (9/25) if anyone wants to come by and have dinner!

[LilyMarie]

Huge thanks to Zoe for the program thingy! That was really sweet of you!

[miss_ing]

a couple more reviews are out!

http://www.eastbayexpress.com/artsculture/...ent?oid=1199070

http://www.sfweekly.com/2009-09-23/music/a...-narrative-arc/

http://www.starksilvercreek.com/2009/09/am...y-broadway.html

i don't know many of you yet, so feel a bit cheeky to ask this, but i saw that they have released a 32 page souvenir book and wondered if anyone who is perhaps living in the bay area and seeing the show regularly would have time to pick me up a copy of it? i'm not going to have an opportunity to see this show myself (being that i live in the UK), so would be eternally grateful to anyone who would take pity on me - paypal waiting.

-ing x

[GDM]

a couple more reviews are out!

http://www.eastbayexpress.com/artsculture/...ent?oid=1199070

http://www.sfweekly.com/2009-09-23/music/a...-narrative-arc/

http://www.starksilvercreek.com/2009/09/am...y-broadway.html

i don't know many of you yet, so feel a bit cheeky to ask this, but i saw that they have released a 32 page souvenir book and wondered if anyone who is perhaps living in the bay area and seeing the show regularly would have time to pick me up a copy of it? i'm not going to have an opportunity to see this show myself (being that i live in the UK), so would be eternally grateful to anyone who would take pity on me - paypal waiting.

-ing x

I'm going to PM you.

[Tripe]

sundaymorning! Loved your review. It's great to read things from both a theater and Green Day fan's perspective. Thanks so much for that.

[J'net]

a couple more reviews are out!

http://www.eastbayexpress.com/artsculture/...ent?oid=1199070

http://www.sfweekly.com/2009-09-23/music/a...-narrative-arc/

http://www.starksilvercreek.com/2009/09/am...y-broadway.html

-ing x

Hahaha - after all our discussion about Extraordinary Girl, I think it's hilarious that this rather negative review includes this paragraph:

Still, ‘American Idiot’ has several things going for it. The aforementioned energy is infectious, especially during the opening. Actors jump around, whoop it up, leap off objects, smash televisions, and, of course, punk out. Scaffolding is pushed over and cleverly transforms into a bus. A high wire act with an angel floating above hospital beds during “Extraordinary Girl” delivers the wow factor.

[simone18]

i guess it isn´t possible to scan the pages of the book?

[MassHysteria]

i guess it isn´t possible to scan the pages of the book?

There is no need, the program is in PDF form right here:

http://www.berkeleyrep.org/season/0910/pdf/program-ai.pdf

Unless of course you mean the special edition program. That is just full of photos from the show, most of which are already available online.

[simone18]

There is no need, the program is in PDF form right here:

http://www.berkeleyrep.org/season/0910/pdf/program-ai.pdf

Unless of course you mean the special edition program. That is just full of photos from the show, most of which are already available online.

i meant the 32 page souvenir book miss_ing was asking for.

i would be interested as well but i´m too ashamed to ask someone, cause i don´t know anyone here.

[MassHysteria]

i meant the 32 page souvenir book miss_ing was asking for.

i would be interested as well but i´m too ashamed to ask someone, cause i don´t know anyone here.

Well, I would scan mine, but it's currently at my mom's, she won't let it out of her sight now that it has Billie's sig. As I said, it's mainly photos. I don't remember all the photos that are in there, I do remember this one (that many of you have already seen) being the back cover:

[MassHysteria]

Another review/coverage article:

http://www.diablomag.com/D-blog/Petes-Popc...American-Idiot/

I really like this part:

Tré: "Hey, you guys put us on the cover and didn't tell us. So, I'm walking through the grocery store and this MILF comes up to me and has a copy of Diablo and says, 'Will you sign my magazine?'...I said, 'F*** yeah!' "

[J'net]

Another review/coverage article:

http://www.diablomag.com/D-blog/Petes-Popc...American-Idiot/

I really like this part:

Tré: "Hey, you guys put us on the cover and didn't tell us. So, I'm walking through the grocery store and this MILF comes up to me and has a copy of Diablo and says, 'Will you sign my magazine?'...I said, 'F*** yeah!' "

That was a really good read (with a few typos/mistakes). I quite enjoyed it. It's so interesting the way everyone has their own perceptions. Some people love one part that other people hate and vice versa. It's all fascinating to me. I just want to go see the show again !!!!!

[MassHysteria]

That was a really good read (with a few typos/mistakes). I quite enjoyed it. It's so interesting the way everyone has their own perceptions. Some people love one part that other people hate and vice versa. It's all fascinating to me. I just want to go see the show again !!!!!

Agreed! If I had the money, I'd go see it every Saturday.