"American Idiot" Musical Tour

[BillieJoeObsesser]

Isn't the closing show actually at 2pm? I didn't see tickets for a 7pm show. Did I miss something?

You ate right. The closing is at 2pm.

[omahgawditskatie]

My best friend is getting me tickets for the April 15th show in Los Angeles, and I've never been to a play/musical before. We plan on going to the 6:30pm showing. What kind of clothing is appropriate? I know for this type of musical it's less formal, but I don't know how formal, if at all, I need to be. I was thinking a black and grey striped sweater dress with black tights and black suede boots with something like 2 inch heels.

Edited December 27, 2011 by omahgawditskatie

[Lindsay]

I'm showing up in jeans for the Toronto show.

[Tripe]

My best friend is getting me tickets for the April 15th show in Los Angeles, and I've never been to a play/musical before. We plan on going to the 6:30pm showing. What kind of clothing is appropriate? I know for this type of musical it's less formal, but I don't know how formal, if at all, I need to be. I was thinking a black and grey striped sweater dress with black tights and black suede boots with something like 2 inch heels.

That will be fine! Some people dress up a lot for the theater, others come in very casual attire. Like you said, the audience for this musical is generally less formal, so you will see a wide variety and no one will look cross eyed at anyone else's clothing choices. If it's like on Broadway, you will see jeans and t-shirts alongside dresses and skirts. I don't think I ever saw really formal clothing like tuxes and evening gowns there.

If you're in the balcony seats of many theaters, high heels are Not Your Friend - the steps can be quite steep.

[jetsrule128]

new blog from Nicci

I looked it up online. You can't technically "throw" your back "out", but I think I did what is commonly referred to as "throwing your back out". I also did something to my neck about a week ago... I think I need to stop whistling in the wings (it's bad luck in theatre...)

If you haven't seen on my twitter or facebook fan page yet, I am now the blonde in the cast! It's going to take some getting used to, but I don't think I would have ever done it otherwise so I'm enjoying it. As Gabe said, the cast is slowly but surely transforming into misfits. The guyliner and hair dye has done a lot to progress that transformation.

Anyhow. We were fortunate to have two previews in Utica this week before our mini holiday break. None of us were really sure how many people were going to make it out to the show, but we were all pleasantly surprised by the large houses filled with tons of awesome and supportive fans. That took our adrenaline levels up immensely, and I think that's maybe why I hurt my back. With all that excitement it's hard not to want to go full throttle the whole show. I hate to say it but with a show like this I'm gonna guess we'll get quite a bit of stuff like this. It's about an hour and a half of non-stop sweating and singing and kicking theatrical ass. After our first "show" we had a party in the hotel lobby with pizza and an open bar provided by our production company. We also did a secret santa thing, and I got the most amazing back/neck massager from Larkin! I have a feeling that is going to come in handy a lot.

Our second show was great! It gets pretty crazy back stage, but everything sounded and looked awesome and my personal show went very well. I had given some comp tickets away to one of my twitter followers because I didn't know anyone in the area and she gave me a thank you card after the show! That was pretty sweet. These idiot fans are the best.

Now it's time to head back to Los Angeles for a quick Christmas. I'm planning on swapping out clothes for warm stuff, eating delicious food, and staying in bed as much as possible. We have a big week next week, with press events, more previews, opening night, and a performance on Canadian television on NYE. Not to mention shopping

I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday! xo

The lovely and talented Johanna McKeon and Lorin Lotarro

[Bastard of 1967]

new blog from Kelvin

This cast SO gets the point. Gonna be an awesome tour. "Love happened here"...again!

My best friend is getting me tickets for the April 15th show in Los Angeles, and I've never been to a play/musical before. We plan on going to the 6:30pm showing. What kind of clothing is appropriate? I know for this type of musical it's less formal, but I don't know how formal, if at all, I need to be. I was thinking a black and grey striped sweater dress with black tights and black suede boots with something like 2 inch heels.

You should be just fine with that. Both times when I saw the show on Broadway I wore slacks and a nice sweater topped off with a pair of Chucks.

[mallorymaloney]

My best friend is getting me tickets for the April 15th show in Los Angeles, and I've never been to a play/musical before. We plan on going to the 6:30pm showing. What kind of clothing is appropriate? I know for this type of musical it's less formal, but I don't know how formal, if at all, I need to be. I was thinking a black and grey striped sweater dress with black tights and black suede boots with something like 2 inch heels.

I'm going to one of the Toronto shows tonight, and I'm gonna be wearing this, minus the shoes and glasses:

So I think you're good!

[Freezing Melons]

Yea, I will be there tonight, I'm very stoked. probably going to wear the same green day shirt ive worn to the concerts I've seen, maybe a Green Day hat, we shall see. I'm very excited though.

[Lindsay]

Have fun everyone who is going tonight! So excited to see it on the 3rd!!

[Tripe]

Hope everyone who saw the show tonight in Toronto posts about their experience here. I'm especially curious to hear from those of you who saw it on Broadway or Berkeley too, and how the cast and production differed. Hope it was great!

[pasalaska]

So close to seeing it now, oh my.

Curious to know if there's any new merch.

[Freezing Melons]

Just saw the show tonight. It was amazing. The cast was so great. It was very interesting comparing them to the New York cast. I've been in a few small productions so ive seen how tight casts can get in a difference of months, so I am very excited for all the potential this cast has to offer. They were great, funny, loud, and just flat out awesome. I'm really hoping to get another pair of tickets before it leaves Toronto.

[mallorymaloney]

I agree with Melons. ((Nice meeting 'ya, BTW! )) My Dad actually thought this version of American Idiot was better than the original version in New York. Personally, I'm of the opinion that the original will always be the best --- Not that the Canadian version wasn't good, of course! It was absolutely amazing, everyone gave it their all.

Of course there were lots of little mess ups and minor vocal mistakes and such like that, but they were so minor that a first time audience member wouldn't even catch any of them.

Overall, though, it was bloody brilliant. Also, it's very, very, VERY possible that Van is actually a better Johnny than John Gallagher was! He ad libbed a lot more bits, making his character more realistic, ((Like shouting at the ushers for shining lights about during important/quiet bits,)) And gave his spoken lines a lot more emotional impact than John ever did.

Also, it was funny that you could tell Leslie and Van had been doing this whole thing longer than the rest of the cast, haha. They were more familiar with the dance moves and their overall body language, which was fun to spot.

The 'special effects' were MUCH more subdued than they were in New York, though. Less lights, no moving stage parts, no built in 'parking line' lights in the floor, ((They moved those to the wall, instead, which I actually found to a little silly. Cars don't park on walls,)) And the stage set, overall, was much smaller than the set in the Saint James.

Oh, and the cast members were much more casual about mingling with the audience than in New York --- They were out in front of the Centre for about an hour after the show just talking with everyone, and walking about in the lobby like they were part of the audience, haha! I didn't even recognise some of them at first.

[solongfromthestars]

Thanks for the recaps, it's great to hear experiences from the show again!

I'm confused, though... some of the cast have tweeted that this was another preview and the actual opening is tomorrow? That's probably obvious and I'm just missing something but it confused me

[Lemonitsa]

I was there! It was great - although I did miss some of the Broadway cast members. Leslie and Van were fantastic, Van looks so good, he's been working out From the new cast I especially liked the new Will. I will go and see it again tonight

[Bastard of 1967]

The 'special effects' were MUCH more subdued than they were in New York, though. Less lights, no moving stage parts, no built in 'parking line' lights in the floor, ((They moved those to the wall, instead, which I actually found to a little silly. Cars don't park on walls,)) And the stage set, overall, was much smaller than the set in the Saint James.

Thanks for the recap, Mallory! One thing I'm thinking insofar as the set goes...when the show was in NYC it had a 1-year-plus run day after day in the same space, which allows for lots of different possibilities for set design and lighting that aren't possible for a production that has to take to the road every couple of days/weeks. I was wondering what kinds of compromises they were going to have to make for a touring production....and I agree that parking the cars on the wall is kinda silly. Did the set still have that immense vertical presence that it had at the St. James, or did they have to scale that back also?

[The Beatles]

Ah I don't want to wait until December 2012!

[GDM]

Overall, though, it was bloody brilliant. Also, it's very, very, VERY possible that Van is actually a better Johnny than John Gallagher was! He ad libbed a lot more bits, making his character more realistic, ((Like shouting at the ushers for shining lights about during important/quiet bits,)) And gave his spoken lines a lot more emotional impact than John ever did.

I agree with you wholeheartedly about this. I think Van is a much better Johnny. Van is much more natural in the role, though I like John's guitar playing better. But, I think Van really is much more natural and loose and added a lot more nuance to the role.

[jetsrule128]

New Blog From Kelvin

Day 36: "Don't Be a Hero" ( #IHeartIdiot )

Appropriate as our musical tells the ultimate anti-hero story.

So I have worked in professional theater for over almost six years now. I have done hundreds if not a thousand+ performances in that time. Tonight will go down in history for me as a actor:

The night I first called out of a show.

Here's the story: I have a terrible history with foot injuries. Over the holiday, I re-injured my right foot and I was hoping it would be better by our first show in Toronto. Alas, today, it did not feel 100% percent and so it pained me (yuck yuck....get it?) to notify our stage manager and "call out".

I planned on going to rehearsal nonetheless as I wasn't sick, just a little broken. As I hobbled to get ready around my hotel room, I started having doomsday thoughts: "Fuck, you're going to let everyone down." "You are weak, your body and spirit." "If you could just man/woman up, you could do this. But obviously, you suck!"

I am sure that I could have powered through with a limp but I could have furthered my injury and slowed my healing. A small voice came over my shoulder (was it St. Jimmy?) and said "don't be a hero." Actually it was our director Michael Mayer and also several of my supportive cast members in their way.

When I came through the stage doors, there were nothing but smiling faces. Understanding faces. "Shit happens" faces. Still my doomsday voice came into command, "Sympathy for the invalid!"

We had a put-in rehearsal today for Jen Bowles (fabulously joining our tour) and, for me, Vince Oddo (one of our fabulous swings). Someone once said ( I won't mention names-) (okay.... it was Matt DeAngelis), "watching a swing go on for you is like watching someone eff your girlfriend (in my case, my non-existent boyfriend). But you'll get over it." WHAT THE FUCK, MATT?! ..... But it was kind of true. I wanted to be up there. Vince was my hero, the show's hero. And I felt like the show's failure.

But then, as do all of Matt's theater philosophies that can sound blunt and unkind, it revealed it's important lesson: Sometimes you have to watch your Ex get fucked by someone else. In the end, it always sets this pit in your belly on fire and forces you to grow; to see things as they really are.

Because what I got to witness, in the audience with my icepack, was Vince Oddo onstage; killing it. I saw Jen Bowles onstage; killing it. I saw this incredible company of actors and musicians; all fucking killing it. This show: I know the ending, and I proudly cried like a little bitch anyway. American Idiot can be viewed as a show full of anti-heros. These characters live like rock stars and sometimes callously. But the actors who embody them: They are warm, caring, passionate people who are giving a unique voice to a generation. Eight shows a week.

And at the end of the show, when I walked through the audience and was recognized by some of our fans who didn't even see me onstage- they wished me a speedy recovery- they, in fact, made MY day. They proved that this is a crazy fucked up family and that we're all a part of it; Even the broken ones; On your best days and especially on your worst.

=======================

So, I posted a twitter challenge earlier last week: "How does American Idiot speak to you?" These are the responses from the Idiot family (excuse if I misspell any names, I'm hopped up on mucho PAINKILLERS!)!

Katie Marie: "since I saw it for the first time last November, I've learned who I am and what I'm meant to do with my life. #iheartidiot"

Aimee Kislin: "everything you jus said in your blog. I saw the show 146 times on bway and felt everything new every time. #iheartidiot."

Katie Fitzmorris: "#IHeartIdiot because it gave me one of my best friends x)"

Katrina Harris: "truer words were never spoken about what happened at the St James. #IHeartIdiot "

Cristina Moreno: "I wrote this months ago, but it's still true. http://bit.ly/szWUkB #IHeartIdiot" from that and exerpt "there’s always a chance that you’ll discover something new and that is the beauty of live theater."

Olivia Alvarado: "#IHeartIdiot because it's uplifting yet realistic. The perfect, passionate mix of rage and love."

Sally: "My heart is like a bomb! #iheartidiot"

Mrs.VanDenburg: " I saw AI 3 times on broadway.. would have gone more but live in CT. best show ever made me realize you always have a chance to change.. best show ever. ..#IHeartIdiot"

Cara, awesome theater geek!: "#IHeartIdiot because my life (and that of my generation) is told every single time the show is performed."

Shelly D: "My life was changed forever after seeing American Idiot on Broadway. Can't wait til you get to Detroit! #IHeartIdiot"

Amanda, lola oh lola!: "idiot tells the story of my life, my broken generation & hope it's given me a new family united with rage & <3 #IHeartIdiot"

=======================

If I didn't have to eat, pay rent, or have dreams of one day owning my own ice cream truck, I'm pretty sure I would do this show for free.

[Freezing Melons]

Apperently TONIGHT is now the opening night.

I am confused. Does that means theres a better chance of Green Day showing up tonight? if they do show up...

Then again, I saw a tweet of someone taking a picture with Billie Joe in Oakland last night, so that might mean they might not come to Canada at all.

[-Billiejoezee-]

Yeah I'm guessing they won't be there. ^^

I just saw a photo on Tumblr of the new cast. I guess from the short NY run. Must say, it feels a bit awkward seeing the new cast.

[Heather.]

Who is this person who saw it on Broadway 146 times??? My mouth is ajar.

[mallorymaloney]

Who is this person who saw it on Broadway 146 times??? My mouth is ajar.

This is probably just the green eyed monster in my head speaking, but I'm thinkin' that's kinda overkill. I'm one of the biggest Green Day fans ever, but I mean, c'mon --- Shit's nearing stalkeresque creepiness by a number as low as 20.

[Lemonitsa]

Adrienne was there tonight, didn't see anyone else but then again I'm not the most observative person Adrienne's hair is hard to miss

[Freezing Melons]

yea i saw a tweet saying she was there. Makes me wonder...and hope haha.