Billie Joe: A possible return?

[quizking101]

Posted: 10/4/10 at 8:04pm

I just checked Green Day's tour schedule and, being as the South American tour ends at the nd of October, it seems possible Billie Joe could come back to AI.

Maybe they could give a little more notice if he does...The box office would blow up bigger than it did when his appearance was scheduled spur of the moment...

[aasjb4ever]

Posted: 10/4/10 at 8:07pm

The whole deal of "8 performances only" is just that. And then stupid people will snatch up tickets assuming hes still in it. quite genius marketing, actually.
or lackthereof...

[quizking101]

Posted: 10/4/10 at 8:26pm

I thought exactly that....but then again, didn't BJ say somewhere he would be interested in returning??

[rorschach37]

Posted: 10/4/10 at 9:06pm

What if he returned, but in a different role? Like after Green Day finishes their South American tour, Billie covers for John Gallagher's vaction or something? Just a thought...
Updated On: 10/4/10 at 09:06 PM

[dramamama611]

Posted: 10/4/10 at 9:13pm

Hitting one outstanding wee in sales isn't enough....and people get tired of gimmicks.

And while I didn't see the show with Billie Joe, I'm assuming that his presence really took away from the true show and it was more about him then the story.

[frogs_fan85]

Posted: 10/4/10 at 9:18pm

I don't think his presence distracted from the story at all. If anything his characterization of St. Jimmy was actually more plausible within the context of the narrative and made the story itself much stronger. (i.e. St. Jimmy now genuinely seemed like an alter ego as opposed to an entirely separate character who happens to be a bad influence, which is how I felt previously.)

[aasjb4ever]

Posted: 10/4/10 at 9:22pm

While I respect your sentiment, mama, I have to say that shows, movies, any type of performing art wouldn't exist without their stars. Usually, at least half the audience go see a show BECAUSE OF the marquee value, and not for the actual show. That's just how it goes. and the little shows with no stars (cough: ragtime) are always the losers because they have no marquee value.

[steven22]

Posted: 10/4/10 at 9:26pm

No way Billie Joe can handle it the way JGJ does. Especially 8 times a week.

[hollisst]

Posted: 10/4/10 at 9:26pm

I DESPISE stunt casting. But Billie Joe worked. And not just because he wrote the songs and created the character from his own heart, mind & soul. He's a natural performer and his acting choices were amazing! He's totally different from Tony (who has his own take on the character, obviously).
And I don't think Billie Joe who took anything away from the emotional impact or integrity of the show. In some ways he enhanced it.
What did take away from the show was the behavior of some of the Green Day fans who acted as if they were at a concert (singing LOUDLY, fist pumping, screaming at very inappropriate moments) and had no respect for the fact that this was a Broadway stage.

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 10/4/10 at 9:58pm

He should just be the vacation swing for the rest of the run.

[rorschach37]

Posted: 10/4/10 at 10:05pm

@steven22

Idk, Billie rocks out like this at least 5 hours a night with very little downtime at all when Green Day's on tour. Don't get me wrong, I understand concerts and theatre are two completely different things, but even if it were just for one performance I'd love to see Billie as Johnny. In a way, Billie IS the Jesus of Suburbia.

[bwayfan7000]

Posted: 10/4/10 at 10:21pm

To me, this is not exactly stunt casting. Most people complain about people who are stunt cast not being able to sing the score. Not only can Billie Joe sing the score, but he wrote it for himself to sing and originally performed it.

[kidbroadway2]

Posted: 10/4/10 at 10:32pm

No way BJ could play Jesus of Suburbia. absoutely no way. But I def. see him coming back to play St. Jimmy, if the show is still running in a couple months.

[MyLife]

Posted: 10/5/10 at 12:00am

Maybe Billie Joe would be available at the end of October, but Tony Vincent wouldn't go on vacation again so soon. That's why this past week worked so perfectly.

Sure, they can give Tony the week off (with pay) but that would be kinda crummy. I know it's not the point, just making the statement.

[darquegk]

Posted: 10/5/10 at 12:15am

I don't know how Tony would feel about it, but I can't imagine he could very well gripe about it. It's not like, let's say, Adam Lambert says "I want to be Saint Jimmy for a week. Tony, go take a vacation." This is Billie Joe F***ing Armstrong. He wrote the show, has remained intensely involved with it, and has been performing it since its days as a rock opera concept album. It IS his show- Tony Vincent is just performing in it.

This is a landmark event, as well- rarely, if ever at all, has the composer and creator of a show stepped into a role that they did not create for themselves and play since the beginning, for an event or otherwise. And before anyone says Noel Coward, Noel wrote those roles for himself, and often starred in his own shows in the first production, so we can't really count him.

Billie Joe Armstrong may be a minor figure in the musical theater world (how ironic that Duncan Sheik outshines him in this field), but he is arguably one of THE biggest rock stars in the mainstream music world. His unashamed embrace of musical theater has no comparison since The Who wrote Tommy (and even they seemed awkward about the pretensions of the whole thing, reguarly mocking the work in concert, as can be heard on the Live at Leeds album).

[dramamama611]

Posted: 10/5/10 at 2:56am

Of course, he could gripe. (But it doesn't matter, if he's still getting a paycheck from an Equitey pov.) Being thrown to the side because its convenient to Billie Joe's schedule and the producers whim? Then, of course, having to deal with audience members that start comparing him TO Billie? And being disappointed that they "only" got to see Tony Vincent (who I thought was one of the very best things in a mediocre show)?

I would hope for reasons of respect for their cast that this does not happen again.

[mattywhits]

Posted: 10/5/10 at 3:18am

I'm sorry, dramamama, but I hope for respect to the cast that it DOES happen again. As much as stunt-casting can go horribly awry, that isn't really the case with BJ as St. Jimmy...and he doubled this week's gross. Which helped the show from running yet another week with small audiences, and not only gave the actors the large, responsive audiences they deserve, but also gave them a little more time to make their current salaries. AI is one of the shows right now that is constantly on the brink of having to close, and this helped them stay afloat and (in my opinion) didn't negatively affect the artistic integrity of the show in order to do so. If AI closes, Tony Vincent is out of a job. I don't know how much he's making, but since equity minimum is $1600+, I'm going to venture to say he'll get over it (and so will everyone else in the cast, including JGJ) if BJ steps in again and they don't all have to go on unemployment.

[winston89]

Posted: 10/5/10 at 3:42am

darquegk,

The Who never mocked Tommy being a rock opera. They did however, constantly joke about the invention that Towneshend had created. Until Tommy, there was no notion of what a rock opera was. As a result, The Who joked about how other's felt that an opera was something for rich fancy people to be all prim and proper at. And, that one wouldn't expect to hear an opera at a rock concert etc.

But, I digress. I am not sure how I would feel about calling this stunt casting. Hell, back in 93 if Tommy wasn't doing so hot at the box office and Roger Daltry said that he wanted to play Tommy again, I am not sure I would consider that stunt casting either. But, I guess that it is a matter of perspective.

[TheActr97J]

Posted: 10/5/10 at 4:48am

This was no David Hasselhoff stunt casting. This was the real deal. This was unlike anything ever seen on a Broadway stage. This was the first time Broadway and popular music have truly, seamlessly crossed over since people all across America were actually listening to Rodgers and Hammerstein and Cole Porter on a 45. This was something truly, truly special.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 10/5/10 at 6:19am

I agree, Mattywhits, with the financial side of it. I suppose I was thinking of the more emotional side when I posted that.

How must it feel to get the kind of response they got from Billie's appearance only to go back to the "norm"? What about the feeling knowing that the response was simply BECAUSE of him. And what about the feeling that THEY aren't being successful with the lead singer of the band?

And to say the reaction they "deserve" seems odd. Each audience DOES give them the response that they "deserve" based on their experience. They aren't reaching a capacity audience...there simply aren't enough broadway people that are interested. Many people WERE interested but were not impressed with the production.

I wish them well, but I'm just not sure how much good this does...except for the immediate week that BJA appeared.

And thanks to the posters that addressed my concern about his performance being distracting from the whole. I appreciate your comments.

[sundaymorning6am]

Posted: 10/5/10 at 9:59am

No, he can't return. Green Day is scheduled to start their South America tour this month or next.

[frogs_fan85]

Posted: 10/5/10 at 10:48am

The first tour date is this Friday and they wrap on 10/29, so it's not inconceivable.

[Whatshisname]

Posted: 10/5/10 at 1:34pm

He wrote on the Green Day twitter paige, "this is solong, NOT goodby"...he'll be back.

[quizking101]

Posted: 10/5/10 at 7:38pm

I personally feel IDIOT will have run its course come the new year and close when their booking period ends January 30, 2011. It would be nice to have Billie Joe come back for another engagment or to even close the show (It would give me a reason to go back)

[rorschach37]

Posted: 10/5/10 at 9:16pm

I'll be so sad when this closes. This was my first Broadway show. It would break my heart to see it close so soon, but I'm almost positive they'll have a tour, and if they did there could be a possibility that Green Day could be much more involved with it. They could be the onstage band? They ould join the cast? Thoughts about this?