I love Green Day so much. Last year, American Idiot, their CD, was literally the only thing I listened to for months.
I didn't see the stage production in Berkeley, but man, am I excited to see how they flesh this out for the stage.
Long ago, the most popular writers of pop music wrote for the stage. Somewhere in there it got lost as rock acoustically outgrew what theatre could bear.
With shows like Glee on the air, what the producers of American Idiot should do is not only put this on Broadway, but IMMEDIATELY release it for high schools and colleges and university theater departments. Break the traditional rules of waiting for the NY run, the touring productions, etc.
This is what young people want to sing.
When we came to New York 12 years ago with a rock scored musical, THE LAST SESSION, there were almost NO Broadway stage singers who could handle it. RENT had just come out and so the ones who could sing it, were in that show.
The new generations of singers can handle this material now and I think it's great.
Steve Schalchlin
Living in the Bonus Round