Be warned, this is kind of long and rambling, as I try to parse out all my thoughts on the show.
For those of you who have the chance to see this show out in Berkeley, DO SO NOW. I was fortunate enough to snag front-row, dead center seats at the last minute for Sunday?s preview, and I am so glad I did. With Passing Strange and the soon-to-open In The Next Room (The Vibrator Play) under their belt, I can?t imagine that this won?t transfer to Broadway, where I can easily see it becoming the next hot ticket.
American Idiot tells the story of three friends (John Gallagher Jr., Michael Esper, Matt Caplan) in suburbia at the beginning of the Bush?s second term. Facing a general sense of ennui and need to get out and do something with themselves, they go in search of that something. Caplan?s character ends up joining the army, Esper has to stay home in suburbia when he learns his girlfriend is expecting, and Gallagher hits up The City in search of fun, love, and drugs. Their intertwined stories are told through the entire American Idiot album, along with some unpublished material and a few songs from 21st Century Breakdown. There?s no dialogue, save for some brief monologues by John Gallagher Jr?s character (?Johnny?).
Also, having seen both Glee and Taking Woodstock in the past week, I think John Gallagher Jr. has the most potential of his Spring Awakening co-stars. As a quirky a-typical leading man, he?s the perfect choice to embody the spirit of Green Day?s music, able to be both an engaging lead you want to invest in, but also able to be a realistic, rebellious everyman.
Michael Mayer has done a wonderful job weaving the songs, the sparse dialogue, and the plot together for a one-act, 88-minute show that plays like an epic music video (and I say that in a good way). There are definite similarities to Spring Awakening ?a young couple copulates on a moving platform, the chorus does jerky movements reminiscient of the Supercalifragilistic dance on meth ? but without a clunky book to interrupt the action (as I felt was the case in Spring Awakening), the result is a seamless stream of montages and movements that takes us between the three stories.
The program notes call the set the most technically advanced set Berkeley Rep has ever done, and as soon as the curtain rose, I could see why. The set itself is a large, industrial space with a loading door and scaffolding, with every surface wallpapered by political and popculture posters circa 2004. And then inset within the walls are several dozen TV screens, and when the curtain goes up they?re playing rapid-fire montages of the Iraq War, Family Guy, news broadcasts, commercials, and then there?s a perfect moment when the images all fall into sync ? I can?t help but think the inspiration came from the opening lyric of ?One nation controlled by the media/Information age of hysteria.?
I wish I was more familiar with the album, so I could elaborate more on how the songs were used, so if you have a burning question, PM me and I?ll try to remember. But I will say that the highlight for me was ?Wake Me Up When September Ends?, which is the somewhat 11-o-clock number, and has been beautifully re-orchestrated and rearranged for the three leads as they prepare to reunite, and after you?ve been witnessing their journey, it becomes this heart-breaking realization of having to grow up and move on with your life.
That in essence is what makes American Idiot succeed where so many other jukebox musicals fail. Because it was written with the intent of having a through-line, rather than having a through-line thrust upon it, putting the musical stories of these songs on stage together connects all the dots and drives home the narrative.
"Artists are always on the vanguard of change: they give the community a vision."
"Desire comes from the Latin "de sire", or "of the father", or "of the stars". We want what is magical, what is out there, what is of the stars. And so our characters should as well."
"If there are people who don't believe in you, don't hang out with them. Wish them well, wish them peace, and move on."
