The pre-Broadway buzz about "American Idiot" has been almost as loud as the show's pumped-up score.
After all, this ode to youthful alienation is based on a 2004 album by the popular punkers Green Day --some of whose fans cheer, while others jeer, the idea of their band doing a musical. And it was created by a team that includes alumni of the recent rock mega-hit "Spring Awakening."
So when it opened at the St. James Theatre on Tuesday, everyone was curious to see if "Idiot" could live up to all the hype.
The show's story line is simple: Three young suburban guys try to make their way in post-9/11 America. Johnny (John Gallagher Jr., who won a Tony for "Spring Awakening") finds a girl and a lots of drugs in the big city. Tunny (Tony nominee Stark Sands) goes off to war. Will (Michael Esper) struggles to support a wife and child.
The score was written by Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt and Tré Cool. The minimal book was put together by Armstrong and director Michael Mayer of "Spring Awakening."
Green Day fans have been packing the house, both during previews in New York and last fall's original run at Berkeley Rep. The big question is how it would fare with traditional Broadway theater-goers -- not to mention the critics. Judging from the opening-night reviews, everyone likes the music and staging, but otherwise the reaction is mixed.
The New York Times' Charles Isherwood raved: "A pulsating portrait of wasted youth that invokes all the standard genre conventions — bring on the sex, drugs and rock ’n’ roll, please! — only to transcend them through the power of its music and the artistry of its execution, the show is as invigorating and ultimately as moving as anything I’ve seen on Broadway this season. Or maybe for a few seasons past."
No comments:
Post a Comment