According to 99.9999% of the world today, April 24 2011, will best be remembered as Easter. According to a few people including myself, it was the day Green Day's
American Idiot
closed on Broadway. It was also one of the select performances featuring the band's front man, Billie Joe Armstrong, playing one of the lead roles, St. Jimmy, but there will be more on this later. For now, the show.
The 90-minute musical directed by Michael Mayer based on the album by Green Day hits the ground running from the opening chords of the titular song. The story follows three best friends Johnny who names himself the Jesus of Suburbia (Van Hughes), Will (Justin Guarini), and Tunny (David Larsen). Each are unhappy with the state of their lives at the dawning of the new century, but the real adventure begins once they diverge. Johnny goes in search of something better only to be easily swayed by a vicious drug dealer, St. Jimmy (Armstrong). Will is forced to stay home when he finds out his girlfriend Heather (Jeanna De Waal) is pregnant. Then there is Tunny who is quickly tired of Johnny's hijinks and decides to join the military. While the show uses the device of having Johnny writing letters home and saying the date each time; it all comes to a head once the audience realizes this is all leading up to September 11, 2001 (there was an audible gasp from my fellow patrons when suspicions are confirmed with the opening chords of "Wake Me Up (When September Ends)").
Unfortunately I never got to see the original cast in this particular show. Admittedly I did see John Gallagher Jr. (original Johnny) recently in
Jerusalem, and his Tony-winning performance in
Spring Awakening
; a performer that I get very excited to see at any chance. Plus, I delightfully witnessed Michael Esper (original Will) in Tony Kushner's latest,
The Intelligent Homosexual's Guide to Social and Capitalism with a Key to the Scriptures; all shows I recommend seeing at some point in your life. Yet, the cast bringing this shindig to a close was exceptional and seriously made me wonder why ticket sales must have dropped to the point of no return. The standout performances were from the trio of Hughes, Guarini and Larsen. Hughes has a rakish charm that makes it hard to not care for the troubled Johnny, certainly the best dancer of the leads. Of the three leads, Guarini arguably gets the least to do, but anytime he got a chance sing, my goodness, he could wrench your bleeding emo heart. It was also interesting for those who peeked over to the corner of the stage, that he rarely leaves throughout most of the numbers, the little ticks and stage business that ranged from humorous to oddly introspective. Considering my only exposure to him was the dreadful film known as
From Justin to Kelly
, he was a surprising heavyweight here. Larsen, took a while to warm up to, his manic energy at the top of the show had the most rock poseur attitude of the cast at first glance. Yet, once his character begins the journey to war its a stark contrast and choice the actor probably made that makes sense in retrospect.
Finally there is Armstrong as St. Jimmy, a character that arrives well into the show, but who's presence is deeply felt throughout. Given that the man has been living with this material for well over a decade its fascinating to hear his interpretations of the songs. He didn't just sing the music that he recorded and fans have been practically worshiping ever since; Armstrong sang from the perspective of his character, this dark and twisted man with a new trick up his sleeve at every turn. While his role is not dance heavy, he hit every mark with undeniable rhythm and panache. Even when he was not singing, in the brief interlude scenes that setup the next number, he was nimble and humorous. His ad-libbed line, mocking Charlie Sheen by declaring "Duh, winning!" at just the right moment was a big hit with the audience; although some would argue it took you out for a moment of the time, which is so crucial to this show. You don't have to just be a fan of Green Day to appreciate what he brought to this production, and only makes me hope that the man will return to Broadway again (as a songwriter at the very least).
There is a reason the show's sole Tony wins were in the technical categories of set design (Christine Jones) and lighting design (Kevin Adams). The set is all at once imposing and fantastical, but it acts as its own metaphor for the disarray the characters are in. The lighting was stark and meant for a rock arena, perfect for this environment. It was particularly the effects chosen for during "Wake Me Up (When September Ends)" that is jaw dropping. The choreography was inventive considering just how much headbanging is seemingly required for the score.
The highlight of the night may have actually been the curtain-call when the entire cast dons guitars and sings a surprisingly refreshing rendition of Green Day's hit "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)." Armstrong kicked it off, but as the voices rose it quickly became clear that it was not only the cast. The entire audience moved with them, on their feet, their voices rising to almost be heard over the microphoned performers we were here to see. Some members of the cast were visibly crying and so were the fans; it was a beautiful moment to witness. Lord knows how it was for the truly final 7:30 performance that should be getting out about this minute. A surprise for those who got to catch the Broadway run is a chance to download the recording of this number that was recorded at each performance as a memento, which has great sound quality and a awesome souvenir that I wish other shows would do too.
Hopefully this review may inspire others to check out the National Tour currently being planned. Or mayhaps drive anticipation for the
proposed film adaptation of the stage show. Certainly after tonight, mine has been raised.
with McKinley high celbrating that time honored tradition of prom many fans are now eagerly awaiting the season two DVD set to release this fall. The episode featured surprisingly good music, shocking twists, and the welcome return of Jonathan Groff as Jesse St. James. For those who wish to live in nostalgia of the high school milestone itself, let's look at five great TV episodes about prom that you can find on DVD right now!
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
: "Prom" - This sci fi action epic of a series from wunderkind Joss Whedon managed to eloquently parallel the horrors of high school with creatures of the night. A wonderful example is when our hero Buffy (Sarah Michelle Geller) must stop a nefarious nerd from unleashing hell hounds on the school prom by sacrificing her own pictaresque dreams of what the night could entail. The episode is made all the more bittersweet when Buffy finds out what her peers truly thought of her when the prom awards are announced, and when she sees her soon-to-be departing love, Angel (David Boreanaz) at the dance. Truly a night to remember.
Dawson's Creek:
"Promicide" - This sudsy flagship series for the dearly departed WB is shockingly daring and heartbreaking in retrospect. The episode foretold the inevitable couplings that would end the series, cemented the concept of soul mates as an actual thing that we should be invested in, and somehow managed the show's tradmark theatrics without becoming too schmaltzy. It's a night that rocked the creek as everyone got swept up in prom fever and contemplating their uncertain futures with graduation looming in the near future. This is also the episode where primetime's first gay teen, Jack McPhee, (a pitch perfect Kerr Smith) risked his heart and the potential derision of the school by taking a boy to the dance long before audiences fell in love with Glee's Kurt and Blaine.
Friends:
"The One with the Prom Video" - This season two episode finds our six friends coming across a video of Monica (Courtney Cox) and Rachel (Jennfier Aniston) preparing for the big night. Here we discover that the ladies did not always look as trendy or hip when they were growing up in Massapequa, NY. It is also this episode that the currently bickering Ross and Rachel are forced to remember a sweet aside that has enough comedy and romantic whimsy to be believable and help you root for this complicated pair. Plus, who doesn't love big 80s hair?!
Gossip Girl:
"Valley Girls" - On a show that routinely features lavish affairs, these Upper West Side teens do manage to pull out every trick for their prom night. Queen B herself Blair (Leighton Meester) desperately seeks a single goal, Prom Queen, which she will go to any length to achieve. It is only when Chuck (Ed Westwick) shows his true colors that the viewers get to realize just how seemingly mature, but so wistfully young these kids actually are. It's a big episode for fans of the couple, watch to see who is coronated, and the amazing fashions.
How I Met Your Mother:
