If you remember only one thing from my review of Green Day’s American Idiot playing now at the Ahmanson Theater, let it be this: see it. Seriously. The innovation of dance alone is reason enough to spring for this 90 minute of movement. With such a proud history of dance in American musical theater, it is no small trick to actually surprise the audience with new expressions of movement.
Raucously in-your-face performances, a wicked band sprung from the pit and dispersed across the stage, a backdrop of over thirty television screens flashing hot-topic imagery, along with Cirque-worthy flying, all add up to a kick in the pants night of theater. That said, Green Day’s brilliant album, American Idiot, was released in 2004 and rightly won the Grammy for Best Rock Album of the Year. In American Idiot, Green Day managed to throw off the conventions of formulaic rock and create an edgy, toe-over-the-line breakthrough.
The story of the album’s creation and its place in their development as artists and men is an interesting narrative, however, as a musical, the view from 2012 is not quite distant enough to be reflective and the book is not dear enough to engender feelings of love. The rock musical Hair, now forty-four years in our rear-view mirror, is a beloved, if flawed period piece. American Idiot is just not old enough for us to feel particularly nostalgic. The Images of President Bush, the Iraq War, and Dr. Phil would render American Idiot all but dated were it not for the remarkable music. Not to be too simplistic, but it is just damn good rock and roll and brilliant directing that make this such an enjoyable piece of theater. A great book, it is not.
Whether intentionally or unwittingly, those images of President Bush, et al suggest it is the events of war that have left these boys (make no mistake, they are no men) dissatisfied. But these characters and their plots are not unique to this time in history, nor distinctly American. One need not dig deep into the literature of theater to find men of all stripes going off to war, nearly losing themselves to drugs, and badly attempting to work out love. American Idiot tells the story of three purposeless young men searching for meaning who embark on three distinct journeys that take them far from where they began only to find the long and winding road leads them back home. At the end of the play (spoiler warning) the lead character, Johnny utters words to the effect, “I guess my mom was right, I am an idiot.” My husband, Thom quietly uttered, yes you are, under his breath.
But make no mistake; American Idiot is a brilliantly directed musical theater event that should not be missed. I am tempted to copy and paste my first paragraph here because while I must strive to be thorough in my analysis of American Idiot, my main point here is the one upon which I began this blog. One last note – as one who comes to theater by way of radio, I know the importance of giving the audience what they want and what we want deep in our hearts is the hits. You will not be disappointed in the curtain call.
Photo cred: https://www.centertheatregroup.org/tickets/mark-taper-forum/2024/american-idiot/