Musical theatre is a lot of fun, and while there are dozens of classic that have achieved greatness, many share a single fact — they’re frivolrous. Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserables, The Book of Mormon, Wicked, Avenue Q, even oldies such as West Side Story have all stood the test of time (or are set to) and may even have some great messages in them, but in the long run, a theatre goer would be hard pressed to say what they stood for or what the idea or philisophy the creators wanted to bring across.
In fact, in the last three generations, I can only think of three musicals that set out with that goal in mind and accomplished it.
Hair, for the hippie generation, showed the disenfrachised youth stuck in the middle of the sexual revolution, Vietnam, and how their philosophies could ever mesh with the status quo presented by society around them.
Generation X had Rent which discussed the rising fear of AIDS, the crush of overwhelming poverty and how to find who you really were in an age of selling out, Reaganomics and when the most important argument among people was “Coke vs. Pepsi”.
American Idiot easily steps up as the musical of Generation Y. In a post 9/11 world when the news is propoganda, people care more about who wins American Idol than the presidency, and drugs are easier to find than Starbucks, how do you keep from becoming a jaded and narcissitic asshole? The simple answer is, you don’t.
American Idiot loosely follows the story presented in the orginial album released by Green Day back in 2004. If you’re familiar with the source material, then you should be able to keep up just fine, but even if you aren’t, what is portrayed on stage explains things fairly easily. Three boozing and partying slackers, Johnny, Tunny and Will are disgusted with what they see on tv and where they live and vow to head to the big city and find their fortune. Johnny, aka, the Jesus of Subrubia, thinks he has it all figured out and will be the savior of his friends and generation, only to immediately run into problems when Will is forced to stay home when his girlfriend becomes pregnant, and Tunny leaves and joins the army when plans don’t lead to the promised nirvana. Left with nothing, Johnny meets St. Jimmy, drug dealer extraordinaire, who gives him his big shot at love, partying and becoming all he had ever hoped to be. Of course, the things most twenty-one year olds want have no basis in what life is really all about, and Johnny slowly begins to lose everything to the ever increasing power drugs has on his life. Left alone and destitute, he returns home and finds himself stuck in a dead end office job before reuniting with his friends who have all also been changed for good and bad by their experiences over the past year. As the curtain closes, Johnny reminisces over his lost love and mourns the future that he can never have.
Depressing much? Well, yes, but it also captures what has happened to many young people who have become dissatisfied with what society demands their life must be like, and shows what can happen when they give in to excess and poor decisions. Sure the parties, sex and drugs may seem like heaven on earth for the first little while, but soon they give way to heartache, horror and the loss of all that is dear to you. In the end, if you survive, you become what you hated as you assimilate into society. Does American Idiot show us how to escape that and become your own version of success? For one of the characters, yes, but even his path was torn with heartache and loss. If you’re looking for a happy ending, go somewhere else, but if you want to be able to reflect on the meaning and the story that is found in the journey, then that’s what American Idiot will give you.
Even if the story doesn’t grab you, the performances by these extremely talented actors are sure to impress. The touring cast fully embody each and every one of their characters and are completely believable as the screw ups they portray. There wasn’t a single person who stood out as not fit for their role (either based on their singing or acting ability), and each showed a huge amount of stamina by still being able to belt out tunes even after the demanding choreography.
I would be remiss not to mention the elaborate set that was every bit as important as the cast. Built into the back of the wall were dozens of TVs that were continually showing clips of news and shows that coincided with what was taking place on stage. I don’t even want to think about how much time must have been spent piecing together the hours and hours of content that was streamed throughout the performance.
In the end, American Idiot accomplished what it set out to do in telling an absorbing story that gave us a harrowing glimpse into the lives of a forgotten subsection of this generation. It doesn’t bother to answer all the questions it asks, but I applaud them for not spoon feeding us and letting us come up with our conclusions. It’s edgy, snarls at the audience and dares them to live through the actors on stage. Quite simply, it’s marvelous, and even if you don’t consider yourself a fan of musicals, there is more than enough here to satisfy and impress.
If you live in the Salt Lake area, tickets are still available for the closing performance on Thursday, December 5. If you live elsewhere, the tour will continue on until well into 2014, so check out the American Idiot site for all the tour dates and to buy tickets.
9.5 out of 10
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