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DETAILS CRITICOPIA BROADWAY
| Show Title: |
American Idiot |
| Subtitle: |
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| Total Rating: |
*** |
| Previews: |
March 24, 2010 |
| Opened: |
April 20, 2010 |
| Ended: |
open run |
| Other Dates: |
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| Country: |
USA |
| State: |
New York |
| City: |
New York |
| Theater Type: |
Broadway |
| Company / Producers: |
Tom Hulce & Ira Pittelman, Ruth & Stephen Hendel, Vivek J. Tiwary & Gary Kaplan, Aged in Wood & Burnt Umber, Scott M. Delman, Latitude Link, HOP Theatricals & Jeffrey Finn, Larry Welk, Bensinger Filerman & Maellenberg Taylor, Allan S. Gordon & Elan V. McAllister & Berkeley Repertory Theater. |
| Theater: |
St. James Theater |
| Theater Address: |
246 West 44th Street |
| Phone: |
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| Website: |
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| Running Time: |
90 min |
| Genre: |
Rock Musical |
| Author: |
Songs by Green Day; Lyrics: Billie Joe Armstrong; Book: Billie Joe Armstrong & Michael Mayer |
| Director: |
Michael Mayer |
| Choreographer: |
Steven Hoggett |
| Review: |
American Idiot, music by Green Day, lyrics by Billie Joe Armstrong, book by Armstrong and the director Michael Mayer, is an In-Your-Face (and Ears and Eyes) rock musical with an undercurrent of anger and rebellion. Though filled with references like The War now going on, it’s fairly non-specific. The loose-limbed casual dancing seems to be singers dancing rather than dancers singing as it stays within the context of inept youth rebelling. The melodies are simplistic to a simple beat. I know, I know, they sold millions of albums. And the entire audience the night I attended, including my date, an Australian Anthropologist, knew the songs. The singer/actors are all excellent, the music rather engaging. What kept me entranced were the stunning visuals of the design. With myriad TV screens on the four-story-high set (designed by Christine Jones), fascinating projections (by Darrel Maloney), and dazzling lighting (by Kevin Adams), I enjoyed the show. Still, I often found myself to be an observer rather than an empathetic participant in the problems of the angst-ridden youth who are tempted by The Devil, yea unto becoming a junkie. There is a wonderful flying sequence and some numbers that really work like “Wake Me Up When September Ends.” Mayer keeps it moving, and the dazzling visuals keep it all exciting, so all in all, it’s a nice psychedelic trip. And it has the hottest, cutest conductor in town for the band — Carmel Dean -- who is visible in the wings.
  
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| Other Critics: |
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| Miscellaneous: |
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| Awards: |
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| Cast: |
John Gallagher Jr. (Johnny), Stark Sands (Tunny), Michael Esper (Will), Rebecca Naomi Jones (Whatshername), Christina Sajous, Mary Faber (Heather), Tony Vincent (Jimmy), Declan Bennett, Gerard Canonico, Miguel Cervantes, Joshua Henry, Van Hughes, Brian Charles Johnson, Joshua Kobak, Lorin Latarro, Omar Lopez-Cepero, Leslie McDonel, Chaes Peacock, Theo Stockman, Ben Thompson, Alysha Umphress, Aspen Vincent, Libby Winters. |
| Technical: |
Set: Christine Jones; Costumes: Andrea Lauer; Music Superv: Tom Kitt; Musical Dir: Carmel Dean; Video: Darrel Maloney; Lighting: Kevin Adams; Sound: Brian Ronan. |
| Critic: |
Richmond Shepard |
| Date Reviewed: |
April 2010 |
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