The new North American tour of American Idiot, the
Broadway rock musical based on the Green Day album, officially debuts Dec. 28 at the Toronto
Centre for the Arts in Ontario, Canada.
The run in Canada, to Jan. 15, 2012, follows Dec. 21-22 public performances
at the Stanley Theatre in Utica, NY, where the company did its "tech" and tested
the waters. Think of it as a preview engagement.
Van Hughes, the standby for the trio of buddy roles in the Broadway run of
the musical, plays Johnny, also known as Jesus of Suburbia.
Conceived and directed by Michael Mayer, who co-wrote the book with Green Day
frontman/songwriter Billie Joe Armstrong, the musical borrows songs from the
Grammy Award-winning rock album by Green Day to tell the story of three suburban
slackers (Johnny, Will and Tunny) who take separate paths in post-9/11
America.
More than a dozen U.S. markets follow the Toronto run. For more information,
visit www.americanidiotthemusical.com.
Hughes (Broadway's 9 to 5 and Hairspray, Off-Broadway's
Saved) played Johnny at the conclusion of American Idiot's
Broadway run. The show closed at the St. James Theatre April 24, 2011, following
422 performances. It was nominated for a 2010 Tony Award for Best Musical, and
won Tonys for Lighting Design (Kevin Adams) and Scenic Design (Christine
Jones).
The touring cast also includes Joshua Kobak as St. Jimmy, Jake Epstein as Will, Scott J.
Campbell as Tunny, original Broadway cast member Leslie McDonel as Heather, Gabrielle McClinton as Whatsername
and Nicci Claspell as The Extraordinary Girl, with ensemble members Talia Aaron,
Krystina Alabado, Gabriel Antonacci, Larkin Bogan, Matt DeAngelis, Dan Gleason,
Kelvin Moon Loh, Tommy McDowell, Jillian Mueller, Jarran Muse, Vince Oddo,
Okieriete Onaodowan and Kaitlyn Terrill.
American Idiot's music is by Green Day, with lyrics by Armstrong, who
stepped into the dark-force role of St. Jimmy for several scattered weeks of the
Broadway run.
The Broadway cast album of American Idiot won the 2010 Grammy Award
winner for Best Musical Show Album.
Tony Award winner Mayer (Spring Awakening) has had hands full this
fall: He also directed a revised revival of the musical On a Clear Day You
Can See Forever, starring Harry Connick Jr., on Broadway, at the St. James.
American Idiot is choreographed by Olivier Award winner Steven Hoggett
(Black Watch, Once) with music supervision, orchestrations and
arrangements by Pulitzer Prize winner Tom Kitt (Next to Normal). The tour
features Tony-winning scenic design by Jones and Tony-winning lighting design by
Adams.
The creative team also includes costume design by Andrea Lauer, sound design
by Brian Ronan, video and projections design by Darrel Maloney, music direction
by Jared Stein, associate choreography by Lorin Latarro and associate direction
by Johanna McKeon.
The musical features the hits "Boulevard of Broken Dreams," "Wake Me Up When
September Ends," "Holiday" and the title track from the 2004 "American Idiot"
album. As on Broadway, the score also includes several songs from Green Day's
Grammy Award-winning 2009 release "21st Century Breakdown," including "21 Guns"
and an unreleased love song, "When It's Time."
American Idiot 2011-2012 National Tour Dates
Toronto, ON, Dec. 28, 2011-Jan. 15, 2012, Toronto Centre for the
Arts
Detroit, MI, Jan. 17-22, 2012, Opera House
Boston, MA,
Jan. 24-29, 2012, Opera House
Raleigh, NC, Jan. 31-Feb. 5, 2012,
Memorial Auditorium
Chicago, IL, Feb. 7-19, 2012, Oriental
Theatre
Minneapolis, MN, Feb. 21-26, 2012, Orpheum Theatre
State
College, PA, Feb. 28-29, 2012, Eisenhower Auditorium
St. Louis,
MO, March 2-4, 2012, Peabody Opera House
Denver, CO, March 6-11,
2012, Buell Theatre
Los Angeles, CA, March 13-April 22, 2012, Ahmanson
Theatre
Tempe, AZ, April 24-29, 2012, ASU Gammage
Dallas,
TX, May 8-20, 2012, AT&T PAC
Costa Mesa, CA, May 29-June 3,
2012, Segerstrom Center
Seattle, WA, May 5-June 10, 2012, Paramount
Theatre
San Francisco, CA, June 12-July 8, 2012, Orpheum Theatre
Full article at Playbill: HERE