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The idea of a punk rock musical may strike some folks as patently absurd. How can you take one art form -- gritty, rebellious, brutally minimalist -- and marry it to another -- polished, family-friendly, harmonically complex -- without crippling them both? Some fans, in other words, are simply never going to warm to the idea of a Green Day musical, no matter how good it is.

But they're missing out. American Idiot, which opened Tuesday night at Broadway's St. James Theatre after a run at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre, is about as rock'n'roll as musicals get.

[Full review at SPIN]

Green Day's 'American Idiot' Musical Is 'Daring And Loud,' Cast Says
'I am just continually astonished by their artistry and the power and the beauty of these songs,' director Michael Mayer says.

Green Day's "American Idiot" musical made its official Broadway premiere at New York's St. James Theatre on Tuesday night. If the band being moved to tears by the production isn't motivation enough to make the trip to NYC to see the show, well, we figured we'd let the cast and crew tell you why you should check it out.

"As big a fan as someone is of Green Day, they might not even know how much dramatic potential is inside these songs," director Michael Mayer said. "And they have never heard them sung in this way before, so I think they may have a deeper appreciation of what Billie Joe and Mike and Tre have written. I hope they do [come see it], because I am just continually astonished by their artistry and the power and the beauty of these songs."

Like Green Day said earlier, the "Idiot" musical is a lot like seeing the band live: roaring, loud and unapologetic. But to hear Mayer tell it, there's also a side most fans can't see in concert — one that is brought right to the forefront on the Broadway stage.

"When you go see them in concert, or you watch their videos or