Tickets available to the general public now. More info: AmericanIdiotonbroadway.com
7-22 -WALLACE SMITH WILL ENLIST IN BROADWAY'S AMERICAN IDIOT
Wallace Smith will succeed Joshua Henry as the "Favorite Son" in the Tony Award-nominated Green Day musical American Idiot, beginning July 20 at the St. James Theatre.
Smith, who has appeared on Broadway in the Tony-winning revival of Hair, as well as in the 2009 revival of Ragtime and The Lion King, joins the ensemble of the rock musical that has a book by Green Day front man Billie Joe Armstrong and director Michael Mayer, and features punk tunes culled from the Green Day catalogue and their Grammy-winning album "American Idiot."
Smith succeeds Henry, who created the role of the military hero depicted in American Idiot and is departing the production to star in the Guthrie Theatre and subsequent Broadway production of Kander and Ebb's Scottsboro Boys.
[Full article at Playbill.com]
7-3 -AMERICAN IDIOT AT BRYANT PARK
American Idiot, La Cage aux Folles, A Little Night Music, Fela!, Memphis, Million Dollar Quartet, The Addams Family and Promises, Promises are among the new Broadway shows that will perform at the popular outdoor concert series Broadway in Bryant Park. Other long-running musicals such as Next to Normal, Wicked, South Pacific and In The Heights will also appear at the midtown Manhattan park, as well as the off-Broadway shows Stomp and Nunsense. The weekly concert series will take place every Thursday at noon beginning July 8 and will conclude on August 12. The concerts are free and seats are based on a first come first served basis.
August 12:
American Idiot
[Full article at Broadway.com]
6-25 - CAST ALBUM RELEASED ON VINYL
The Original Broadway Cast Recording of "American Idiot" will be released on vinyl July 13th. Pre-order it: HERE.
6-14 - TONY AWARDS
6-14 - GREEN DAY ROCKS TONY AWARDS, 'AMERICAN IDIOT' WINS
The Tony Awards is not the event where you expect to see punk rockers center stage -- but then again, 'American Idiot' is not your typical Broadway musical. Green Day rocked the stage at the Tony's 64th awards show last night (June 13), performing with the cast of their acclaimed 'American Idiot' musical, which was nominated for three awards. The show lost Best Musical to "Memphis" (it did take home trophies for Best Scenic and Best Lighting Design), but that's ok -- Billie Joe and co. kicked off the event with a loud, raucous performance that ensured that no matter what, their performance would be the one that everyone would remember.
[Full review at Billboard.com]
6-14 - AMERICAN IDIOT
Congratulations to American Idiot for taking home two awards at tonights 64th Annual Tony Awards in New York City:
Best Lighting Design of a Musical - Kevin Adams - American Idiot
Best Scenic Design of a Musical - Christine Jones - American Idiot
6-11 - TONY AWARDS
Watch Green Day & Cast of American Idiot perform Sunday on the Tony Awards at 8pm on CBS
6-07 - AMERICAN IDIOT TO RECEIVE DIVERSITY AWARD
Actors' Equity Association has announced that the Green Day musical American Idiot is the recipient of its Extraordinary Excellence in Diversity on Broadway Award for the 2009-2010 season. The award will be presented at a reception at the Equity headquarters in New York City on Tuesday, June 15.
According to press notes, the award "honors and encourages those who actively promote the goals of diversity, inclusion and equal opportunity for all who work in the theatre."
The musical, performing at the St. James Theatre, has been directed by Michael Mayer, who has written the book with Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong.
The company features John Gallagher, Jr., Stark Sands, Michael Esper, Rebecca Naomi Jones, Christina Sajous, Mary Faber, and Tony Vincent, along with Declan Bennett, Andrew Call, Gerard Canonico, Miguel Cervantes, Joshua Henry, Van Hughes, Brian Charles Johnson, Joshua Kobak, Lorin Latarro, Omar Lopez-Cepero, Leslie McDonel, Chase Peacock, Theo Stockman, Ben Thompson, Alysha Umphress, Aspen Vincent, Sean Wing, and Libby Winters.
The creative team includes Tom Kitt (music supervisor, orchestrator and music arranger), Christine Jones (scenic design), Andrea Lauer (costume design), Kevin Adams (lighting design), Brian Ronan (sound design), and Darrel Maloney (video design).
For TheaterMania's review of American Idiot, click here.
6-07 - BWW FAN'S CHOICE 2010 AWARDS
Voting has concluded for BroadwayWorld's 2010 Theatre Fans' Choice Awards, and with hundreds of thousands of votes cast, we've had another record year further solidifying the Theatre Fans' Choice Awards place as the largest, and most popular online Broadway polling event of its kind! AMERICAN IDIOT Leads with Record 10 Wins!
Best Choreography
Steven Hoggett - American Idiot
Best Direction of a Musical
Michael Mayer - American Idiot
Best Featured Actor in a Musical
Tony Vincent - American Idiot
Best Featured Actress in a Musical
Rebecca Naomi Jones - American Idiot
Best Leading Actor in a Musical
John Gallagher, Jr. - American Idiot
Best Lighting Design
Kevin Adams - American Idiot
Best Musical
American Idiot
Best Orchestrations
Tom Kitt - American Idiot
Best Scenic Design
Christine Jones - American Idiot
Best Sound Design
Brian Ronan - American Idiot
[Full article at Broadway World]
6-07 - 2010 TONY AWARDS
6-02 - 2010 TONY AWARDS
The American Theatre Wing’s 2010 Tony Awards Will be Broadcast Live from Radio City Music Hall on CBS, Sunday, June 13th, 8:00 – 11:00 p.m.
New York, NY (June 2, 2010) – The Tony Awards today announced their line-up of performances for the 64th Annual Tony Awards Telecast on Sunday, June 13th. The show will be packed with entertainment from start to finish including a phenomenal opening and performances by Tony-nominated Best Musicals American Idiot, Fela!, Memphis and Million Dollar Quartet as well as the Tony-nominated Best Musical Revivals La Cage aux Folles featuring Kelsey Grammer, A Little Night Music featuring Catherine Zeta-Jones and Ragtime. Also taking the stage throughout the evening will be Green Day, Glee’s Lea Michele and Matthew Morrison, as well as cast members from Come Fly Away, Everyday Rapture and Promises, Promises.
This year’s telecast will feature a special presentation of the Tony-nominated Best Play and Best Play revivals. The presentation will feature Denzel Washington and Viola Davis from Fences; Justin Bartha, Anthony LaPaglia and Tony Shalhoub from Lend Me a Tenor; Jan Maxwell and Rosemary Harris of The Royal Family; Liev Schreiber and Scarlett Johansson from A View from the Bridge; Laura Benanti and Michael Cerveris from In the Next Room or the vibrator play; Patrick Breen and Patrick Heusinger of Next Fall; Laura Linney and Brian d’Arcy James from Time Stands Still; and Alfred Molina and Eddie Redmayne from Red.
As previously announced Antonio Banderas, Cate Blanchett, Michael Douglas, Scarlett Johansson, Lucy Liu, Helen Mirren, Chris Noth, Bernadette Peters, David Hyde Pierce and Raquel Welch will also be appearing throughout the evening.
The Tony Awards will be broadcast live in HD, from Radio City Music Hall on CBS, Sunday, June 13th, 8:00 – 11:00 p.m. (ET/PT time delay). The 2010 Tony Awards are presented by the Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing. To view the live Tony Awards pre-telecast, please log onto www.TonyAwards.com at 7:00 p.m. (EST) on Sunday, June 13th.
The Antoinette Perry “Tony” Awards are bestowed annually on theatre professionals for distinguished achievement. The Tony is one of the most coveted awards in the entertainment industry and the annual telecast is considered one of the most prestigious programs on television.
For up-to-the-minute news follow The Tony Awards on Facebook.com/TheTonyAwards or Twitter.com/TheTonyAwards.
5-28 - NEW YORK POST
5-26 - BROADWAY.COM AUDIENCE AWARDS
Congratulations to American Idiot for taking home 2 awards at the 2010 Broadway.com Audience Awards:
Favorite Leading Actor in a Broadway Musical: John Gallagher Jr.
Favorite Ensemble Performance
5-25 - DRAMA DESK AWARDS
Congratulations to Michael Mayer who took home the Outstanding Director of a Musical Award at the Drama Desk Awards Sunday.
5-14 - CAST ALBUM AT EUROPEAN ITUNES
Look for the 'American Idiot' cast recording to be available today in Germany on European iTunes!
5-10 - ROLLING STONE
Green Day Take Manhattan in the new May 13th issue of Rolling Stone Magazine.
5-04 - 3 TONY AWARD NOMINATIONS
The Antoinette Perry Awards for Excellence in Theatre or Tony Awards, recognize achievement in live American theatre. This year Green Day can add 3 more nominations to their already impressive list of 162 nominations and 72 awards, including BEST MUSICAL!
American Idiot on Broadway has been nominated for the coveted Tony Award for Best Musical in addition to Best Scenic Design of a Musical for Christine Jones and Best Lighting Design of a Musical for Kevin Adams! Congratulations to Christine, Kevin, cast, crew and creative team!
"American Idiot"
Best Scenic Design of a Musical
Christine Jones, "American Idiot"
Best Lighting Design of a musical
Kevin Adams, "American Idiot"
The Tony Awards show will air June 13 on CBS!
5-02 - CAST ON REGIS & KELLY
WMUWSE on R&K from Grassmah on Vimeo.
4-30 - CAST ON LETTERMAN
4-21 - NEW YORK TIMES
Rage and love, those consuming emotions felt with a particularly acute pang in youth, all but burn up the stage in “American Idiot,” the thrillingly raucous and gorgeously wrought Broadway musical adapted from the blockbuster pop-punk album by Green Day.
Pop on Broadway, sure. But punk? Yes, indeed, and served straight up, with each sneering lyric and snarling riff in place. A stately old pile steps from the tourist-clogged Times Square might seem a strange place for the music of Green Day, and for theater this blunt, bold and aggressive in its attitude. Not to mention loud. But from the moment the curtain rises on a panorama of baleful youngsters at the venerable St. James Theater, where the show opened on Tuesday night, it’s clear that these kids are going to make themselves at home, even if it means tearing up the place in the process.
Which they do, figuratively speaking. “American Idiot,” directed by Michael Mayer and performed with galvanizing intensity by a terrific cast, detonates a fierce aesthetic charge in this ho-hum Broadway season. A pulsating portrait of wasted youth that invokes all the standard genre conventions — bring on the sex, drugs and rock ’n’ roll, please! — only to transcend them through the power of its music and the artistry of its execution, the show is as invigorating and ultimately as moving as anything I’ve seen on Broadway this season. Or maybe for a few seasons past.
Burning with rage and love, and knowing how and when to express them, are two different things, of course. The young men we meet in the first minutes of “American Idiot” are too callow and sullen and restless — too young, basically — to channel their emotions constructively. The show opens with a glorious 20-minute temper tantrum kicked off by the title song.
“Don’t want to be an American idiot!” shouts one of the gang. The song’s signature electric guitar riff slashes through the air, echoing the testy challenge of the cry. A sharp eight-piece band, led by the conductor Carmel Dean, is arrayed around the stage, providing a sonic frame for the action. The simple but spectacular set, designed by Christine Jones, suggests an epically scaled dive club, its looming walls papered in punk posters and pimpled by television screens, on which frenzied video collages flicker throughout the show. (They’re the witty work of Darrel Maloney.)
Who’s the American idiot being referred to? Well, as that curtain slowly rose, we heard the familiar voice of George W. Bush break through a haze of television chatter: “Either you are with us, or with the terrorists.” That kind of talk could bring out the heedless rebel in any kid, particularly one who is already feeling itchy at the lack of prospects in his dreary suburban burg.
But while “American Idiot” is nominally a portrait of youthful malaise of a particular era — the album dates from 2004, the midpoint of the Bush years, and the show is set in “the recent past” — its depiction of the crisis of post-adolescence is essentially timeless. Teenagers eager for their lives to begin, desperate to slough off their old selves and escape boredom through pure sensation, will probably always be making the same kinds of mistakes, taking the same wrong turns on the road to self-discovery.
“American Idiot” is a true rock opera, almost exclusively using the music of Green Day and the lyrics of its kohl-eyed frontman, Billie Joe Armstrong, to tell its story. (The score comprises the whole of the title album as well as several songs from the band’s most recent release, “21st Century Breakdown.”) The book, by Mr. Armstrong and Mr. Mayer, consists only of a series of brief, snarky dispatches sent home by the central character, Johnny, played with squirmy intensity by the immensely gifted John Gallagher Jr. (“Spring Awakening,” “Rabbit Hole”).
[Full review at NY TIMES]
4-21 - AFTER PARTY PHOTOS
AMERICAN IDIOT began performances at the ST. James Theatre on March 24, 2010 and opened on Broadway on April 20, 2010 to a great set of reviews!
We've got photos from the show's after party!
[Full article at Broadway World]
4-21 - MTV
Green Day Joined By Paul Rudd, Zachary Quinto At 'American Idiot' Premiere
'I don't think there's ever been a bigger high in the 21 years' of the band, Billie Joe Armstrong says of Broadway debut.
NEW YORK — On Tuesday night in New York, the Great White Way got a little bit more punk rock when Green Day officially opened their Broadway opus, "American Idiot." The band was joined by the show's cast, as well as a number of celebrity fans like Donald Trump, Zachary Quinto and Paul Rudd to celebrate the show's debut at the St. James Theatre.
Admittedly, having a Broadway show might be the least punk rock thing in the universe, but Green Day couldn't have been prouder to see all their hard work hit that stage and rock up midtown Manhattan. "I don't think there's ever been a bigger high in the 21 years that we've been a band together," Billie Joe Armstrong told MTV News on the red carpet before the curtain rose on the show.
Armstrong was equally taken by the fact that the band, and those involved with the show, were able to take an album like American Idiot and make it something that people could see in Broadway musical form. "You make this crazy record that's political and it's a rock opera and it has [been] brought to flesh and blood," he said.
"People actually acting it out onstage in pretty much the linear exact way you thought it was going to come out. It's amazing."
The guys recently admitted that they were so moved by the adaptation that it made them cry. "All of us actually came to tears, because you don't get to see Green Day play live if you're actually in Green Day," bassist Mike Dirnt said. "But to see these voices and the way all the cast were singing, you just abandon hope of a tissue and let 'em stream. ... [We were like,] 'No, that's allergies, man!' "
4-20 - AMERICAN IDIOT ONLINE ACCESS TONIGHT
Don't have tickets to the April 20 opening night of American Idiot, the new Broadway musical by Green Day? The festivities will be online.
The producers of the Michael Mayer-directed rock musical drawing from the Green Day album of the same name announced that starting at 5 PM April 20, visitors to AmericanIdiotonBroadway.com will see exclusive coverage of the opening night.
Visitors can expect:
- Exclusive videos and photos from the red carpet, opening night show and the after party.
- Twitter updates from the cast and creative team
Starts today at 5pm at www.AmericanIdiotonBroadway.com
4-20 - CNN
(CNN) - The band Green Day has come a long way since their big break in 1994 with an album called, "Dookie."
September 11th changed their approach to music and they released back-to-back albums that defied their simple roots, with more rock opera than punk rock.
Now, those two records, "American Idiot" and "21st Century Breakdown," have become a Broadway musical. The show is also called "American Idiot" and it opens tonight after a month of previews.
Our John Roberts had a chance to talk with the band, the cast, and the director about how it all came together.
4-20 - AMERICAN IDIOT OPENS ON BROADWAY TODAY
American Idiot, the new American musical based on the Grammy Award-winning rock album by Green Day, and featuring direction by Tony Award winner Michael Mayer, opens April 20 at the St. James Theatre following previews from March 24.
A far cry from the sexual coming-of-age and teen-angst tale that was Spring Awakening, for which Mayer won the Tony Award for Best Direction, American Idiot — a narrative expansion of the album — is about a young man named Johnny (played by Spring Awakening's Tony-winning John Gallagher, Jr.), who journeys from the soulless suburbs in search of something greater, all in the post-9/11 age of media-saturation, fear and cynicism. His two pals, Will (played by Michael Esper) and Tunny (played by Tony nominee Stark Sands), take their own paths.
Johnny is also known as Jesus of Suburbia, a name familiar to fans of the 2004 Grammy Award-winning source album, a punk rock hit that has sold more than 12 million copies.
Here's how the producers describe the experience: "
American Idiot follows the exhilarating journey of a new generation of young Americans as they struggle to find meaning in a post 9/11 world, borne along by Green Day's electrifying score."
The 90-minute rock musical draws on all the songs from "American Idiot," plus material that did not make the album, plus a handful of numbers from Green Day's latest Grammy-winning album, "21st Century Breakdown" (including the song "21 Guns").
[Full article at Playbill.com]
4-20 - MTV
Green Day aren't exactly the kind of guys you'd expect to shed tears over anything, but the first time they watched rehearsals for the Broadway musical version of "American Idiot" — opening Tuesday (April 20) at New York's St. James Theatre — they did just that.
"I was watching the actors, and I catch the eye of one of the singers, and he just gives me a little [thumbs-up] sign, and so that gave me the courage to look over at the band," "Idiot" director Michael Mayer told MTV News. "And there were tears in their eyes. I saw that what we were doing was connecting to them on a heart-and-soul level, and it wasn't about commerce and it wasn't about business. ... All of that went away, and I saw that these are just three wonderful men who made these wonderful songs, [and] we were giving it back to them as this sort of wonderful gift. I was blown away, and I thought, 'OK, there is something here.' "
Of course, we had to verify the story with the guys themselves. So when MTV News caught up with them at "Idiot" rehearsals, we asked: Did the musical really bring on the waterworks?
"All of us actually came to tears, because you don't get to see Green Day play live if you're actually in Green Day," bassist Mike Dirnt said. "But to see these voices and the way all the cast were singing, you just abandon hope of a tissue and let 'em stream. ... [We were like,] 'No, that's allergies, man!' "
"Yeah, the first night I wasn't prepared," drummer Tre Cool added. "[But] the second night, I brought a little thing of tissues and I drank two glasses of wine."
[Full article at MTV]
4-19 - ROLLING STONE BEHIND THE SCENES
4-19 - TIMES SQUARE
4-17 - MTV'S "GREEN DAY ROCKS BROADWAY" SPECIAL
4-17 - MTV GIVES YOU A PEEK AT REHEARSAL FOOTAGE
'Green Day Rocks Broadway: American Idiot' Goes Behind The Scenes Of Musical
MTV gives you a peek at rehearsal footage and interviews with the cast.
The Broadway version of Green Day's "American Idiot" doesn't officially open until April 20, but Friday night (April 16), MTV gave fans an exclusive look into the making of the punk-rock opera when it aired "Green Day Rocks Broadway: American Idiot."
The show detailed the long journey from the recording of the Idiot album in 2003 to rehearsals at New York's St. James Theatre and, at every step of the way, the pressure to deliver the goods was off the charts.
"Right around 2003, I think, as a band, we wanted to have a monumental moment. We wanted to make a concept album, we knew that," Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong explained. "Politically, when we were writing it, American Idiot was trying to make sense out of a big mess. We were trying to find something to believe in. It's about people becoming lost and trying to find their way. And I think that's been going through our songs since 1988."
Armstrong said that, to a man, Green Day always believed that Idiot should end up on the stage, but they didn't think they'd ever find the right team to help that transition. Until they met "Spring Awakening" director Michael Mayer, who took on the project and guided it through an initial run at the Berkeley Repertory Theater in California last year.
"This album is our baby. To see it get put in the hands of other people, it's great. We've always thought that somehow there should be some sort of stage version, because that's what was going on in our heads," Armstrong said. "[And] Michael really stuck to the heart of the album, which are the characters, like Jesus of Suburbia. But he also created new characters by using different, little subliminal things that we put in special packaging. Like the character Tunny, it's a brand-new character. Will, it's a brand-new character, too."
Through rehearsal footage and interviews, we met the Broadway cast, which features "Spring Awakening" star John Gallagher Jr. as Johnny (the so-called "Jesus of Suburbia"), Michael Esper as Will, Stark Sands as Tunny, Tony Vincent as St. Jimmy and Rebecca Naomi as Whatsername. It's a big, diverse collection of talent, but they all had one thing in common: a mutual love for the American Idiot album.
"I can remember just driving around in my mother's minivan, and just cranking that record as loud as it would go," Gallagher said. "And really, just feeling understood, and there was this direct line of communication that I felt coming from that record."
"The album is really like a rallying cry for our generation," Mary Faber, who plays Heather, added.
And though some of the characters were created by Mayer, Armstrong said what resonates most to him about the musical — and, what he thinks fans will relate to — is that they're close to his own heart ... and probably yours, too. And, at the end of the day, that's what the stage version of "American Idiot" is really all about.
"Those people remind me of my friends, and they remind me of myself," Armstrong said.
"I guarantee that what's presented onstage someone will absolutely be able to latch onto," Vincent added.
[Full article at MTV]
4-16 - MTV SPECIAL TONIGHT
Tune Into MTV TONIGHT at 7pm EST/PST
To check out the 30 min
American Idiot Broadway Play Special.
4-16 - VH1 NEWS
Green Day stopped by Late Night with Jimmy Fallon and discussed their show American Idiot as well as Green Day 1999 and their new Green Day rock band video game. AMERICAN IDIOT began performances at the ST. James Theatre on March 24, 2010 and open on Broadway on April 20, 2010. In anticipation of the opening next week, BroadwayWorld brings you the first production shots of the cast performing on Broadway, following by tribute shots to their world premiere performance at Berkeley Rep this past fall.
AMERICAN IDIOT follows the exhilarating journey of a new generation of young Americans as they struggle to find meaning in a post 9/11 world, borne along by Green Day's electrifying score. The musical includes every song from the acclaimed album American Idiot, as well as several songs from the band's GRAMMY® Award-winning new release, 21st Century Breakdown, such as "21 Guns."
Called a "masterpiece" by Rolling Stone Magazine, Green Day won two GRAMMY® Awards for the groundbreaking rock opera American Idiot, which sold more than 12 million copies worldwide. Now Billie Joe Armstrong and the band collaborate with one of the theatre's most acclaimed creative teams, led by the Tony Award-winning director of Spring Awakening, Michael Mayer, two-time Tony Award-winning composer and orchestrator Tom Kitt, and Olivier Award-winning choreographer Steven Hoggett, to bring this explosive, iconic album to the stage.
The cast of AMERICAN IDIOT stars Tony Award winner John Gallagher Jr. (Spring Awakening) alongside Tony Award Nominee Stark Sands (Journey's End), Michael Esper (A Man For All Seasons), Rebecca Naomi Jones (Passing Strange), Christina Sajous (The Wild Party), Mary Faber (Avenue Q) and Tony Vincent (Jesus Christ Superstar). Also featured in the cast are Declan Bennett, Andrew Call, Gerard Canonico, Miguel Cervantes, Joshua Henry, Van Hughes, Brian CharLes Johnson , Joshua Kobak, Lorin Latarro, Omar Lopez-Cepero , Leslie McDonel, Chase Peacock , Theo Stockman, Ben Thompson , Alysha Umphress , Aspen Vincent and Libby Winters .
[Full article at Broadway World]
4-16 - VH1 NEWS
Look for an American Idiot News Piece on VH1 starting today:
Friday, 4/16/10:
“American Idiot” – VDAY4618 as a standalone at the end of block 3 in the 6:00 am hour
“American Idiot” – VDAY4618 as a standalone at the end of block 3 in the 8:00 am hour
“American Idiot” – VDAY4618 as a standalone at the end of block 3 in the 10:00 am hour
Saturday, 4/17/10:
“American Idiot” – VDAY4618 as a standalone at the end of block 3 in the 7:00 am hour
Sunday, 4/18/10:
“American Idiot” – VDAY4618 as a standalone at the end of block 3 in the 6:00 am hour
4-15 - VANITY FAIR
It’s amazing how long it takes us to change our view of something once it’s ingrained. Most people still think of New York City as dangerous, Starbucks coffee as bitter, Robin Williams as funny, and Broadway music as the exclusive domain of such songsmiths as Rodgers and Hammerstein and Andrew Lloyd Webber. That last one may change for good starting next week, when the musical American Idiot, based on Green Day’s 2004 punk-pop album of the same name, opens at the St. James Theater. The prevailing opinion was summed up fairly well by Bill Maher, who, when he interviewed Green Day’s front man, Billie Joe Armstrong, on his show last week, said, “[when I think] musical I think of Ethel Merman, Tommy Tune, Mr. Stephen Sondheim—I don’t think of Sid Vicious.”
American Idiot is neither an old-timey toe-tapper nor a radical reinvention of the musical form. It is an intense, 90-minute rock opera, powered by impassioned, creative renditions of Green Day’s songs and by the mesmerizing, evocative choreography of Steven Hoggett. As the show’s star, John Gallagher Jr., says, “It just goes and goes and goes until it can’t go any further. You really feel like you’ve been through something by the end.” The story follows Gallagher Jr.’s character, a disaffected twentysomething referred to in Green Day’s lyrics as the Jesus of Suburbia, as he sets out for the big city.
Rock has had a place on Broadway for decades, from Hair to Jesus Christ Superstar to The Who’s Tommy to Rent. But most of the shows that made it to Broadway (with the notable exception of Tommy) featured somewhat watered-down versions of rock music—not the kind of stuff you could hear on a modern-rock radio station or drive your parents crazy by blasting in your bedroom. In the past few years, however, there has been a profusion of successful Broadway musicals with harder-edged, guitar-driven scores. For a quick primer, all you need to do is look at the bios in the American Idiot playbill.
[Full article at Vanity Fair]
4-15 - "RAGE AND LOVE" GREEN DAY'S AMERICAN IDIOT
As soon as the house lights go down at the St. James Theatre on Broadway for the theatrical production of punk band, Green Day’s rock opera opus, American Idiot, the audience is (quite intentionally) assaulted with a seemingly endless barrage of sound bytes from news and pop culture of the first decade of the twenty-first century. Then the curtain rises on an enormous stage filled with disaffected youth and on-stage band members, the set covered to the rafters in a collage of newspapers and magazines, half of a car, scaffolding, and numerous hi-def television screens, blaring clips from entertainment news, talk shows, sitcoms–all of the synthetic noise constantly in our heads, cluttering our minds and distracting us from the disturbing truth of our era.
[Full review at Rob Will Review']
4-08 - BACKSTAGE VIDEOS
Check out the American Idiot Broadway Facebook to see exclusive videos from backstage at the St. James Theater: HERE.
4-12 - BROADWAY CAST RECORDING 'AMERICAN IDIOT'
The Original Broadway Cast Recording 'American Idiot' Featuring Green Day
Original Release Date: April 20, 2010
Order and listen to clips at Amazon: HERE.
4-06 - MTV AND GREEN DAY
MTV AND GREEN DAY PULL BACK THE CURTAIN AS THE NEW BROADWAY MUSICAL “AMERICAN IDIOT” TAKES OVER THE NETWORK
Exclusive Behind-The-Scenes Special “Green Day Rocks Broadway” Set To Air on Friday, April 16 at 7pm ET/PT
Network To Give 300 Fans Opportunity To Attend First Look Performance Opening Week
New York, NY – April 6, 2010 – MTV and Green Day take on Broadway with an unprecedented partnership to celebrate the new musical American Idiot, which opens on Tuesday, April 20. The deal will put the multi-platinum selling and Grammy® Award winning band - credited for putting punk rock back on the map – and their thrilling new Broadway show, directed by Tony winner Michael Mayer and featuring an incredible cast of 19 performers, into the spotlight throughout the month of April leading up to opening week. Every day is a “Green Day” in April as MTV brings viewers special programming including the behind-the-scenes special “Green Day Rocks Broadway,” the premiere of the band’s new video "Last of the American Girls” and a sweepstakes giving 300 lucky fans the opportunity to attend the show opening week.
“Green Day has rocked MTV for years, now its Broadway’s turn. We’re so excited to continue our partnership with the band as they revolutionize Broadway with American Idiot,” said Amy Doyle, Executive Vice President of Music and Talent, MTV. “We're thrilled to offer our viewers hours of exclusive band content, a special behind-the-scenes look of the show and free tickets for opening week."
Programming paying homage to the band invading Broadway is set to infiltrate MTV on-air and online. With daily pieces of original content and customized Green Day promo spots including performances, show rehearsals, interviews, behind-the-scenes footage and more, MTV and all its on-air, online platforms and sister channels including MTV.com, MTV2, mtvU and MTV Hits will unite to bring music fans the ultimate Green Day experience 24-7.
“We are really excited to partner with MTV to introduce American Idiot to our fans," said Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong. "We've had an amazing relationship with them throughout our career, and the network and its viewers have always been supportive no matter what we've thrown at them."
American Idiot follows the exhilarating journey of a new generation of young Americans as they strive to find meaning in a post 9/11 world, borne along by Green Day’s electrifying score. The musical includes every song from the acclaimed album American Idiot, as well as several songs from the band’s GRAMMY® Award-winning new release, 21st Century Breakdown. Billie Joe Armstrong and the band collaborate with one of the theatre's most acclaimed creative teams, led by Michael Mayer (Spring Awakening), two-time Tony Award-winning composer and orchestrator Tom Kitt (Next to Normal), and Olivier Award-winning choreographer Steven Hoggett (Black Watch), to bring this explosive, iconic album to the stage. Tony Award winner John Gallagher Jr, (Spring Awakening) leads the remarkable 19-member cast.
“We’re thrilled that MTV has joined us and Green Day as American Idiot begins performances on Broadway. MTV’s audience has been amazing supporters of Green Day and we’re excited for them to take the journey with the iconic album now as it rocks the stage,” said American Idiot producers Ira Pittelman and Tom Hulce.
MTV will take over the St. James Theatre during opening week of Green Day’s American Idiot giving 300 of the band’s biggest fans the opportunity to attend an exclusive first look. Beginning on Tuesday, April 6 through Sunday, April 11, viewers can go to americanidiot.mtv.com to win tickets to a special April 22 performance.
In addition, Green Day has teamed up with MTV Games and Harmonix, the leading developer of music-based games, along with Reprise / Warner Bros. Records to release Green Day: Rock Band™, the full standalone music video game experience that celebrates Green Day’s historic career and genre-defining albums worldwide, on June 8, 2010. Taking on the likenesses of Green Day members Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt and Tré Cool, players progress through the story and history of Green Day rocking along to 47 tracks. In addition, fans will gain access to the band’s media vault, where they can unlock more than 100 collectible images, and more than 40 minutes of rare and unreleased video from interviews, outtakes and performances.
MTV GREEN DAY PROGRAMMING FOR THE MONTH OF APRIL
MTV World Premiere of Green Day Video “Last of the American Girls"
Thursday, April 1
· On Thursday, April 1, MTV will be the exclusive on-air and online destination for the global premiere of Green Day’s newest video, “Last of the American Girls.” The video will air on MTV, MTV2, and mtvU, MTV Hits, and MTV.com as well as well as on MTV international channels. “Last of the American Girls” will be the latest video from the rock trio’s Grammy Award winning Album 21st Century Breakdown.
MTV “Green Day Rocks Broadway” Sweepstakes
Sweepstakes begins on Tuesday, April 6 through Sunday, April 11
· MTV will take over the St. James Theatre during opening week of Green Day’s American Idiot giving 300 of the band’s biggest fans the opportunity to attend an exclusive first look. Beginning on Tuesday, April 6 through Sunday, April 11, viewers can go to americanidiot.mtv.com for a chance to win tickets to a special April 22 performance.
MTV “Green Day Rocks Broadway” Special
Friday, April 16 at 7pm ET/PT
· MTV News will spotlight the new Broadway musical American Idiot April MTV event with “Green Day Rocks Broadway.” The half-hour behind-the scenes special will give fans who can’t make the trip to New York City to see the show live, a look at the making of the musical, including exclusive interviews with Green Day and show cast & creative team members, rehearsal footage and fan reactions. The MTV News “Green Day Rocks Broadway” will air on MTV, MTV2 mtvU, MTV Hits and MTV.com.
Additional Airings: MTV2 on Saturday, April 17 at 12pm ET/PT
mtvU on Saturday, April 17 at 5pm ET/PT
MTV Hits on Monday, April 19 at 1pm ET/PT
4-02 - NEW YORK TIMES
AS they assessed the pre-Broadway tryout of the new musical “American Idiot” in California last fall, the director, Michael Mayer, and his creative team kept coming back to the same question: Should they add more dialogue to flesh out the tormented journeys of the three main characters or continue to rely on the songs — by the band Green Day — to do the storytelling?
At 95 minutes, perhaps the musical could be clarified by giving more lines to the best friends at its core: Johnny, whose pursuit of big city life is hobbled by drug addiction; Tunny, whose intoxication with patriotism and war has horrifying consequences; and Will, who is left behind with a pregnant girlfriend and a much-used bong.
[Full article at New York Times]
4-02 - MAYER AND ARMSTRONG ONE ON ONE
At Playbill's invitation, Mayer, who won his Best Direction Tony for Spring Awakening, sat down with collaborator Armstrong (they share book credit on the musical American Idiot) to talk about the 2004 source album and its rebirth as a Broadway rock musical.
Will Armstrong write another musical? Read on — and listen, too. We've got exclusive audio outtakes and extras.
MICHAEL MAYER: Why did you make the record "American Idiot"?
BILLIE JOE ARMSTRONG: I think it was maybe a combination of some kind of artistic statement and also [a reflection of] what was happening at that time.
MM: This was during the beginning of the Iraq War?
BJA: Yeah — 2002–2003. Watching the tanks going in and the journalists embedded, it was like reality television was meeting war.
MM: What was it about rock opera that felt right as a vehicle for channeling that moment?
BJA: I've always liked songs that told stories (like "Tommy" or "Sergeant Pepper"). I think to use a rock opera sounded more appealing, and it was something I felt like I had the chops to do.
MM: When you first made the album, did you visualize it happening on a stage?
BJA: Yeah! I visualized the characters in my head, and starting thinking, "Wow, this could totally be staged...it could be something."
MM: What was your first reaction when I first approached you about making this show?
I never hesitated for a second. I always have this thing: "Go where the music takes you," and that's where I felt like the music was taking us.
MM: "American Idiot" [the album] is the story of one man's journey to find himself and…return home a little older and a lot wiser. When I suggested opening the story up and addi