Calling Out to Idiot America

Last night, I saw American Idiot, part of a special production they do for college students called American Idiot U. It features a Q&A session after the show with the director, cast, some important members of the technical crew, and of course Billie Joe Armstrong. I am still unsure how I feel about this show. But since I've made it my mission to see as many Broadway shows as possible, I should probably talk about the ones I have the privilege of actually seeing.

The thing is, I'm not really sure how to talk about American Idiot. Should I tell you that the sets, lighting, video reel and costumes were absolutely wonderful? Should I tell you how much I respect the choreographer for creating moves to a musical style that's not exactly dancer-friendly? Should I tell you that the orchestration of Green Day music with harmonies and different ranges was absolutely fabulous? Should I tell you that having the band on stage and the characters playing guitar was a wonderful way to integrate the music more directly into the plot? Should I tell you that stylistically, musically and technically, the show was brilliant?

Or should I talk about how the plot was DRASTICALLY different from what I had imagined when listening to that Green Day album on repeat in my high school bedroom six years ago?

See, I did my research, way back in the day when I was obsessed with this album. I studied the lyrics and the music and the interviews and the Vh1 Storytellers. Billie Joe & the boys had a plot, a clear plot, about ONE BOY and his crazy, messed up journey. And one figment of his imagination. And one woman, who I always thought was kind of an outspoken protester type of girl.

But the musical is different. During the Q&A session, the director (Michael Mayer) said that the whole three guys leaving their town and returning as changed men was his idea. Before he said that, I was kind of mad at myself for creating a better plot than the guys who actually wrote the story. But once Mayer said that, I realized that a story about one guy wouldn't have made for nearly as good of a theatrical event as a story about three best friends on three different journeys would. And the ending I had envisioned wouldn't have left a good message with the youth of America, which is exactly who is seeing this show. So although the plot was a little weird and some things were clearly forced (a character named The Extraordinary Girl who is separate from Whatsername? C'mon.), I was okay with it. A lot of things were left up to interpretation, and I kinda liked that. I was able to fill in the blanks with my own previously-conceived plot, which was nice.

The one thing I couldn't get over, besides the main character's voice, was the use of Whatsername. She wasn't really rebellious. She wasn't a vigilante. I get that they wanted St. Jimmy to be the only "bad influence" around... but I don't necessarily think that Whatsername needed to be a BAD influence. She just needed to be an OUTSPOKEN influence. You see, American Idiot is basically Hair for today's generation. It's about a bunch of teenagers who sit around, drunk and high, bitching about how much the world sucks and waiting for change without actually doing anything about it. In my mind, Whatsername was the only character who was an active force for change. Sure, her methods were a little out there, and she wasn't exactly a pacifist. But she was an active member of the resistance. I know part of that was just my feminist brain wanting a larger role for the heroine, but I was a little disappointed.

Speaking of heroin, the one thing that I totally neglected in my previous interpretation of the plot was drug use. One thing I really loved about this show was that it didn't say, "drugs are good" or "drugs are bad." Pot is used with the same attitude as alcohol. And the main character becomes a heroin addict, with St. Jimmy almost as the personification of his addiction (which was a nice way to hone him in, since they split a one person plot into three characters, and he wasn't going to be a figment of all of their imaginations). Basically, the show says: "These are drugs. There are hard drugs, and there are less hard drugs. This is what they're like, and this is how they're used. This is what addiction is like, and this is what withdrawal is like." Not preachy. Not biased. Make your own decisions, make your own mistakes, but know that it's a slippery slope.

I'm not going to tell you about my favorite part of the show. It was a beautiful surprise, and for those of you who end up seeing it at any point, I want it to remain the same for you. There are a lot of other things that I loved and hated about the show, but I don't really want to go on for 100 years about this.

Let's sum it up this way:
To make an American Idiot:
Start with 4 parts Hair
Mix in 1 part Fight Club
Shake with 2 parts Spring Awakening
Finish with a dash of Rent

The show is about walking the fine line between self-improvement and self-destruction. It's well-executed and technically magnificent. It is not perfect, and the Q&A session helped clear up a lot of my issues with it. I would recommend it to any Green Day fan or anyone who is interested in seeing musical theatre moving in an interesting direction. I would not recommend it to anyone over the age of 30 or any die-hard Broadway junkie... or anyone who has a problem with sex, drugs, and rock and roll.