Punk is dead; 'American Idiot' finds its still-beating heart
Categories: Theater
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| Photo by Doug Hamilton |
Of course, neither I nor Billie Joe Armstrong are 17 anymore, which is one of key points in American Idiot, which takes Green Day's epic 2004 concept album and molds it into a thrilling and even moving stage creation, playing this week at the Orpheum Theatre in Minneapolis.
For the first chunk of the show, it's pretty much a nicely performed run through of the album. There are lots of nice Broadway voices, well-choreographed pieces, and the occasional sly allusion to punk rock's past ("God told me to skin you alive," says one of our heroes, quoting the Dead Kennedys' infamous opening to "I Kill Children").
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| Photo by Doug Hamilton |
| Scott J. Campbell (Tunny) and Nicci Claspell (The Extraordinary Girl) in American Idiot. |
Tunny's friend in the city isn't doing much better. Johnny gets hooked on heroin, losing his girl, and, worst of all, has to get a desk job. Meanwhile, third friend Will is glued to his couch back in suburbia, content to watch his life pass by in an alcoholic and pot-smoke haze.
Van Hughes as Johnny and Jousha Kobak as the destructive spirit-of-punk-rock St. Jimmy lead a solid cast. The main characters don't get a lot of opportunities to craft their characters, but Hughes manages to add a some shades to what could just be a rebel-by-numbers part. Kobak's role is all surface and flash, as I think it is meant to be, and his arresting, Mephisto-like looks certainly help to sell the part.
By the musical's end, they've all managed to go somewhere. They are no longer purely the brash, angry punk rockers we saw at the beginning of the play, but characters on a journey. They still aren't exactly sure where that will take them, but at least they know there's a road.
IF YOU GO:
American Idiot
Through Sunday
Orpheum Theatre
910 Hennepin Ave. S., Minneapolis
910 Hennepin Ave. S., Minneapolis
$35-$90
For tickets and info, call 612.339.7007 or visit online
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