I had forgotten just how brilliant Green Day\u2019s \u2018American Idiot\u2019 2004 concept album really is. It stands\u00a0on its own as a resurgence in energy from a band that had lulled into a kind of fat Elvis \u2018bloaty\u00a0period\u2019 and then – BOOM! – somehow they came back with a massively energetic and engaging tour\u00a0de force , \u2018in your face\u2019, socio -political tome. It\u2019s the disaffected voice of a generation sick to death\u00a0of political lies, media manipulation, the Gulf war and the Bush administration. For men in their\u00a0thirties (back then, anyway) they totally get away with the teenage punk- influenced punchiness and\u00a0angst represented in this rock opera . Think relentless energy and pathos ripping through every song.<\/p>\n
It is this which forms the very solid, yet fiery, basis of the musical of the same name. It starts with\u00a0real life flickering footage of news reports about 9\/11 and political speeches made by Bush et co\u00a0around that time – lending to a sense of impending doom and \u2018side taking\u2019: \u201cEither you are with us\u00a0or you are with the terrorists,\u201d opines George W Bush. It underpins a sinister tone we are now so\u00a0familiar with – even more so now – in a post-Snowden whistleblowing era.<\/p>\n
This is the set up:\u00a0manipulation and spin, we are all being lied to etc. We all know it is happening and are powerless to\u00a0cut through it. Standard. Oh and the public is\u00a0either misinformed, apathetic or simply stupid – as a\u00a0reporter on the flickering news screen asks a clueless American citizen, \u201cWhere should we invade\u00a0next?\u201d \u201cItaly\u201d he answers. Um.<\/p>\nCredit: Darren Bell.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
But back to the plot: the songs are what successfully transpose \u2018American Idiot\u2019 to the stage, gluing\u00a0together stories about three bored, apathetic teenagers in a post-George W. Bush America. They\u00a0seek escape and adventure, but this journey to the city – \u2018My city\u2019 – goes horribly wrong as each of\u00a0them face personal choices which have far\u2013reaching consequences : one is forced into growing up\u00a0fast thanks to impending fatherhood, one descends into drug abuse and another suffers horribly in\u00a0war. Their original youthful hopes and dreams zig zag awkwardly and violently though to adulthood\u00a0to a painful conclusion and a hard-won \u2018wisdom\u2019 of sorts. One flaw: it\u2019s really a story about boys: the\u00a0girls are supporting characters at best but, hey, this is about the disaffection of young men and was\u00a0written by the same.<\/p>\n
As with all musical theatre it can feel a tad unreal and even a bit \u2018stage school\u2019 in places given the\u00a0subject matter. But you have to give yourself a shake and remember that this is musical theatre and\u00a0not a rock show, hence its very form has to be more simplistic, gesticulatory and over-enunciated\u00a0and even symbolic . None of this dampens the enjoyment to be had from \u2018American Idiot\u2019 – we\u00a0already know the score is amazing (yet another listen to the album as I write this) , the acting and\u00a0performances were vibrant and energetic. The direction was good, the set was minimal but\u00a0completely right for the production with flickering TV screens and news reports underscoring our\u00a0modern attention deficit disorders.<\/p>\nCredit: Darren Bell.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
The socio political truths revealed here and the dramatised personal agonies notwithstanding – this\u00a0was an enjoyable show: a less \u2018angry\u2019 and more a \u2018warm and perky\u2019 experience, I would say. It was\u00a0made even more enjoyable (and dare I say \u2018sweet\u2019) to see young kids and teenagers attend tonight\u00a0on their own and with parents \/ grandparents .The cast themselves would have been very young when the\u00a0original album came out but they conveyed the themes with true vigour earning them a sincere\u00a0standing ovation at the end. Alexis Gerred and Alice Stockoe were\u00a0especially impressive.<\/p>\n
The only thing that could have been even better would be that Green Day themselves form the key\u00a0cast performing the show. That would have been unspeakably brilliant. (Ah the nostalgic 40+ rock\u00a0lover\u2019s dream!) As it stands, the young actors did an excellent job and represented Green Day\u2019s\u00a0energy very well indeed. \u201c\u2026 I hope you had the time of your life\u201d the ensemble cast sing at the end.<\/p>\n
And do you know, I sort of did!<\/p>\n
Cast:<\/strong>\u00a0Alexis Gerred, Alice Stokoe, Matt Thorpe Director:<\/strong> Racky Plews Writer:<\/strong> Green Day Theatre:<\/strong> The Churchill, Bromley Duration:<\/strong>\u00a0115 mins Dates:<\/strong> 30th March – 2nd April 2016<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Green Day’s rock musical arrives at The Churchill, Bromley.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":28,"featured_media":843453,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[675],"tags":[5361,21558,1108,170,1109,21559],"yoast_head":"\n
![\"American](\"https:\/\/8ce250469d.nxcli.io\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/AmericanSmall.jpg\")
I had forgotten just how brilliant Green Day\u2019s \u2018American Idiot\u2019 2004 concept album really is. It stands\u00a0on its own as a resurgence in energy from a band that had lulled into a kind of fat Elvis \u2018bloaty\u00a0period\u2019 and then – BOOM! – somehow they came back with a massively energetic and engaging tour\u00a0de force , \u2018in your face\u2019, socio -political tome. It\u2019s the disaffected voice of a generation sick to death\u00a0of political lies, media manipulation, the Gulf war and the Bush administration. For men in their\u00a0thirties (back then, anyway) they totally get away with the teenage punk- influenced punchiness and\u00a0angst represented in this rock opera . Think relentless energy and pathos ripping through every song.<\/p>\n![\"American](\"https:\/\/8ce250469d.nxcli.io\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/AmericanInner1.jpg\")
![\"American](\"https:\/\/8ce250469d.nxcli.io\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/AmericanInner2.jpg\")