A few days ago Peyton and I had the huge pleasure of going to the Berkeley Rep to see American Idiot, the theater adaptation of Green Day's Grammy-winning 2004 rock opera of the same name! For those who don't know me very well, I am an extremely hardcore Green Day fan, so I naturally HAD to see this. It also gave Peyton the opportunity to learn that the world is a much bigger and more exciting place than the mellow life he knows in Humboldt County.
Before the show on Thursday, we cruised Berkeley for a bit. It was Peyton's first time there, as well as mine. I really liked it! We went into a coffee shop where we heard 21 Guns on the radio, which I took to be a good sign. I mean, here we are in Green Day's hometown, about to see a play based on their album, and we hear their hit song on the radio! It was cool stuff.
We made our way back to the theater and got our seats. We were in premium seats right in front of the stage. I tucked Peyton comfortably under my seat and we waited for the show to start.
The play began right on time. It was a fantastic production. Just as Green Day frontman and primary songwriter Billie Joe Armstrong predicted of fans' reactions, I was absolutely "blown away". I'll admit that at first I was very skeptical about one of my favorite albums of all time being a musical, but all those doubts seem silly and invalid now. Director Michael Mayer did an excellent job at keeping true to the original story.
I really enjoyed seeing some of my favorite songs be interpreted visually. Also, the musical performances were stunning, especially considering that I've heard most of the songs done live by the original artist. Some of my favorites from Thursday night were 21 Guns, complete with cello and violin, a powerful Homecoming, an energetic St. Jimmy, closing number Whatsername, and most significantly, an eerily deeply resonating version of Letterbomb.
The casting was perfect. John Gallagher Jr. was impressive at playing Jesus of Suburbia, an any-kid type character from Jingletown, the barrio of Oakland, stuck in the chaos of the recent past. His likable friends Tunny and Will were superb as well, especially considering that Tunny was not played by the usual actor, but a last moment alternate. The beautiful Rebecca Naomi Jones was a remarkably strong singer and actress. Her bone chilling performance of Letterbomb is still ringing in my ears and has forever changed my view of the unusually intense tune.
As anyone would agree, American Idiot was a phenomenal play. The props, direction, and music were all outstanding. In my opinion, however, what really brought the show together was the indescribable portrayal of Jesus of Suburbia's punk, drug dealing rebellious alter ego St. Jimmy (anyone see a connection to Peyton's nickname?) by Tony Vincent. The charismatic Vincent stood out among an incredible cast as being the life of the show, in my opinion. He was so convincing as St. Jimmy that I was on the edge of my seat, my eyes glued to the stage, even though I am very familiar with the story and knew exactly what was coming next. Vincent, who has had many previous impressive roles, including in Rent on Broadway, made the songs go into a whole other dimension. I'm definitely a fan after seeing him the other night!
After months of looking forward to seeing this musical, I was unbelievably astonished by exactly how awesome it truly was. The play had something everyone can relate to. All the actors did a fantastic job at visually presenting the characters millions have come to love for the last five years. Every single song was strong and seemed like it was written for the theater even though it was not, proof of Armstrong's unrealistic knack for writing. I can't complain about any aspect of the show. If you have the chance to see it, you simply must, even if you're not a fan of Green Day or theater. The entire crew of this play redefined my idea of a musical. Hopefully American Idiot will make it to Broadway one day so that more people can feel the magic. I'm truly in awe. Thank you, American Idiot, for an unforgettable night. And most importantly, thanks for doing justice to my boys.
Starling
