Wikipedia - Benutzerbeiträge [de]

American Idiot (Musical)

2010-06-18T02:37:54Z

113.22.111.195: /* Musical numbers */

{{Infobox musical
| name = American Idiot
| subtitle = The Musical
| image =
| image_size =
| caption =
| music = [[Green Day]]
| lyrics = [[Billie Joe Armstrong]]
| book = [[Billie Joe Armstrong]] and [[Michael Mayer (director)|Michael Mayer]]
| basis = ''[[American Idiot]]'' ([[Green Day]], 2004)
| productions = 2009 [[Berkeley, California|Berkeley]] tryout<br>2010 [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]]

| awards =
}}
'''''American Idiot''''' is a one-act, [[Sung-through|through-sung]], [[Musical theatre|stage musical]]. The show is an adaptation of rock band [[Green Day]]'s [[American Idiot|concept album of the same name]]. Additional Green Day songs were interpolated from other sources, including ''[[21st Century Breakdown]]''. The [[libretto|book]] is by lead singer [[Billie Joe Armstrong]] and director [[Michael Mayer (director)|Michael Mayer]]. The lyrics are by Armstrong, and the music is written by Armstrong and band mates [[Mike Dirnt]] and [[Tré Cool]].<ref>{{Citation
| last = Itzkoff | first = Dave | title = Punk CD Is Going Theatrical | newspaper = New York Times | date = 2009-03-29 | url = http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/30/theater/30berk.html}}</ref>

The story, expanded from that of the concept album, centers on Johnny, a disaffected youth who flees stifling suburbia and his parents' restrictions to look for meaning in his life, and to try out the freedom and excitement of the city. One of his friends stays home to work out his relationship with his pregnant girlfriend. Another friend serves in Iraq. Johnny finds a part of himself that he grows to dislike, has a relationship and experiences lost love.

After a run at the [[Berkeley Repertory Theatre]] 2009, the show moved to [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]], beginning previews at the [[St. James Theatre]] on March 24, 2010 and officially opened on April 20, 2010. Green Day does not appear in the production, but the show has an onstage band.<ref>{{Citation | last = Hurwitt | first = Robert | title = Green Day's hits turn into Berkeley Rep musical | newspaper = San Francisco Chronicle | date = 2009-03-31 | url = http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/03/31/DD8R16NNSN.DTL}}</ref>

The show opened to mixed to positive reviews from critics, but got an all-important rave from ''[[The New York Times]]''.<ref name = "NYTimesIsherwood20100421">{{Citation | last = Isherwood | first = Charles | title = Stomping Onto Broadway With a Punk Temper Tantrum | newspaper = New York Times | date = 2010-04-21 | url = http://theater.nytimes.com/2010/04/21/theater/reviews/21idiot.html?scp=1&sq=american%20idiot&st=cse }}</ref> ''American Idiot'' won two 2010 [[Tony Award]]s: ''[[Tony Award for Best Scenic Design of a Musical|Best Scenic Design of a Musical]]'' for Christine Jones, and ''[[Tony Award for Best Lighting Design of a Musical|Best Lighting Design of a Musical]]'' for Kevin Adams. It also received a nomination for ''[[Tony Award for Best Musical|Best Musical]]''.<ref name="Tonys">{{cite web|title=Who's Nominated?|url=http://www.tonyawards.com/en_US/nominees/index.html|work=Tony Awards|publisher=IBM Corp.|accessdate=13 June 2010}}</ref>

==Production History==
===Background===
Green Day released the concept album ''American Idiot'' in 2004. According to lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong, the album was deliberately created with a thorough narrative and that some of their inspiration was from sources in the musical theater repertoire like ''[[The Rocky Horror Show]]'' and ''[[West Side Story]]''. Armstrong also said the band intended "that it would be staged or we'd create a film or something... we were thinking in terms that it kind of felt like scoring a movie." <ref name = "PlaybillJones20100420"> {{Citation | last = Jones | first = Kenneth | title = Green Day's American Idiot, the Musical, Opens on Broadway | newspaper = Playbill.com | date = 2010-04-20 | url = http://www.playbill.com/news/article/138837-Green-Days-American-Idiot-the-Musical-Opens-on-Broadway}}</ref> Director Michael Mayer heard the album and expressed an interest in adapting it for the stage. When he approached the band about a collaboration, they agreed to work with him. <ref> {{Citation | last = Jones | first = Kenneth | title = Green Day's American Idiot, the Musical, Opens on Broadway | newspaper = Playbill.com | date = 2009-09-16 | url = http://www.playbill.com/news/article/132870-Green-Days-American-Idiot-Musical-Shaped-by-Tony-Winner-Mayer-Opens-in-CA-Sept-16 }}</ref> The band also gave Mayer wide latitude for his adaptation after seeing the director's earlier work with ''Spring Awakening''.<ref name = "PlaybillJones20100420" />

===Berkeley tryout===
The musical premiered at the [[Berkeley Repertory Theatre]]. Previews began on September 4, 2009 and the official opening was on September 15, 2009.<ref>{{Citation | last = McElroy| first = Steven | title = Shakespeare, Singing and Solo Shows Galore | newspaper = ''The Newy York Times | date = 2009-09-10 | url = http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/13/theater/13wtheaterlist.html?_r=1&ref=theater }}</ref> After becoming the top-grossing show in Berkeley Rep history, the producers extended the limited run twice to November 15, 2009.<ref> {{Citation | last = Jones | first = Kenneth | title = American Idiot, a Bay Area Smash, Will Play to Nov. 15 | newspaper = Playbill.com | date = 2009-09-30 | url = http://www.playbill.com/news/article/133382-American-Idiot-a-Bay-Area-Smash-Will-Play-to-Nov-15 }}</ref> The cast included [[John Gallagher Jr.]] as Johnny, [[Matt Caplan]] as Tunny, [[Mary Faber]] as Heather, and [[Tony Vincent]] as St. Jimmy.<ref>{{Citation | last = Ng | first = David | title = Berkeley Rep announces cast for Green Day's 'American Idiot' | newspaper = Los Angeles Times | date = 2009-08-03 | url = http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/culturemonster/2009/08/berkeley-rep-announces-cast-for-green-days-american-idiot.html }}</ref>

===Broadway===
The musical transferred to [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] at the [[St. James Theatre]] with previews beginning on March 24, 2010 and officially opened on April 20, 2010.<ref>{{Citation | last = Jones | first = Kenneth | title = American Idiot Will Rock Broadway's St. James Starting March 24 | newspaper = Playbill.com | date = 2010-01-15 | url = http://www.playbill.com/news/article/135685-American-Idiot-Will-Rock-Broadways-St-James-Starting-March-24 }}</ref> The cast performed at the [[Grammy Awards]] on January 31, 2010 with Green Day.<ref name = "PlaybillJones20100128">{{Citation | last = Jones | first = Kenneth | title = Broadway's American Idiot Cast Announced; Troupe Will Appear on Grammys Jan. 31 | newspaper = Playbill.com | date = 2010-01-28 | url = http://www.playbill.com/news/article/136368-Broadways-American-Idiot-Cast-Announced-Troupe-Will-Appear-on-Grammys-Jan-31 }}</ref> The original Broadway cast includes [[John Gallagher Jr.]] as Johnny, Michael Esper as Will, [[Stark Sands]] as Tunny, [[Tony Vincent]] as St. Jimmy, Rebecca Naomi Jones as Whatsername, Mary Faber as Heather, and Christina Sajous as the Extraordinary Girl.<ref name = "PlaybillJones20100128"/>

[[Tom Kitt (musician)|Tom Kitt]] is the music supervisor and orchestrator for both the Berkeley and Broadway productions.<ref>{{Citation | last = | first = | title = AMERICAN IDIOT Opens At Berkeley Rep 9/16 | newspaper = BroadwayWorld.com | date = 2009-09-16 | url = http://sanfrancisco.broadwayworld.com/article/AMERICAN_IDIOT_Opens_At_Berkeley_Rep_Run_916_20090916 }}</ref> The lead [[Theatrical producer|producers]] for the show are [[Ira Pittelman]] and [[Tom Hulce]].<ref>{{Citation | last = McKinley| first = Jesse | title = Green Day Reaches a New Stage | newspaper = ''The New York Times'' | date = 2009-09-17 | url = http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/18/theater/18greenday.html?_r=1&ref=theater }}</ref> The creative team for the show is largely the same as for the musical adaptation of ''[[Spring Awakening]]'': Michael Mayer, director, Christine Jones, scenic designer, and Kevin Adams, lighting designer.<ref>{{Citation | last = Napoleon| first = Davi | title = 12 Q 4 Christine Jones: Creating “Theater for One,” Designing “American Idiot” | newspaper = The Faster Times | date = 2010-02-19 | url = http://thefastertimes.com/theatertalk/2010/02/19/12-q-4-christine-jones-creating-theater-for-one-designing-american-idiot/ }}</ref> Andrea Lauer is the costume designer.

==Plot==
The musical opens on Johnny, Will and Tunny: three best friends unhappily living in [[suburbia]] (identified as Jingletown, USA) and saturated with TV ("Funeral for a Friend/American Idiot"). The three feel by their mundane lives ("Jesus of Suburbia") and decide to escape. Johnny (aka [[Jesus of Suburbia]]) borrows money from his mother and buys bus tickets to the city for himself and his friends. Will, however, learns that his girlfriend Heather is pregnant and must stay with her. Johnny and Tunny depart for the city with a group of other jaded youths ("Holiday").

While Johnny wanders the city and pines for a woman he sees in an apartment window ("Boulevard of Broken Dreams"), Tunny finds it hard to adjust to urban life and is seduced by a television ad for the army ("Favorite Son"). Tunny realizes that his generation has been so numbed and apathetic that nothing, not even the bright lights of the city, will excite him ("Are We the Waiting"). He enlists in the army.

Frustrated by his friend's departure and his inability to find girls or fun, Johnny conjures an all-powerful alter ego, St. Jimmy, and Johnny shoots [[heroin]]. Meanwhile, back home, Will sits on the couch as his girlfriend's pregnancy progresses. Will drinks beer and begs for a release ("Give Me Novacaine"). Tunny is deployed to a war zone, and is soon shot and wounded.

Johnny finds that St. Jimmy has given him everything he's ever wanted—girls and fun—and spends the night with the girl he saw in the window, whom he calls "Whatsername" ("Viva La Gloria!/She's a Rebel"). Johnny and Whatsername go to a club and shoot drugs together before having sex ("Last Night on Earth").

Will has difficulty accepting the idea of fatherhood, and Heather becomes increasingly irritated with his immaturity. Despite his entreaties to stay, she eventually leaves him, taking their baby with her ("Too Much, Too Soon"). Will laments that everyone he cared for is abandoning him. Around the same time, lying in a bed in an army hospital ("Before the [[Lobotomy]]"), Tunny hallucinates. He and his nurse engage in a balletic aerial dance ("Extraordinary Girl"). He falls in love with her ("Before the Lobotomy (Reprise)").

Jimmy reappears but Johnny ignores him, watching Whatsername sleep. Johnny muses on their relationship ("When It's Time"). The temptation of drugs, however, is too great; Jimmy causes Johnny to become increasingly erratic, and he eventually threatens Whatsername (and then himself) with a knife ("Know Your Enemy"). Whatsername attempts to calm him down while the Extraordinary Girl dresses Tunny's wounds and Will sits on the couch, once again alone ("21 Guns"). Frightened and fed up, Whatsername reveals to Johnny that "the St. Jimmy is a figment of [his] father's rage and [his] mother's love" ("Letterbomb"). She leaves him.

Johnny is forced to admit that his life has amounted to nothing ("Wake Me Up When September Ends"). St. Jimmy appears and makes one last attempt to get Johnny's attention, but that part of Johnny has died; Jimmy commits [[suicide]]. Johnny cleans up and gets a desk job but soon realizes that he can find no place for him in the city. He returns to his hometown and reunites with Tunny—who has returned as an [[amputee]] with the Extraordinary Girl—and Will—who has been reunited with his baby ("Homecoming"). One year later, Johnny laments that he lost the love of his life ("Whatsername").

==Musical numbers==
The show features all of the songs from the album ''American Idiot'', some B-tracks and a few of the songs from Green Day's next album, ''[[21st Century Breakdown]]''.<ref> {{cite web | url = http://www.berkeleyrep.org/season/0910/3634.asp | title = 2009–10 season > American Idiot | accessdate = 2010-05-10| author = | date = | work = | publisher = BerkeleyRep.org | location = Berkeley, California, United States |}}</ref>

* Funeral for a Friend (Instrumental)
* [[American Idiot (song)|American Idiot]]
* [[Jesus of Suburbia]]
** Jesus of Suburbia
** City of the Damned
** I Don't Care
** Dearly Beloved
** Tales of Another Broken Home
* [[Holiday (Green Day song)|Holiday]]
* [[Boulevard of Broken Dreams]]
* Favorite Son
* Are We the Waiting
* St. Jimmy
* Give Me Novacaine
* Viva La Gloria!/She's a Rebel
* Last Night on Earth
* Too Much Too Soon
* Before The Lobotomy
* Extraordinary Girl
* Before The Lobotomy (reprise)
* When It's Time
* Know Your Enemy
* [[21 Guns]]
* Letterbomb
* [[Wake Me Up When September Ends]]
* [[East Jesus Nowhere]]
* Homecoming
** The Death of St. Jimmy
** East 12th St.
** Nobody Likes You
** Rock and Roll Girlfriend
** We're Coming Home Again
* Whatsername
* Music Makes Us Better (Finale)
This song was added as the song for the curtain call on April 8th.

[[Green Day]] re-released the single "[[21 Guns (song)|21 Guns]]" with the musical cast on Spinner.com on December 3, 2009. <ref>{{Citation | last = Horne | first = Adam | title = Green Day With the 'American Idiot' Cast, '21 Guns' -- Song Premiere | newspaper = Spinner.com | date = 2009-12-03 | url = http://www.spinner.com/2009/12/03/green-day-with-american-idiot-cast-21-guns-song-premiere/ }}</ref> This version features [[Billie Joe Armstrong]], together with [[Christina Sajous]], [[Rebecca Naomi Jones]], [[Mary Faber]] and [[Matt Caplan]], with backup from the rest of ''American Idiot'' cast. Green Day and the cast of the musical also performed the song at the 2010 Grammy Awards on January 31, 2010.<ref> {{Citation | last = Tan | first = Emily | title = Green Day Win Best Rock Album at Grammys | newspaper = Spinner.com | date = 2010-01-31 | url = http://www.spinner.com/2010/01/31/green-day-win-best-rock-album-at-grammys/ }}</ref>

The [[American Idiot - Original Broadway Cast Recording|original cast recording]] of the musical was released on April 20, 2010.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://twitter.com/GreenDay/status/9356392942 | title = 2010-19-02 14:48 | accessdate = February 22 2010| author = Green Day| date = 2010-02-22 | work = Status | publisher = Twitter | location = New York, United States |}}</ref> The cast album includes all the songs featured in the musical plus a brand new recording of "When It's Time" by Green Day. That song is also included in the musical. The instrumentation of the recording is also played by Green Day.

== Reception ==
Reviews for the Berkeley Rep production were mixed. Charles McNulty of [[latimes.com]] called the show "Kinetically entertaining in a way that intentionally reflects the shallow, media-saturated culture the album rails against".<ref>{{Citation | last = McNulty | first = Charles | title = Theater Review: Adrenaline-angst, all day long. The suburban-rebel anguish of Green Day's 'American Idiot' album | newspaper = Los Angeles Times | date = 2009-10-10 | url = http://articles.latimes.com/2009/oct/10/entertainment/et-american-idiot10 }}</ref>. Karen D'Souza of [[MercuryNews.com]] called the production "a thrashing collage of songs fused together with hypnotic movement and eye-popping visuals" and thought the show "as compelling as it is abstract [and] channels the grungy spirit of punk while also plucking at the heartstrings."<ref>{{Citation | last = D'Souza | first = Karen | title = http://www.insidebayarea.com/theater-and-arts/ci_13356821 | newspaper = MercuryNews.com | date = 2009-09-17 | url = http://www.mercurynews.com/music/ci_13356800 }}</ref> However, Jim Harrington of the ''[[Oakland Tribune]]'' compared the show unfavorably to the original album, writing: "[what] once a was fine [[Gouda (cheese)|Gouda]], has been prepackaged as [[Velveeta]]", and continued sarcastically, "In other words, it should do big business on Broadway."<ref>{{Citation | last = Harrington | first = Jim | title = Harrington: Music loses its edge in Green Day's 'American Idiot'play | newspaper = Oakland Tribune | date = 2009-09-17 | url = http://www.insidebayarea.com/theater-and-arts/ci_13356821 }}</ref> Charles Isherwood of the ''[[New York Times]]'' commented that the show contained "characters who lack much in the way of emotional depth or specificity, and plotlines that are simple to the point of crudity" but also felt that "the show possesses a stimulating energy and a vision of wasted youth that holds us in its grip."<ref>{{Citation | last = Isherwood | first = Charles | title = Staging Youth’s Existential Quest With Green Day Variations | newspaper = New York Times | date = 2009-10-10 | url = http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/10/theater/reviews/10isherwood.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=american%20idiot&st=cse }}</ref>

Isherwood's review for the Broadway production was enthusiastic. He called the show "a pulsating portrait of wasted youth that invokes all the standard genre conventions ... 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." <ref name = "NYTimesIsherwood20100421"/> Jed Gottleib of the [[Boston Herald]] enjoyed the premise of the show but found that "the music and message suffer in a setting where the audience is politely, soberly seated".<ref>{{Citation | last = Gottleib | first = Jed | title = Tale told by ‘Idiot’ lacks sound, fury | newspaper = Boston Herald | date = 2010-04-19 | url = http://bostonherald.com/entertainment/arts_culture/view.bg?articleid=1248227&position=0 }}</ref> Michael Kuchwara of the [[Associated Press]] found the show to be "visually striking [and] musically adventurous", but noted that "the show has the barest wisp of a story and minimal character development".<ref>{{Citation | last = Kuchwara | first = Michael | title = Alienation sings! 'American Idiot' comes to Broadway | newspaper = Associated Press | date = 2009-04-25 | url = http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700027385/Alienation-sings-American-Idiot-comes-to-Broadway.html }}</ref> Paul Kolnik in [[USA Today]] enjoyed the contradiction that Green Day's "massively popular, starkly disenchanted album ... would be the feel-good musical of the season".<ref>{{Citation | last = Kolnik | first = Paul | title = 'American Idiot' elevates hope above nihilism | newspaper = USA Today | date = 2010-04-21 | url = http://www.usatoday.com/life/theater/reviews/2010-04-21-idiot21_ST_N.htm }}</ref> ''Time'' magazine's Richard Zoglin opined that the score "is as pure a specimen of contemporary punk rock as Broadway has yet encountered [yet] there's enough variety. ... Where the show fall short is as a fully developed narrative." He concluded that "''American Idiot'', despite its earnest huffing and puffing, remains little more than an annotated rock concert. ... Still, [it] deserves at least two cheers – for its irresistible musical energy and for opening fresh vistas for that odd couple, rock and Broadway."<ref>{{Citation | last = Zoglin | first = Richard | title = Punks Take Broadway | newspaper = Time | date = 2010-05-03 | url = http://www.playbill.com/news/article/132870-Green-Days-American-Idiot-Musical-Shaped-by-Tony-Winner-Mayer-Opens-in-CA-Sept-16 }} </ref> Peter Travers from [[Rolling Stone]], in his review of ''American Idiot'', wrote "Though ''American Idiot'' carries echoes of such rock musicals as ''[[Tommy (album)|Tommy]]'', ''[[Hair (musical)|Hair]]'', ''[[Rent (musical)|Rent]]'' and ''[[Spring Awakening]]'', it cuts its own path to the heart. You won’t know what hit you. ''American Idiot'' knows no limits — it's a global knockout." <ref>{{Citation | last = Travis | first = Peter | title = Green Day Blast Broadway with American Idiot | newspaper = Rolling Stone | date = 2010-04-23 | url = http://www.rollingstone.com/culture/news/;kw=%5B8662,134111%5D }}</ref>

== Awards and nominations ==
=== 2010 [[Drama Desk Award]]s ===
<ref>{{Citation | last = Gans | first = Andrew | title = Drama Desk Award Nominations Announced; Ragtime and Scottsboro Top List | newspaper = Playbill.com | date = 2010-05-03 | url = http://www.playbill.com/news/article/139212-Drama-Desk-Award-Nominations-Announced-Ragtime-and-Scottsboro-Top-List }}</ref>
* '''Outstanding Musical''' (nominee)
* '''Outstanding Director of a Musical''' - Michael Mayer (WINNER)<ref>{{Citation | last = Gans | first = Andrew | title = Red, Memphis, Bridge, Fences and La Cage Win Drama Desk Awards | newspaper = Playbill.com | date = 2010-05-23 | url = http://www.playbill.com/news/article/139754-Red-Memphis-Bridge-Fences-and-La-Cage-Win-Drama-Desk-Awards }}</ref>
* '''Outstanding Orchestrations''' - Tom Kitt (nominee)

=== 2010 [[Drama League Award]]s ===
<ref>{{Citation | last = Jones | first = Kenneth | title = Drama League Nominees Include Addams Family, American Idiot, Enron, Next Fall, Night Music | newspaper = Playbill.com | date = 2010-04-20 | url = http://www.playbill.com/news/article/138855-Drama-League-Nominees-Include-Addams-Family-American-Idiot-Enron-Next-Fall-Night-Music }}</ref>
* '''Distinguished Production of a Musical''' (nominee)
* '''Distinguished Performance Award'''
:John Gallagher Jr.(nominee)
:Tony Vincent(nominee)

=== 2010 [[Outer Critics Circle Awards]] ===
<ref>{{Citation | last = Gans | first = Andrew | title = Outer Critics Circle Awards Noms Announced; Memphis, Royal Family Top List | newspaper = Playbill.com | date = 2010-04-26 | url = http://www.playbill.com/news/article/139023-Outer-Critics-Circle-Awards-Noms-Announced-Memphis-Royal-Family-Top-List }}</ref><ref>{{Citation | last = Gans | first = Andrew | title = Memphis, La Cage, Zeta-Jones, Finneran and More Are Outer Critics Circle Award Winners | newspaper = Playbill.com | date = 2010-05-17 | url = http://www.playbill.com/news/article/139575-Memphis-La-Cage-Zeta-Jones-Finneran-and-More-Are-Outer-Critics-Circle-Award-Winners }}</ref>
* '''Outstanding New Broadway Musical''' (nominee)
* '''Outstanding Lighting Design (Play or Musical)''' - Kevin Adams (WINNER)

=== [[64th Tony Awards|2010 Tony Awards]] ===
<ref>Jones, Kenneth.[http://www.playbill.com/news/article/140346-Red-Memphis-La-Cage-aux-Folles-Fences-Win-2010-Tony-Awards "Red, Memphis, La Cage aux Folles, Fences Win 2010 Tony Awards"]playbill.com, June 14, 2010</ref>
* '''[[Tony Award for Best Musical|Best Musical]]''' (nominee)
* '''[[Tony Award for Best Scenic Design|Best Scenic Design of a Musical]]''' - Christine Jones (WINNER)
* '''[[Tony Award for Best Lighting Design|Best Lighting Design of a Musical]]'''- Kevin Adams (WINNER)

<ref name="Tonys" />
At a meeting of the Tony Administration Committee on April 30, 2010, the score of ''American Idiot'' was deemed ineligible for a [[Tony Award for Best Original Score|Tony Award]] nomination because less than 50% of it was written for the stage production. <ref>{{Citation | last = Healy | first = Patrick | title = Some Plays Eligible for Best-Score Tony, but Not ‘American Idiot’ or ‘Fela!’ | newspaper = New York Times | date = 2010-04-30 | url = http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/04/30/some-plays-eligible-for-best-score-tony-but-not-american-idiot-or-fela/ }}</ref>

== Broadway grosses ==
The following is a week-by-week breakdown of ticket sales for the production at the St. James Theater.
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Week
! Attendance
! Gross sales
|-
| March 24-28, 2010 (5 previews)
| 6,564
| $568,483 <ref>{{Citation | last = Ku | first = Andrew | title = Broadway Grosses: March 22-28 | newspaper = Playbill.com | date = 2010-03-29 | url = http://www.playbill.com/features/article/138284-Broadway-Grosses-March-22-28 }}</ref>
|-
| March 29-April 4, 2010 (7 previews)
| 10,315
| $743,550 <ref>{{Citation | last = Gewirtzman | first = David | title = Broadway Grosses: March 29-April 4 | newspaper = Playbill.com | date = 2010-04-05 | url = http://www.playbill.com/features/article/138477-Broadway-Grosses-March-29-April-4 }}</ref>
|-
| April 5-11, 2010 (7 previews)
| 8,503
| $594,235 <ref>{{Citation | last = Gewirtzman | first = David | title = Broadway Grosses: April 5-11 | newspaper = Playbill.com | date = 2010-04-12 | url = http://www.playbill.com/features/article/138674-Broadway-Grosses-April-5-11 }}</ref>
|-
| April 12-18, 2010 (7 previews)
| 9,108
| $464,946 <ref>{{Citation | last = Ku | first = Andrew | title = Broadway Grosses: April 12-18 | newspaper = Playbill.com | date = 2010-04-19 | url = http://www.playbill.com/features/article/138836-Broadway-Grosses-April-12-18 }}</ref>
|-
| April 19-25, 2010 (8 performances)
| 11,464
| $777,860 <ref>{{Citation | last = Ku | first = Andrew | title = Broadway Grosses: April 19-25 | newspaper = Playbill.com | date = 2010-04-26 | url = http://www.playbill.com/features/article/139045-Broadway-Grosses-April-19-25 }}</ref>
|-
| April 26-May 2, 2010 (8 performances)
| 9,120
| $754,455 <ref>{{Citation | last = Ku | first = Andrew | title = Broadway Grosses: April 26 - May 2 | newspaper = Playbill.com | date = 2010-05-03 | url = http://www.playbill.com/features/article/139240-Broadway-Grosses-April-26---May-2 }}</ref>
|-
| May 3-9, 2010 (8 performances)
| 9,364
| $784,523 <ref>{{Citation | last = Ku | first = Andrew | title = Broadway Grosses: May 3-9 | newspaper = Playbill.com | date = 2010-05-10 | url = http://www.playbill.com/features/article/139419-Broadway-Grosses-May-3-9 }}</ref>
|-
| May 10-16, 2010 (8 performances)
| 10,483
| $849,831 <ref>{{Citation | last = Ku | first = Andrew | title = Broadway Grosses: May 10-16 | newspaper = Playbill.com | date = 2010-05-17 | url = http://www.playbill.com/features/article/139609-Broadway-Grosses-May-10-16 }}</ref>
|-
| May 17-23, 2010 (8 performances)
| 10,082
| $811,236 <ref>{{Citation | last = Ku | first = Andrew | title = Broadway Grosses: May 17-23 | newspaper = Playbill.com | date = 2010-05-24 | url = http://www.playbill.com/news/article/139805-Broadway-Grosses-May-17-23 }}</ref>
|-
| May 24-30, 2010 (8 performances)
| 10,218
| $840,088 <ref>{{Citation | last = Ku | first = Andrew | title = Broadway Grosses: May 24-30 | newspaper = Playbill.com | date = 2010-06-02 | url = http://www.playbill.com/features/article/140007-Broadway-Grosses-May-24-30 }}</ref>
|-
| May 31-June 6, 2010 (8 performances)
| 7,224
| $612,380 <ref>{{Citation | last = Ku | first = Andrew | title = Broadway Grosses: May 31 - June 6 | newspaper = Playbill.com | date = 2010-06-07 | url = http://www.playbill.com/features/article/140139-Broadway-Grosses-May-31---June-6 }}</ref>
|-
| June 7-13, 2010 (7 performances)
| 8,772
| $699,044 <ref>{{Citation | last = Ku | first = Andrew | title = Broadway Grosses: June 7-13 | newspaper = Playbill.com | date = 2010-06-14 | url = http://www.playbill.com/features/article/140398-Broadway-Grosses-June-7-13 }}</ref>
|-
| '''Totals''' (as of June 14, 2010)
|
|
|-
| 26 previews, 63 performances
| 111,217
| $8,500,541
|}

==Cast==
*Johnny - [[John Gallagher, Jr.]]
*Will - Michael Esper
*Tunny - [[Stark Sands]]
*Heather - [[Mary Faber]]
*Whatshername - Rebecca Naomi Jones
*St. Jimmy - [[Tony Vincent]]
*The Extraordinary Girl - Christina Sajous
*Favorite Son - Joshua Henry
*The Representative of Jingle Town - Theo Stockman

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

==External links==
*[http://www.americanidiotonbroadway.com/ Official site]
*[http://www.ibdb.com/production.php?id=485578 Internet Broadway database listing]
*[http://www.berkeleyrep.org/season/0910/3634.asp Berkeley Rep's ''American Idiot'' page]

{{Green Day}}

[[Category:Rock musicals]]
[[Category:Green Day]]
[[Category:2009 musicals]]
[[Category:Jukebox musicals]]
[[Category:American Idiot]]
[[Category:2010 in theatre]]
[[Category:Sung-through musicals]]

American Idiot (Musical)

2010-06-18T02:37:15Z

113.22.111.195: /* Plot */

{{Infobox musical
| name = American Idiot
| subtitle = The Musical
| image =
| image_size =
| caption =
| music = [[Green Day]]
| lyrics = [[Billie Joe Armstrong]]
| book = [[Billie Joe Armstrong]] and [[Michael Mayer (director)|Michael Mayer]]
| basis = ''[[American Idiot]]'' ([[Green Day]], 2004)
| productions = 2009 [[Berkeley, California|Berkeley]] tryout<br>2010 [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]]

| awards =
}}
'''''American Idiot''''' is a one-act, [[Sung-through|through-sung]], [[Musical theatre|stage musical]]. The show is an adaptation of rock band [[Green Day]]'s [[American Idiot|concept album of the same name]]. Additional Green Day songs were interpolated from other sources, including ''[[21st Century Breakdown]]''. The [[libretto|book]] is by lead singer [[Billie Joe Armstrong]] and director [[Michael Mayer (director)|Michael Mayer]]. The lyrics are by Armstrong, and the music is written by Armstrong and band mates [[Mike Dirnt]] and [[Tré Cool]].<ref>{{Citation
| last = Itzkoff | first = Dave | title = Punk CD Is Going Theatrical | newspaper = New York Times | date = 2009-03-29 | url = http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/30/theater/30berk.html}}</ref>

The story, expanded from that of the concept album, centers on Johnny, a disaffected youth who flees stifling suburbia and his parents' restrictions to look for meaning in his life, and to try out the freedom and excitement of the city. One of his friends stays home to work out his relationship with his pregnant girlfriend. Another friend serves in Iraq. Johnny finds a part of himself that he grows to dislike, has a relationship and experiences lost love.

After a run at the [[Berkeley Repertory Theatre]] 2009, the show moved to [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]], beginning previews at the [[St. James Theatre]] on March 24, 2010 and officially opened on April 20, 2010. Green Day does not appear in the production, but the show has an onstage band.<ref>{{Citation | last = Hurwitt | first = Robert | title = Green Day's hits turn into Berkeley Rep musical | newspaper = San Francisco Chronicle | date = 2009-03-31 | url = http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/03/31/DD8R16NNSN.DTL}}</ref>

The show opened to mixed to positive reviews from critics, but got an all-important rave from ''[[The New York Times]]''.<ref name = "NYTimesIsherwood20100421">{{Citation | last = Isherwood | first = Charles | title = Stomping Onto Broadway With a Punk Temper Tantrum | newspaper = New York Times | date = 2010-04-21 | url = http://theater.nytimes.com/2010/04/21/theater/reviews/21idiot.html?scp=1&sq=american%20idiot&st=cse }}</ref> ''American Idiot'' won two 2010 [[Tony Award]]s: ''[[Tony Award for Best Scenic Design of a Musical|Best Scenic Design of a Musical]]'' for Christine Jones, and ''[[Tony Award for Best Lighting Design of a Musical|Best Lighting Design of a Musical]]'' for Kevin Adams. It also received a nomination for ''[[Tony Award for Best Musical|Best Musical]]''.<ref name="Tonys">{{cite web|title=Who's Nominated?|url=http://www.tonyawards.com/en_US/nominees/index.html|work=Tony Awards|publisher=IBM Corp.|accessdate=13 June 2010}}</ref>

==Production History==
===Background===
Green Day released the concept album ''American Idiot'' in 2004. According to lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong, the album was deliberately created with a thorough narrative and that some of their inspiration was from sources in the musical theater repertoire like ''[[The Rocky Horror Show]]'' and ''[[West Side Story]]''. Armstrong also said the band intended "that it would be staged or we'd create a film or something... we were thinking in terms that it kind of felt like scoring a movie." <ref name = "PlaybillJones20100420"> {{Citation | last = Jones | first = Kenneth | title = Green Day's American Idiot, the Musical, Opens on Broadway | newspaper = Playbill.com | date = 2010-04-20 | url = http://www.playbill.com/news/article/138837-Green-Days-American-Idiot-the-Musical-Opens-on-Broadway}}</ref> Director Michael Mayer heard the album and expressed an interest in adapting it for the stage. When he approached the band about a collaboration, they agreed to work with him. <ref> {{Citation | last = Jones | first = Kenneth | title = Green Day's American Idiot, the Musical, Opens on Broadway | newspaper = Playbill.com | date = 2009-09-16 | url = http://www.playbill.com/news/article/132870-Green-Days-American-Idiot-Musical-Shaped-by-Tony-Winner-Mayer-Opens-in-CA-Sept-16 }}</ref> The band also gave Mayer wide latitude for his adaptation after seeing the director's earlier work with ''Spring Awakening''.<ref name = "PlaybillJones20100420" />

===Berkeley tryout===
The musical premiered at the [[Berkeley Repertory Theatre]]. Previews began on September 4, 2009 and the official opening was on September 15, 2009.<ref>{{Citation | last = McElroy| first = Steven | title = Shakespeare, Singing and Solo Shows Galore | newspaper = ''The Newy York Times | date = 2009-09-10 | url = http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/13/theater/13wtheaterlist.html?_r=1&ref=theater }}</ref> After becoming the top-grossing show in Berkeley Rep history, the producers extended the limited run twice to November 15, 2009.<ref> {{Citation | last = Jones | first = Kenneth | title = American Idiot, a Bay Area Smash, Will Play to Nov. 15 | newspaper = Playbill.com | date = 2009-09-30 | url = http://www.playbill.com/news/article/133382-American-Idiot-a-Bay-Area-Smash-Will-Play-to-Nov-15 }}</ref> The cast included [[John Gallagher Jr.]] as Johnny, [[Matt Caplan]] as Tunny, [[Mary Faber]] as Heather, and [[Tony Vincent]] as St. Jimmy.<ref>{{Citation | last = Ng | first = David | title = Berkeley Rep announces cast for Green Day's 'American Idiot' | newspaper = Los Angeles Times | date = 2009-08-03 | url = http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/culturemonster/2009/08/berkeley-rep-announces-cast-for-green-days-american-idiot.html }}</ref>

===Broadway===
The musical transferred to [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] at the [[St. James Theatre]] with previews beginning on March 24, 2010 and officially opened on April 20, 2010.<ref>{{Citation | last = Jones | first = Kenneth | title = American Idiot Will Rock Broadway's St. James Starting March 24 | newspaper = Playbill.com | date = 2010-01-15 | url = http://www.playbill.com/news/article/135685-American-Idiot-Will-Rock-Broadways-St-James-Starting-March-24 }}</ref> The cast performed at the [[Grammy Awards]] on January 31, 2010 with Green Day.<ref name = "PlaybillJones20100128">{{Citation | last = Jones | first = Kenneth | title = Broadway's American Idiot Cast Announced; Troupe Will Appear on Grammys Jan. 31 | newspaper = Playbill.com | date = 2010-01-28 | url = http://www.playbill.com/news/article/136368-Broadways-American-Idiot-Cast-Announced-Troupe-Will-Appear-on-Grammys-Jan-31 }}</ref> The original Broadway cast includes [[John Gallagher Jr.]] as Johnny, Michael Esper as Will, [[Stark Sands]] as Tunny, [[Tony Vincent]] as St. Jimmy, Rebecca Naomi Jones as Whatsername, Mary Faber as Heather, and Christina Sajous as the Extraordinary Girl.<ref name = "PlaybillJones20100128"/>

[[Tom Kitt (musician)|Tom Kitt]] is the music supervisor and orchestrator for both the Berkeley and Broadway productions.<ref>{{Citation | last = | first = | title = AMERICAN IDIOT Opens At Berkeley Rep 9/16 | newspaper = BroadwayWorld.com | date = 2009-09-16 | url = http://sanfrancisco.broadwayworld.com/article/AMERICAN_IDIOT_Opens_At_Berkeley_Rep_Run_916_20090916 }}</ref> The lead [[Theatrical producer|producers]] for the show are [[Ira Pittelman]] and [[Tom Hulce]].<ref>{{Citation | last = McKinley| first = Jesse | title = Green Day Reaches a New Stage | newspaper = ''The New York Times'' | date = 2009-09-17 | url = http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/18/theater/18greenday.html?_r=1&ref=theater }}</ref> The creative team for the show is largely the same as for the musical adaptation of ''[[Spring Awakening]]'': Michael Mayer, director, Christine Jones, scenic designer, and Kevin Adams, lighting designer.<ref>{{Citation | last = Napoleon| first = Davi | title = 12 Q 4 Christine Jones: Creating “Theater for One,” Designing “American Idiot” | newspaper = The Faster Times | date = 2010-02-19 | url = http://thefastertimes.com/theatertalk/2010/02/19/12-q-4-christine-jones-creating-theater-for-one-designing-american-idiot/ }}</ref> Andrea Lauer is the costume designer.

==Plot==
The musical opens on Johnny, Will and Tunny: three best friends unhappily living in [[suburbia]] (identified as Jingletown, USA) and saturated with TV ("Funeral for a Friend/American Idiot"). The three feel by their mundane lives ("Jesus of Suburbia") and decide to escape. Johnny (aka [[Jesus of Suburbia]]) borrows money from his mother and buys bus tickets to the city for himself and his friends. Will, however, learns that his girlfriend Heather is pregnant and must stay with her. Johnny and Tunny depart for the city with a group of other jaded youths ("Holiday").

While Johnny wanders the city and pines for a woman he sees in an apartment window ("Boulevard of Broken Dreams"), Tunny finds it hard to adjust to urban life and is seduced by a television ad for the army ("Favorite Son"). Tunny realizes that his generation has been so numbed and apathetic that nothing, not even the bright lights of the city, will excite him ("Are We the Waiting"). He enlists in the army.

Frustrated by his friend's departure and his inability to find girls or fun, Johnny conjures an all-powerful alter ego, St. Jimmy, and Johnny shoots [[heroin]]. Meanwhile, back home, Will sits on the couch as his girlfriend's pregnancy progresses. Will drinks beer and begs for a release ("Give Me Novacaine"). Tunny is deployed to a war zone, and is soon shot and wounded.

Johnny finds that St. Jimmy has given him everything he's ever wanted—girls and fun—and spends the night with the girl he saw in the window, whom he calls "Whatsername" ("Viva La Gloria!/She's a Rebel"). Johnny and Whatsername go to a club and shoot drugs together before having sex ("Last Night on Earth").

Will has difficulty accepting the idea of fatherhood, and Heather becomes increasingly irritated with his immaturity. Despite his entreaties to stay, she eventually leaves him, taking their baby with her ("Too Much, Too Soon"). Will laments that everyone he cared for is abandoning him. Around the same time, lying in a bed in an army hospital ("Before the [[Lobotomy]]"), Tunny hallucinates. He and his nurse engage in a balletic aerial dance ("Extraordinary Girl"). He falls in love with her ("Before the Lobotomy (Reprise)").

Jimmy reappears but Johnny ignores him, watching Whatsername sleep. Johnny muses on their relationship ("When It's Time"). The temptation of drugs, however, is too great; Jimmy causes Johnny to become increasingly erratic, and he eventually threatens Whatsername (and then himself) with a knife ("Know Your Enemy"). Whatsername attempts to calm him down while the Extraordinary Girl dresses Tunny's wounds and Will sits on the couch, once again alone ("21 Guns"). Frightened and fed up, Whatsername reveals to Johnny that "the St. Jimmy is a figment of [his] father's rage and [his] mother's love" ("Letterbomb"). She leaves him.

Johnny is forced to admit that his life has amounted to nothing ("Wake Me Up When September Ends"). St. Jimmy appears and makes one last attempt to get Johnny's attention, but that part of Johnny has died; Jimmy commits [[suicide]]. Johnny cleans up and gets a desk job but soon realizes that he can find no place for him in the city. He returns to his hometown and reunites with Tunny—who has returned as an [[amputee]] with the Extraordinary Girl—and Will—who has been reunited with his baby ("Homecoming"). One year later, Johnny laments that he lost the love of his life ("Whatsername").

==Musical numbers==
The show features all of the songs from the album ''American Idiot'', some B-tracks and a few of the songs from Green Day's next album, ''[[21st Century Breakdown]]''.<ref> {{cite web | url = http://www.berkeleyrep.org/season/0910/3634.asp | title = 2009–10 season > American Idiot | accessdate = 2010-05-10| author = | date = | work = | publisher = BerkeleyRep.org | location = Berkeley, California, United States |}}</ref>

* Funeral for a Friend (Instrumental)
* [[American Idiot (song)|American Idiot]]
* [[Jesus of Suburbia]]
** Jesus of Suburbia
** City of the Damned
** I Don't Care
** Dearly Beloved
** Tales of Another Broken Home
* [[Holiday (Green Day song)|Holiday]]
* [[Boulevard of Broken Dreams]]
* Favorite Son
* Are We the Waiting
* St. Jimmy
* Give Me Novacaine
* Last of the American Girls/She's a Rebel
* Last Night on Earth
* Too Much Too Soon
* Before The Lobotomy
* Extraordinary Girl
* Before The Lobotomy (reprise)
* When It's Time
* Know Your Enemy
* [[21 Guns]]
* Letterbomb
* [[Wake Me Up When September Ends]]
* [[East Jesus Nowhere]]
* Homecoming
** The Death of St. Jimmy
** East 12th St.
** Nobody Likes You
** Rock and Roll Girlfriend
** We're Coming Home Again
* Whatsername
*Time of your Life (Good Riddance) This song was added as the song for the curtain call on April 8th.

[[Green Day]] re-released the single "[[21 Guns (song)|21 Guns]]" with the musical cast on Spinner.com on December 3, 2009. <ref>{{Citation | last = Horne | first = Adam | title = Green Day With the 'American Idiot' Cast, '21 Guns' -- Song Premiere | newspaper = Spinner.com | date = 2009-12-03 | url = http://www.spinner.com/2009/12/03/green-day-with-american-idiot-cast-21-guns-song-premiere/ }}</ref> This version features [[Billie Joe Armstrong]], together with [[Christina Sajous]], [[Rebecca Naomi Jones]], [[Mary Faber]] and [[Matt Caplan]], with backup from the rest of ''American Idiot'' cast. Green Day and the cast of the musical also performed the song at the 2010 Grammy Awards on January 31, 2010.<ref> {{Citation | last = Tan | first = Emily | title = Green Day Win Best Rock Album at Grammys | newspaper = Spinner.com | date = 2010-01-31 | url = http://www.spinner.com/2010/01/31/green-day-win-best-rock-album-at-grammys/ }}</ref>

The [[American Idiot - Original Broadway Cast Recording|original cast recording]] of the musical was released on April 20, 2010.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://twitter.com/GreenDay/status/9356392942 | title = 2010-19-02 14:48 | accessdate = February 22 2010| author = Green Day| date = 2010-02-22 | work = Status | publisher = Twitter | location = New York, United States |}}</ref> The cast album includes all the songs featured in the musical plus a brand new recording of "When It's Time" by Green Day. That song is also included in the musical. The instrumentation of the recording is also played by Green Day.

== Reception ==
Reviews for the Berkeley Rep production were mixed. Charles McNulty of [[latimes.com]] called the show "Kinetically entertaining in a way that intentionally reflects the shallow, media-saturated culture the album rails against".<ref>{{Citation | last = McNulty | first = Charles | title = Theater Review: Adrenaline-angst, all day long. The suburban-rebel anguish of Green Day's 'American Idiot' album | newspaper = Los Angeles Times | date = 2009-10-10 | url = http://articles.latimes.com/2009/oct/10/entertainment/et-american-idiot10 }}</ref>. Karen D'Souza of [[MercuryNews.com]] called the production "a thrashing collage of songs fused together with hypnotic movement and eye-popping visuals" and thought the show "as compelling as it is abstract [and] channels the grungy spirit of punk while also plucking at the heartstrings."<ref>{{Citation | last = D'Souza | first = Karen | title = http://www.insidebayarea.com/theater-and-arts/ci_13356821 | newspaper = MercuryNews.com | date = 2009-09-17 | url = http://www.mercurynews.com/music/ci_13356800 }}</ref> However, Jim Harrington of the ''[[Oakland Tribune]]'' compared the show unfavorably to the original album, writing: "[what] once a was fine [[Gouda (cheese)|Gouda]], has been prepackaged as [[Velveeta]]", and continued sarcastically, "In other words, it should do big business on Broadway."<ref>{{Citation | last = Harrington | first = Jim | title = Harrington: Music loses its edge in Green Day's 'American Idiot'play | newspaper = Oakland Tribune | date = 2009-09-17 | url = http://www.insidebayarea.com/theater-and-arts/ci_13356821 }}</ref> Charles Isherwood of the ''[[New York Times]]'' commented that the show contained "characters who lack much in the way of emotional depth or specificity, and plotlines that are simple to the point of crudity" but also felt that "the show possesses a stimulating energy and a vision of wasted youth that holds us in its grip."<ref>{{Citation | last = Isherwood | first = Charles | title = Staging Youth’s Existential Quest With Green Day Variations | newspaper = New York Times | date = 2009-10-10 | url = http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/10/theater/reviews/10isherwood.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=american%20idiot&st=cse }}</ref>

Isherwood's review for the Broadway production was enthusiastic. He called the show "a pulsating portrait of wasted youth that invokes all the standard genre conventions ... 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." <ref name = "NYTimesIsherwood20100421"/> Jed Gottleib of the [[Boston Herald]] enjoyed the premise of the show but found that "the music and message suffer in a setting where the audience is politely, soberly seated".<ref>{{Citation | last = Gottleib | first = Jed | title = Tale told by ‘Idiot’ lacks sound, fury | newspaper = Boston Herald | date = 2010-04-19 | url = http://bostonherald.com/entertainment/arts_culture/view.bg?articleid=1248227&position=0 }}</ref> Michael Kuchwara of the [[Associated Press]] found the show to be "visually striking [and] musically adventurous", but noted that "the show has the barest wisp of a story and minimal character development".<ref>{{Citation | last = Kuchwara | first = Michael | title = Alienation sings! 'American Idiot' comes to Broadway | newspaper = Associated Press | date = 2009-04-25 | url = http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700027385/Alienation-sings-American-Idiot-comes-to-Broadway.html }}</ref> Paul Kolnik in [[USA Today]] enjoyed the contradiction that Green Day's "massively popular, starkly disenchanted album ... would be the feel-good musical of the season".<ref>{{Citation | last = Kolnik | first = Paul | title = 'American Idiot' elevates hope above nihilism | newspaper = USA Today | date = 2010-04-21 | url = http://www.usatoday.com/life/theater/reviews/2010-04-21-idiot21_ST_N.htm }}</ref> ''Time'' magazine's Richard Zoglin opined that the score "is as pure a specimen of contemporary punk rock as Broadway has yet encountered [yet] there's enough variety. ... Where the show fall short is as a fully developed narrative." He concluded that "''American Idiot'', despite its earnest huffing and puffing, remains little more than an annotated rock concert. ... Still, [it] deserves at least two cheers – for its irresistible musical energy and for opening fresh vistas for that odd couple, rock and Broadway."<ref>{{Citation | last = Zoglin | first = Richard | title = Punks Take Broadway | newspaper = Time | date = 2010-05-03 | url = http://www.playbill.com/news/article/132870-Green-Days-American-Idiot-Musical-Shaped-by-Tony-Winner-Mayer-Opens-in-CA-Sept-16 }} </ref> Peter Travers from [[Rolling Stone]], in his review of ''American Idiot'', wrote "Though ''American Idiot'' carries echoes of such rock musicals as ''[[Tommy (album)|Tommy]]'', ''[[Hair (musical)|Hair]]'', ''[[Rent (musical)|Rent]]'' and ''[[Spring Awakening]]'', it cuts its own path to the heart. You won’t know what hit you. ''American Idiot'' knows no limits — it's a global knockout." <ref>{{Citation | last = Travis | first = Peter | title = Green Day Blast Broadway with American Idiot | newspaper = Rolling Stone | date = 2010-04-23 | url = http://www.rollingstone.com/culture/news/;kw=%5B8662,134111%5D }}</ref>

== Awards and nominations ==
=== 2010 [[Drama Desk Award]]s ===
<ref>{{Citation | last = Gans | first = Andrew | title = Drama Desk Award Nominations Announced; Ragtime and Scottsboro Top List | newspaper = Playbill.com | date = 2010-05-03 | url = http://www.playbill.com/news/article/139212-Drama-Desk-Award-Nominations-Announced-Ragtime-and-Scottsboro-Top-List }}</ref>
* '''Outstanding Musical''' (nominee)
* '''Outstanding Director of a Musical''' - Michael Mayer (WINNER)<ref>{{Citation | last = Gans | first = Andrew | title = Red, Memphis, Bridge, Fences and La Cage Win Drama Desk Awards | newspaper = Playbill.com | date = 2010-05-23 | url = http://www.playbill.com/news/article/139754-Red-Memphis-Bridge-Fences-and-La-Cage-Win-Drama-Desk-Awards }}</ref>
* '''Outstanding Orchestrations''' - Tom Kitt (nominee)

=== 2010 [[Drama League Award]]s ===
<ref>{{Citation | last = Jones | first = Kenneth | title = Drama League Nominees Include Addams Family, American Idiot, Enron, Next Fall, Night Music | newspaper = Playbill.com | date = 2010-04-20 | url = http://www.playbill.com/news/article/138855-Drama-League-Nominees-Include-Addams-Family-American-Idiot-Enron-Next-Fall-Night-Music }}</ref>
* '''Distinguished Production of a Musical''' (nominee)
* '''Distinguished Performance Award'''
:John Gallagher Jr.(nominee)
:Tony Vincent(nominee)

=== 2010 [[Outer Critics Circle Awards]] ===
<ref>{{Citation | last = Gans | first = Andrew | title = Outer Critics Circle Awards Noms Announced; Memphis, Royal Family Top List | newspaper = Playbill.com | date = 2010-04-26 | url = http://www.playbill.com/news/article/139023-Outer-Critics-Circle-Awards-Noms-Announced-Memphis-Royal-Family-Top-List }}</ref><ref>{{Citation | last = Gans | first = Andrew | title = Memphis, La Cage, Zeta-Jones, Finneran and More Are Outer Critics Circle Award Winners | newspaper = Playbill.com | date = 2010-05-17 | url = http://www.playbill.com/news/article/139575-Memphis-La-Cage-Zeta-Jones-Finneran-and-More-Are-Outer-Critics-Circle-Award-Winners }}</ref>
* '''Outstanding New Broadway Musical''' (nominee)
* '''Outstanding Lighting Design (Play or Musical)''' - Kevin Adams (WINNER)

=== [[64th Tony Awards|2010 Tony Awards]] ===
<ref>Jones, Kenneth.[http://www.playbill.com/news/article/140346-Red-Memphis-La-Cage-aux-Folles-Fences-Win-2010-Tony-Awards "Red, Memphis, La Cage aux Folles, Fences Win 2010 Tony Awards"]playbill.com, June 14, 2010</ref>
* '''[[Tony Award for Best Musical|Best Musical]]''' (nominee)
* '''[[Tony Award for Best Scenic Design|Best Scenic Design of a Musical]]''' - Christine Jones (WINNER)
* '''[[Tony Award for Best Lighting Design|Best Lighting Design of a Musical]]'''- Kevin Adams (WINNER)

<ref name="Tonys" />
At a meeting of the Tony Administration Committee on April 30, 2010, the score of ''American Idiot'' was deemed ineligible for a [[Tony Award for Best Original Score|Tony Award]] nomination because less than 50% of it was written for the stage production. <ref>{{Citation | last = Healy | first = Patrick | title = Some Plays Eligible for Best-Score Tony, but Not ‘American Idiot’ or ‘Fela!’ | newspaper = New York Times | date = 2010-04-30 | url = http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/04/30/some-plays-eligible-for-best-score-tony-but-not-american-idiot-or-fela/ }}</ref>

== Broadway grosses ==
The following is a week-by-week breakdown of ticket sales for the production at the St. James Theater.
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Week
! Attendance
! Gross sales
|-
| March 24-28, 2010 (5 previews)
| 6,564
| $568,483 <ref>{{Citation | last = Ku | first = Andrew | title = Broadway Grosses: March 22-28 | newspaper = Playbill.com | date = 2010-03-29 | url = http://www.playbill.com/features/article/138284-Broadway-Grosses-March-22-28 }}</ref>
|-
| March 29-April 4, 2010 (7 previews)
| 10,315
| $743,550 <ref>{{Citation | last = Gewirtzman | first = David | title = Broadway Grosses: March 29-April 4 | newspaper = Playbill.com | date = 2010-04-05 | url = http://www.playbill.com/features/article/138477-Broadway-Grosses-March-29-April-4 }}</ref>
|-
| April 5-11, 2010 (7 previews)
| 8,503
| $594,235 <ref>{{Citation | last = Gewirtzman | first = David | title = Broadway Grosses: April 5-11 | newspaper = Playbill.com | date = 2010-04-12 | url = http://www.playbill.com/features/article/138674-Broadway-Grosses-April-5-11 }}</ref>
|-
| April 12-18, 2010 (7 previews)
| 9,108
| $464,946 <ref>{{Citation | last = Ku | first = Andrew | title = Broadway Grosses: April 12-18 | newspaper = Playbill.com | date = 2010-04-19 | url = http://www.playbill.com/features/article/138836-Broadway-Grosses-April-12-18 }}</ref>
|-
| April 19-25, 2010 (8 performances)
| 11,464
| $777,860 <ref>{{Citation | last = Ku | first = Andrew | title = Broadway Grosses: April 19-25 | newspaper = Playbill.com | date = 2010-04-26 | url = http://www.playbill.com/features/article/139045-Broadway-Grosses-April-19-25 }}</ref>
|-
| April 26-May 2, 2010 (8 performances)
| 9,120
| $754,455 <ref>{{Citation | last = Ku | first = Andrew | title = Broadway Grosses: April 26 - May 2 | newspaper = Playbill.com | date = 2010-05-03 | url = http://www.playbill.com/features/article/139240-Broadway-Grosses-April-26---May-2 }}</ref>
|-
| May 3-9, 2010 (8 performances)
| 9,364
| $784,523 <ref>{{Citation | last = Ku | first = Andrew | title = Broadway Grosses: May 3-9 | newspaper = Playbill.com | date = 2010-05-10 | url = http://www.playbill.com/features/article/139419-Broadway-Grosses-May-3-9 }}</ref>
|-
| May 10-16, 2010 (8 performances)
| 10,483
| $849,831 <ref>{{Citation | last = Ku | first = Andrew | title = Broadway Grosses: May 10-16 | newspaper = Playbill.com | date = 2010-05-17 | url = http://www.playbill.com/features/article/139609-Broadway-Grosses-May-10-16 }}</ref>
|-
| May 17-23, 2010 (8 performances)
| 10,082
| $811,236 <ref>{{Citation | last = Ku | first = Andrew | title = Broadway Grosses: May 17-23 | newspaper = Playbill.com | date = 2010-05-24 | url = http://www.playbill.com/news/article/139805-Broadway-Grosses-May-17-23 }}</ref>
|-
| May 24-30, 2010 (8 performances)
| 10,218
| $840,088 <ref>{{Citation | last = Ku | first = Andrew | title = Broadway Grosses: May 24-30 | newspaper = Playbill.com | date = 2010-06-02 | url = http://www.playbill.com/features/article/140007-Broadway-Grosses-May-24-30 }}</ref>
|-
| May 31-June 6, 2010 (8 performances)
| 7,224
| $612,380 <ref>{{Citation | last = Ku | first = Andrew | title = Broadway Grosses: May 31 - June 6 | newspaper = Playbill.com | date = 2010-06-07 | url = http://www.playbill.com/features/article/140139-Broadway-Grosses-May-31---June-6 }}</ref>
|-
| June 7-13, 2010 (7 performances)
| 8,772
| $699,044 <ref>{{Citation | last = Ku | first = Andrew | title = Broadway Grosses: June 7-13 | newspaper = Playbill.com | date = 2010-06-14 | url = http://www.playbill.com/features/article/140398-Broadway-Grosses-June-7-13 }}</ref>
|-
| '''Totals''' (as of June 14, 2010)
|
|
|-
| 26 previews, 63 performances
| 111,217
| $8,500,541
|}

==Cast==
*Johnny - [[John Gallagher, Jr.]]
*Will - Michael Esper
*Tunny - [[Stark Sands]]
*Heather - [[Mary Faber]]
*Whatshername - Rebecca Naomi Jones
*St. Jimmy - [[Tony Vincent]]
*The Extraordinary Girl - Christina Sajous
*Favorite Son - Joshua Henry
*The Representative of Jingle Town - Theo Stockman

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

==External links==
*[http://www.americanidiotonbroadway.com/ Official site]
*[http://www.ibdb.com/production.php?id=485578 Internet Broadway database listing]
*[http://www.berkeleyrep.org/season/0910/3634.asp Berkeley Rep's ''American Idiot'' page]

{{Green Day}}

[[Category:Rock musicals]]
[[Category:Green Day]]
[[Category:2009 musicals]]
[[Category:Jukebox musicals]]
[[Category:American Idiot]]
[[Category:2010 in theatre]]
[[Category:Sung-through musicals]]