Fire Ignites at AMERICAN IDIOT's St. James Theatre; No One Harmed

Yesterday, March 11, work on AMERICAN IDIOT was temporarily delayed when a fire broke out in the elevator shaft of the ST. James Theatre.  While an initial report into the FDNY indicated that someone was trapped inside the elevator, upon arrival firefighters confirmed that while the fire did indeed initiate in the elevator shaft, no one was inside.  The building was evacuated and no one was harmed.  The cause of the fire is still unknown and under investigation.

AMERICAN IDIOT follows the journey of a new generation of young Americans as they struggle to find meaning in a post 9/11 world, borne along by Green Day's electrifying score. The musical includes every song from the acclaimed album American Idiot, as well as several songs from the band's GRAMMY® Award-winning new release, 21st Century Breakdown, such as "21 Guns."

Called a "masterpiece" by Rolling Stone Magazine, Green Day won two GRAMMY® Awards for the groundbreaking rock opera American Idiot, which sold more than 12 million copies worldwide. Now Billie Joe Armstrong and the band collaborate with one of the theatre's most acclaimed creative teams, led by the Tony Award-winning director of Spring Awakening, Michael Mayer, two-time Tony Award-winning composer and orchestrator Tom Kitt, and Olivier Award-winning choreographer Steven Hoggett, to bring this explosive, iconic album to the stage.

The cast of AMERICAN IDIOT stars Tony Award winner John Gallagher Jr. (Spring Awakening) alongside Tony Award Nominee Stark Sands (Journey's End), Michael Esper (A Man For All Seasons), Rebecca Naomi Jones (Passing Strange), Christina Sajous (The Wild Party), Mary Faber (Avenue Q) and Tony Vincent (Jesus Christ Superstar). Also featured in the cast are Declan Bennett, Andrew Call, Gerard Canonico, Miguel Cervantes, Joshua Henry, Van Hughes, Brian CharLes Johnson , Joshua Kobak, Lorin Latarro, Omar Lopez-Cepero , Leslie McDonel, Chase Peacock , Theo Stockman, Ben Thompson , Alysha Umphress , Aspen Vincent and Libby Winters .

The show features scenic design by Tony-nominee Christine Jones (Spring Awakening), costume design by Baryshnikov fellow Andrea Lauer (The Butcher of Baraboo), lighting design by two time Tony-winner Kevin Adams (Hair), Sound design by Obie Award-winner Brian Ronan (Cabaret), as well as video design by Darrel Maloney. The Music Director is Carmel Dean.

AMERICAN IDIOT is being produced on Broadway by Tom Hulce and Ira Pittelman, in association with Berkeley Repertory Theatre.

The playing schedule during preview performances for AMERICAN IDIOT is Monday through Saturday at 8pm, with a matinee on Saturday at 2pm. Beginning Thursday, April 22, 2010, the playing schedule is Tuesday at 7pm, Wednesday through Friday at 8pm, Saturday at 2pm & 8pm, and Sunday at 2pm & 7pm. Tickets range from $127.00 - $32.00 and can be purchased at The ST. James Box Office beginning Monday, February 22, 2010 or via telecharge.com (212-239-6200). For more information, visit www.americanidiotonbroadway.com.