Green Day Compares AMERICAN IDIOT to ROCKY HORROR

Green Day and AMERICAN IDIOT director Michael Mayer recently sat down to discuss the parallels of their album-turned-musical AMERICAN IDIOT to more classic musical theatre shows.

In an interview with USA Today, Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong said, "When American Idiot came out, we said it had more in common with Rocky Horror than (The Clash's) London Calling."

Director Michael Mayer said he believes AMERICAN IDIOT has plenty in common musical theatre classics such as FIDDLER ON THE ROOF and WEST SIDE STORY, both in terms of content and style. Mayer says, "In Fiddler, it's - ," Green Day drummer Tre Cool jumps in, "If I Were a Rich Man." "[In Idiot], it happens to be a punk-rock anthem," Mayer finishes.

To read the full article from USA Today, click here.

AMERICAN IDIOT began performances at the ST. James Theatre on March 24, 2010 and opens on Broadway on April 20, 2010. In anticipation of the opening next week, BroadwayWorld brings you the first production shots of the cast performing on Broadway, following by tribute shots to their world premiere performance at Berkeley Rep this past fall.

AMERICAN IDIOT follows the exhilarating 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 .

For more information, visit www.americanidiotonbroadway.com.