Review: AMERICAN IDIOT at QPAC

Although American Idiot is classified as a musical, it would be better classified as a very powerful rock opera. From the head banging to the use of the electric guitars and booming bass, the audience were enrolled as spectators in a rock arena. The piece features music composed by the punk-rock band Green Day, with the score including each song from the album of the same name, as well as additional songs from their album 21st Century. Although very disjointed and hard to follow at times, American Idiot tells the story of three alienated childhood friends Johnny (Ben Bennett) Tunny (Connor Crawford) and Will (Alex Jeans) as they navigate their way to find meaning, purpose and colour in a Trumpian suburbia. Whilst Will stays at home to fix his rapport with his pregnant girlfriend Heather (Ashleigh Taylor), Tunny and Johnny flee a stifling suburban lifestyle and parental restrictions; however, as always, things don't always turn out as they seem.

Once you've seen the show, it is clear to see as to why the musical is a two-time Tony winner for Best Scenic Design of Musical and Best Lighting Design of a musical. John Mcintosh's bedraggled, grimy, two-level set is representative of the way the characters see the world around them and their role in it, but it further allows space for Craig Wilkinson's video design to splash the walls with graffiti, live footage of the characters and newsreels of various political figures, such as the current American president. Mathew Marshall's lighting design compliments Lucas Newland's dynamic ensemble choreography (the only colour in the black and white world) through not only bringing light to nooks and crannies of the set in which the characters abide, but involves the audience in the narrative through quite frequently, leaving them in the light or, having the colourful lights circle around them, as if they were trapped in the same tale. My favourite lighting elements were the graffiti of the dates and handful of words from Johnny's diary entries splattered over the backdrop and the constant flashes of the television screen; the media a constant eye surveilling each character's movements and relationships 24.7. Melaine Knight's costuming is the perfect punk-rock blend, with each character wearing clothing of a divergent design but of the same colour palette (with the exception of St Jimmy's bedazzled suite), additionally signifying how they are all the same in their city of the damned.

The difference between this show and a most Disney fantasies is that each song is real; each lyric is relatable in some shape or form and so the audience members could relate to the characters. The audience came new the songs and came for the message. Some could say that the soundtrack is a narrative for our post-truth times, our corrupt politics; our own boulevard of broken dreams. You could hear the pain and the lost hope in the character's voices, none more so than Wharsername's (Phoebe Panarettos), Bennett's and Heather's (Ashleigh Taylor) in 21 Guns. Each note sung in the show held a kaleidoscope of feeling. Each character was looking for strength and they were pleading for the audience to give it to them. In terms of the casting, the female leads stole the show. Whenever Panarettos, Taylor or Kaylah Attard's (Extraordinary Girl) vocals carried the show and stole the attention from their male counterparts whenever they were on stage. Unfortunately, not every-day that you see such incredible performers pull of singing rock numbers so flawlessly, but these girls did it. Moreover, I loved how the director and playwright ensured that each female character had their own backstory and their own battles and issues to deal with, instead of being their purely as love interests, unlike many Hollywood blockbusters.

And there would be no show without the talented musicians, who under Glenn Moorhouse's musical direction produced a bold sound to complement the loud message of each lyric. It's not in every show that the band is recognized with as much as they should be, thus, I'm glad that this piece showcases them in such a positive manner, even having several of them as performers on stage. They made me wish that I'd brought my guitar with me so that I could join in

Director Craig Ilott has shown that it's possible to harness the power of music, theatre and art as an integral informative and educational tool to investigate the political issues of today and I hope that other companies, playwright's and actors do the same. After all, art has the power to change the world.

Green Day's American Idiot

Where: QPAC, closing 21 April

Tickets: qpac.com.au

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