BWW Reviews: Peabody Opera House Presents Thrilling Production of AMERICAN IDIOT

American Idiot is an absolute blast, a musical filled with energy and exuberance, both evidenced in the music and in the performances. There will surely come a time when it's considered a period piece, since it does take place in the recent past, focusing on the last Bush presidency and the wars on terror at home and abroad that consumed it. But it's still timely at this point, because people are still fighting overseas, and a lot of the same social and political issues remain unresolved. It's essentially Green Day lead singer/guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong's vision filtered through director Michael Mayer (Spring Awakening), who cut a lot of the book they wrote together to make this more of sung-through musical experience. This focuses our attention on Armstrong's lyrics, and they're strong and pointed enough to make this approach work like a charm. And, like Spring Awakening, the band is on stage and the lighting is positively eye-popping.

Johnny, Will and Tunny are friend and drinking buddies who are looking for something more from their lives. It's Johnny's dream to pack up his guitar and head for the big city, but Will is sidetracked by his girlfriend Heather's pregnancy, and Tunny ends up joining the Army, although he does initially accompany Johnny. Left to his own devices, and guided by the evil St. Jimmy, Johnny ends up a drug addict, shooting up heroin with his girlfriend, the aptly named, Whatshername. Eventually, they all reunite, but their lives have been irrevocably changed by then.

Van Hughes delivers a shambolic performance as Johnny that makes it easy to see how he could be led astray by the bags of dope that are waved in his face. Hughes always seems to be stumbling or falling, and yet he's completely in control. Hughes also has a good voice for this material and proves his worth on acoustic guitar as well. Jake Epstein does good work as Will, and he briefly shares his abode with the underused Leslie McDonel, as the expecting (and eventually delivering) girlfriend. Scott Cambell is very good as Tunny, his tough exterior reflecting his choice to enter the military, and he shares a terrific wire-walking moment with Nicci Claspell (The Extraordinary Girl), that's truly inspired. Gabrielle McClinton also impresses as Whatshername, who plays the girl Johnny falls in love with, at the same time he starts shooting up. Joshua Kobak is properly menacing as the pusher, St. Jimmy.

Michael Mayer's direction keeps the plot moving forward quickly, leaving little room for dialog as he piles on the songs, which are really the strength of this show. The scenic design of Christine Jones is suitably grungy, with multiple levels for the action to take place on, as well as dozens of imbedded video monitors whose images, courtesy of Darrel Maloney, are socially and politically meaningful to the moment. The lighting design of Kevin Adams is phenomenal and dynamic, but relies heavily on the use of strobes to generate excitement when there is plenty of heat onstage, and a lot of that heat is generated by the dancers under the direction of choreographer Steven Haggett.

Mention should also be made of the excellent band: Jared Stein (keyboards, Music Director), Jason Bozzi (guitar), Julian Peterson (guitar), Dan Grennes (bass), Alon Bisk (cello), and drummer, Grant Braddock.

American Idiot is a brilliant triumph, a politically and socially relevant look at America through the jaded eyes of Billie Armstrong, and the music of Green Day, that soars along at a brisk 90 minutes.

 

 

 

 

 

To post a comment, you must register and login.