AMERICAN IDIOT Gets Praise from the New York Times and L.A. Times

One day before the first performance of Green Day's American Idiot, Berkeley Repertory Theatre announced that it will extend the show due to record-breaking sales and unprecedented demand for seats. Originally scheduled to close on October 11, this hotly anticipated world premiere has been extended three weeks and will now play through Sunday, November 1.

Since it's opening, impassioned reviews have spanned the spectrum with regard to the risky production that stages Green Day's American Idiot album, one of the most successful records of this generation, without the addition of a stitch of dialogue.  This week, two of the nations most important papers, the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times, have weighed in and the verdict: awesome.

Charles Isherwood in the The New York Times calls the production ""ARRESTING... 'American Idiot' could be called 'Hair' with a buzz cut, a nose ring and a bad attitude... When Johnny finds himself back at home at the end of 'American Idiot,' with nothing to show for the years of anxious searching that have passed, I was moved just as I was by the turbulent wanderings of those hippie adventurers of the Vietnam era... The music, terrifically orchestrated by Tom Kitt (the Tony-winning composer of 'Next to Normal'), is played with impressive meticulousness and raw power by a band of eight onstage musicians... all those knife-sharp riffs can't disguise Green Day's potent gift for irresistible tunes... the show possesses a stimulating energy and a vision of wasted youth that holds us in its grip." 

To read Isherwood's full review in the New York Times, click here.

Meanwhile, Charles McNulty declares the play in the Los Angeles Times "IRRESISTIBLE... visually mesmerizing... aesthetically dazzling and socio-politically stark... Attention, everyone. We have a theatrical bulletin coming in: Music videos have just made an artistic breakthrough. And the form has gone live. The site of this unexpected and, yes, rather loud development is Berkeley Rep, where 'American Idiot,' the show based on Green Day's multi-platinum 2004 concept album, is having its world premiere... Kinetically entertaining in a way that intentionally reflects the shallow, media-saturated culture the album rails against, 'American Idiot' (the musical) does what rock bands have set out to do from the beginning -- lay down a style that defines a new zeitgeist... 'American Idiot' translates Green Day's generational angst into a moody theatrical fantasia... Gallagher has the slacker charm and seductive snarl of a rock god [and] Mayer does an astonishing job of keeping everything in fluid motion."

To read McNulty's full review in the Los Angeles Times, click here.

American Idiot began preview performances September 4., kicking off Berkeley Rep's 2009/10 season in the Roda Theatre. The production officially opened on September 16. Green Day won two Grammys - Best Rock Album and Record of the Year - for its multi-platinum American Idiot, which sold more than 12 million copies worldwide. Now the band brings that explosive album to the stage with the director of Spring Awakening, which nabbed eight Tony Awards in 2007. American Idiot follows working-class characters from the suburbs to the city to the Middle East, as they seek redemption in a world filled with frustration - an exhilarating journey borne along by Green Day's electrifying songs.

The show features the music of Green Day - vocalist/guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, bassist Mike Dirnt, and drummer Tré Cool - along with Armstrong's lyrics. It is being staged by Tony Award-winning director Michael Mayer, who collaborated with Armstrong on the story. Berkeley Rep presents American Idiot in association with Tom Hulce and Ira Pittelman, the lead producers of Spring Awakening.

The production features choreography by Olivier Award-winner Steven Hoggett with Tony-winning composer Tom Kitt providing orchestrations, arrangements, and musical supervision. The design team includes Tony-nominee Christine Jones (sets), two-time Tony-winner Kevin Adams (lights), Baryshnikov fellow Andrea Lauer (costumes), and Obie Award-winner Brian Ronan (sound), as well as video designer Darrel Maloney. The music director is Carmel Deanand the associate choreographer is Lorin Latarro. Tony-winning actor John Gallagher, Jr. plays Johnny, leading an ensemble of 19 young performers that also includes Matt Caplan as Tunny, Michael Esper as Will, and Tony Vincent as St. Jimmy with Mary Faber as Heather, Rebecca Naomi Jones as Whatsername, and Christina Sajous as the Extraordinary Girl.

American Idiot is supported by several contributors to Berkeley Rep's Annual Fund. Bill Falik and Diana Cohen, John and Helen Meyer, Sally Smith and Don Burns, the Strauch Kulhanjian Family, and Felicia Woytak and Steve Rasmussen serve as executive producers. The lead sponsor is Levi's®. The show is also sponsored by the Phyllis C. Wattis Foundation. To purchase tickets for American Idiot, or for complete information on all upcoming shows, call Berkeley Rep's box office at (510) 647-2949 or toll-free at (888) 4-BRT-Tix - or click berkeleyrep.org.

 

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