Review: GREEN DAY'S AMERICAN IDIOT at Seacoast Repertory Theatre

AMERICAN IDIOT ROCKS THE REP

There is a moment at the end of American Idiot when the Green Day song I actually know arrives.

“Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)” isn't part of the story. It comes during the curtain call, with the ensemble gathered onstage. And suddenly, after nearly two hours of punk rock, drugs, war, depression, sex and youthful rebellion, there was something familiar. I knew this song. A lot of us did. It was the graduation song, the goodbye song, the song that seemed to be everywhere in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

It was also a pretty good reminder that Green Day has had a much bigger place in American popular music than I sometimes remember.

Getting to that familiar song, however, takes a very different musical journey.

If Rent, Spring Awakening and The Wild Party got together and formed a punk-rock band, it might look something like American Idiot at Seacoast Repertory Theatre. Based on Green Day's 2004 album, the production is part concert, part coming-of-age story and part rock opera. It is loud, aggressive, occasionally tender and almost always moving. And it can rock.

Director, Kate Sheridan keeps the production moving at a pace that rarely gives the audience much time to settle in. Sheridan also designed the costumes, which fit the rough-edged punk atmosphere. Music Director Andrew Strout deserves credit as well. The Green Day sound comes through loud and clear, both from the musicians and from the actors onstage.

Several members of the company play instruments, which adds another dimension to the production. Celeste Vandermillen  and Andrea Moore not only perform roles in the cast but they play violin and viola, providing an unexpected treat. Violet Falkowski and Sean Mullaney get to show off some impressive guitar work. It reinforces the feeling that you aren't simply watching a musical with rock songs. You're watching a band put on a show.

The three central characters give the production its human side. Johnny (Robert Fabricio Armstrong), Tunny (Sam Robert Rogers) and Will (Will Davis-Kay) leave their hometown, Jiggletown as they call it, looking for something beyond the lives they have known. What they find is considerably more complicated.

Tunny heads off to war, is injured, and falls in love with his caregiver, Extraordinary Girl (Andrea Moore). Will stays home because of family responsibilities and struggles with his relationship with wife, Heather (Celeste Vandermillen). Johnny finds himself caught between Whatsername (Alyssa Dumas) and St. Jimmy (Sean Mullaney), a drug-toting, bad-boy alter ego who leads him down a dangerous path.

It is a surprisingly dark story for something that sounds like a Green Day concert.

War, addiction, drugs, depression, relationships and some very bad decisions are all part of it. There are also moments of real tenderness. Armstrong's quieter performances in “When It's Time” and “Whatsername” give Johnny a vulnerability that can get lost when the production is roaring along.

Rogers is strong as the wounded Tunny, particularly in “Extraordinary Girl,” where his war experience gives way to a relationship with the woman helping him recover. He has the vocal stamina this material demands.

Davis-Kay brings a raw quality to Will, especially as he finds himself dealing with responsibilities he never expected. One of the show's best moments comes when Armstrong, Rogers and Davis-Kay perform “Wake Me Up When September Ends.” Their voices blend beautifully as they strum their guitars. For me, that was a “worth the price of admission” moment.

Mullaney brings plenty of confidence and stage presence to St. Jimmy, while Dumas holds her own as Whatsername. Her choreography is a big part of the show's relentless pulse.

The ensemble deserves credit for keeping the whole thing together. Daria Contino, Kristin Gilhooly, Alex Norton, Ethan Nowack, David Picariello, Franz Theodore, Sean Armstrong Verre and Scarlett Thomas create a busy world around the principals. Individual moments that stand out are Gilhooly's vocals and Theodore appearing in a cute video.

Justin Lahue's set design, with scenic artistry by Elsa Liberatore, has a gritty, Rent-like quality that fits the material. The junkyard setting works. There isn't much fussing with scenery, but there doesn't need to be. With this much music and movement happening, elaborate set changes might only get in the way.

If there is one speedbump in the show, I found myself referring back to the synopsis in the program more than once. The plot is intense, but it isn't always easy to follow. There is very little traditional dialogue, which means the songs and Green Day lyrics have to do much of the storytelling. If you know the music, you will probably have an easier time putting the pieces together. If you don't, you may have to work at it.

That isn't necessarily a criticism of the production. It is simply the nature of American Idiot. A rock opera asks the audience to listen differently than it would for a conventional musical.

It also isn't a show for everyone. Violence, drug use, suicidal thoughts and sexually suggestive scenes are woven into the story. These aren't incidental elements; they are part of the darker world the characters inhabit. But Seacoast Rep has never been particularly interested in playing it safe, and American Idiot certainly fits that tradition.

There is an interesting thread running through the Rep's season, too. Spelling Bee, Mean Girls, Grease and now American Idiot all look at young people trying to figure out who they are and where they fit. The difference is that American Idiot doesn't offer much of a safety net.

If you go to the show, expecting a Green Day concert wrapped around a story, rather than a traditional musical with a beginning, middle and end that is easy to track. The performances are strong, the music is played with real conviction, and there is plenty to watch.

And if you don't know much about Green Day, don't worry. Just listen. You might even recognize the last song.

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