Photos: AMERICAN IDIOT At Wilbury Theatre Group First Look

Get a first look at Wilbury Theatre Group's AMERICAN IDIOT with photos by Erin X. Smithers. AMERICAN IDIOT performances start Thursday, May 29.

AMERICAN IDIOT features music by Green Day, lyrics by Billie Joe Armstrong, book by Billie Joe Armstrong and Michael Mayer, and is directed by Josh Short, with choreography by Ali Kenner Brodksy and music direction by Milly Massey. The production runs May 29 through June 15, 2025, and features performances by Michael Eckenreiter, Alexander Boyle, Paige O’Connor, Elisabet Ober, Christine Perkins, Jenna Benzinger, Nick Mendillo, Henry Stanton, Annabelle Iredale, James Lucey, Justin Voena, Grace Graham, Perry Barkett, Sofia DaSilva, Chloe Cordeiro and Ernie Lau. 

Blazing guitars, pounding drums, and a restless anti-hero named Johnny — not exactly the makings of your typical musical theatre fare. Yet these elements ignite a groundbreaking American musical all the same: one driven by characters aching for something more, songs pulsing with emotion, and a story that demands you to feel, to celebrate, and to hope.

Green Day’s music and Billie Joe Armstrong’s lyrics captured the spirit of a generation with their Grammy Award®-winning, multi-platinum album. The Wilbury Theatre Group’s production of AMERICAN IDIOT throws that raw energy into the spotlight, delivering a bold, electrifying rock opera that lights up the stage with passion and power.

“We have been wanting to produce this musical for many years, and this seemed like the perfect time,” said Wilbury Theatre Group’s Artistic Director Josh Short. “American Idiot captures the disillusionment and resilience of a generation grappling with chaos, and its themes feel just as urgent today as they did when the album was first released. At a moment when so many of us are searching for hope and direction in a rapidly changing world, this production reminds us of the power of music, art, community, and our youth to inspire change and light a path forward.”

American Idiot, released in 2004, follows the exhilarating journey of a new generation of young Americans as they struggle to find meaning in a post 9/11 world. The subsequent Broadway musical featured the iconic album hits "Boulevard of Broken Dreams," "21 Guns," "Wake Me Up When September Ends," "Holiday," and the blockbuster title track, "American Idiot" from Green Day's critically acclaimed 7th studio album. The show includes every song from the renowned record plus several songs from Green Day's 2009 album, “21st Century Breakdown,” and a previously unreleased love song entitled, "When It's Time.”