On February 2nd 2013, I saw Green Day’s American Idiot musical at The Hanover Theatre in Worcester, Massachusetts. As a performance overall, it was one of the best I have ever seen, and surely one I will never forget. Stemming from the Broadway musical production of the show, With the story line of the show focusing on 3 young men who are forced to chose between following their dreams and getting a little lost along the way, a group of young actors and performers brought themselves to Worcester for 5 shows over a period of 3 days to rock out to many songs including Green Day’s American Idiot album, and put on an incredible show.
Overall the acting of the show was amazing. The actors never broke character and were always very believable. The acting was very natural and seemed almost effortless for the cast. The main male character, Johnny (played by Alex Nee), falls in love with a girl, Whatsername (played by Alyssa Dipalma). The pair had amazing chemistry on stage and were hard to keep your eyes off of. The gestures of the characters worked very well with the characters. I also noticed that the ensemble were always doing something during the show, even if they weren’t a main part of the scene, which is something that works very well for the stage appearance. The way that the actors projected their voices was truly incredible. They were so clear that it almost felt like they were right next to you talking directly to you. The show was very loud, so at a point or two during the show it was difficult to understand what was being said if the character was suppose to be mumbling, but you could always pick up on what they were saying given the context of the scene.
Actors that were particularly strong were Alex Nee (who played Jonny) because he had an amazing voice but was also very convincing and incredible to watch. Also a member of the ensemble, Chelsea Turbin, was also particularly strong. She was very eye catching during all of her scenes and had so much energy, which made it hard to look away from her.
The directing of the play was clearly very well thought out and done by incredible directors. As far as I could tell, all aspects of the play were unified and faithful to the author’s purpose. I saw the show on Broadway for its 1 year anniversary, and the show was almost identical which also makes me believe it is set up and faithful to how the author wanted. During group scenes, no matter where you were seated you had a pretty clear view of everyone on stage, which I liked a lot. The correct mood was always portrayed well in each scene not only by the actors, but also by the lighting and the way the stage was set up. The directors put in a lot of effort to make sure that the show would be the best it could be, and it was.
The show featured a very simple set where the background didn’t change and the only thing being moved a lot was a bed that was either put on stage or rolled off. I think that the simple scene really worked because the show ran for 2 1/2 hours without an intermission, so there really was no time to change sets. A few things needed for each scene were either rolled out or sent from the ceiling on a string. I think that the set provided appropriate mood and background for the play because it made sense with the story and what was going on at the time. The lights worked very well with the show. They used strobe lights, which required a 16 minute holding period, meaning that for the first 16 minutes of the show, nobody was allowed to enter or leave the theatre because any excess light with the strobe lights could blind the actors. The costumes and makeup were pretty standard. Most men just wore ripped skinny jeans and a tee shirt with a sweatshirt or leather jacket, which worked very well with the idea of the characters. The girls wore basically the same thing, except the lead girl, Whatsername, wore frilly gothic tutu’s and corset like tank tops, but that worked very well with the idea of her character.
You could tell that the audience was enjoying the show because it was dead quiet until it was appropriate to laugh or a song ended, at which time the theatre was filled with applause and cheers. The audience was very respectful during the show. We laughed at the proper times and were very polite in our applause. The audience respected the actors and you could tell because all eyes were on the stage, no phones were lit up and no cameras were being flashed. After the show I head a few complaints about that context of the show being inappropriate for their young child because there were people simulating sex on the stage, drugs and a lot of swearing, but I think that it only added to the play and made it better. Many people enthusiastically discussed how incredible it was and how they wish they could see it again. One girl left the theatre crying because it was over and wanted to see more. It was truly an amazing experience for all who stayed to see the entire show.
I felt that the show was such an amazing experience and something that everyone should see if they like good music, good acting and don’t mind some sexual and inappropriate context. The show was set up so well and everything flowed so well that it was a pleasure to watch. The main characters inspired me to work as hard as I could to someday see myself on that stage singing and dancing just as they were. My overall reaction was extremely positive. If I was given the opportunity I would see the show again, and more than once more. It was an amazing show and something that really moves you to tears with all of the emotion that the actors put into it. It’s definitely something that I will always remember. If you like Green Day’s music, or just want to see a show that you can relate to, don’t be an American Idiot, go see the show!
