Thespi-honest #5: American Idiot
Certified theatre nerd here! Ask me about almost any show and I guarantee I can give you some fact or opinion on it. I’m going to deep dive into every show I’ve seen in NYC and some memorable tours. I think one of the most impactful shows for me was American Idiot.
American Idiot
Where: UB, Shea’s Performing Arts Center, and Canisius College
When: September 2012, February 2014, and April 2016
Favorite Song(s): Jesus of Surburbia, 21 Guns, and Whatsername
I saw American Idiot after my second week of college at Canisius. I was obsessed with Green Day and that album. I wanted to see this show the moment they announced it was going to be a musical. American Idiot follows the story of three friends Johnny, Tunny, and Will living in suburbia. They decide to leave their stuffy town behind and go to the city where they hopefully can find adventure and freedom. Right before they go Will’s girlfriend tells him that she is pregnant and he stays behind. In the city, Tunny wants to feel like he has a purpose and is recruited into the army. Johnny meets Whatsername, who he falls in love with, but ultimately loses by going down a path of self-destruction. In the end, all three realize that it’s time to come home and reunite.
The music is emotionally-charged and filled with powerful lyrics. Tom Kitt wrote stunning orchestrations. The original and touring casts are full of stars who are on Broadway to this day. John Gallagher Jr’s Johnny is captivating and heartbreaking and Stark Sand’s vocals as Tunny are impressive and impassioned. The whole ensemble rocks. The original set was full of TV screens in the background while the band is on stage as part of the action. All aspects of this production are just brilliant. The music, vocals, choreography, staging, and set design were well thought out and impactful.
When I saw American Idiot in 2012, I just started college and I missed my high school friends. I found solace in Johnny, Tunny, and Will’s story. I listened to this cast album all the time in my freshman year. A few years later Shea’s announced the musical as a one night only special engagement, I had somewhat forgotten about the show. I decided to see it again. I was in a different place in my life. I was currently co-directing Legally Blonde: the Musical, thriving in my major, singing in an a’cappella group, and enjoying the friends and life I made for myself. I watched the show and again fell in love with the music, but I didn’t feel that I related to the story anymore.
This show is extremely important to me because in my senior year at Canisius I co-directed this musical. It was one of the last things I did as an undergraduate. The story felt relevant to me again. Three friends leaving their familiar lives and homes to experience something new and unknown. I was going through and struggling with that.
If anyone asks me, “What has been your favorite show to direct?” to this day I say American Idiot without skipping a beat. The stars aligned for this production. No show is perfect, but this one came pretty close! We had a great production team, cast, and pit willing to put so much effort into making this show the best that it could be. The show itself was a success! We had big audiences and great reviews. However, the best thing about the whole show was the process. Everyone was on their A-game and it led to creativity and productivity. I also felt so close with everyone involved. When I think back to those three months of putting on that show I am filled with happiness and pride. I had never bonded with a group of people as quickly as I did. We spent almost every moment together before, during, and after rehearsals and shows. We were a crazy family, and I loved being around them.
American Idiot is the show that made me realize that even though I was going into a completely different field theatre and hopefully the people who were involved would play some role in my life. Two years after the show, I started my own theatre company, Bellissima Productions. I was inspired by the process of American Idiot to fuel a theatre company. I had no idea if it would work, or what would happen. I’m thrilled to say every year has gotten bigger and better. One of the things that makes me the happiest about Bellissima Productions is how many people from American Idiot are involved to this day. I’m so grateful to work with you all still!
As I write this piece four years to the day of our final performance, for any AI family reading this thank you. Thank you so much for everything you did during that show and for ultimately changing the course of my life. I’m still so proud of that little college show. “Forgetting you, but not the time”.
