THIS AMERICAN FELT LIKE AN IDIOT
UNTIL READING A SYNOPSIS
When MTV hit the airwaves, a young generation stopped dead in their tracks and watched hours and hours of endless videos. Frequently, they made no sense because, in most cases, the video had far less to do with the words of the song and more to do with visual appeal (still wondering what this one, watched repeatedly, is about). Yet we were mesmerized by good music and all sorts of eye candy. Now imagine if the video were two acts long, trying to tie together twenty-one songs, all by one group, and specifically using every single song from one album, with more from Green Day’s 2009 concept rock opera album 21st Century Breakdown. Tough game!
Unlike the jukebox musicals Mamma Mia and Escape to Margaritaville, which invented stories around the songs of ABBA and Jimmy Buffett, American Idiot — inspired by the eponymous 2004 rock concept album by the American punk rock band Green Day — has a book by Billie Joe Armstrong and Michael Meyer with about twenty lines of dialogue. Given that drugs play a significant role in what little plot can be discerned, the entire musical — which has been steadily produced since its premiere in Berkeley in 2009 and subsequent extended run on Broadway — feels like a drug trip. Disjointed, fleeting, intriguing, baffling, and, frustratingly, beautiful as well. While following the show might be nearly impossible without a PhD in Green Day, the robust, bright, vibrant spectacle — now playing at Wildsong Theatre, formerly OB Playhouse — held this thoroughly-confused yours truly in rapt attention.
Peeking at the synopsis afterward to see if anything was supposed to be less open to interpretation, it turns out that many plot points were far from obvious: one character, Tunny, apparently joined the army and lost a leg in battle? Whuh? Another key character is ’¦ imaginary? Really??? One could miss that even when the lyrics are the precise words from Green Day songs? Imagine that! Ironically, reading how much I missed didn’t lessen my appreciation for the show; but, had I known storyline first, I would have been more present to the artists telling the tale. Sure, people without a clue about the storyline can watch the show as a raw and exciting rock concert, as there is still pleasure to be gained from the passionate songs and exciting dancing created by Brooke Aliceon, Jennika Grace, and Jillian Anderson, but it is highly recommended that you first read a synopsis here.
After the show, Ms. Aliceon, Wildsong Artistic Director (and director of American Idiot), acknowledged, “I came out of seeing American Idiot my first time as baffled as you. I’ve come to appreciate it more and more as I’ve learned what’s happening, but keys to major plot points can come from a single vague line or movement and if you don’t get what was intended by it, you’re going to get lost.”
That said, here’s the gist:
Johnny (Kevin Phantom) and his buddies Tunny (Sean Libiran) and Will (Will Corkery) are bored suburban youth going nowhere. Johnny gets money from his mother and wants to take all three into the city to experience a more exciting life. Will wants to go, but the opportunity coincides with his girlfriend finding out she’s pregnant and he can’t leave her now. Tunny and Johnny venture off but Tunny is overwhelmed by the city and joins the army. Tunny is sent off to battle and ends Act I with a passionate song, surrounded by other injured soldiers in the hospital. Johnny, meanwhile, gets tempted into trying heroin, opening a kettle of fish as he gets mixed up with a sweet woman who he drags down.
Sound heavy? Thematically, it is. From the opening number “American Idiot” we are introduced to some of the angstiest teens ever. These kids are so down on life that they make the cast of Rent look like Mouseketeers. One wears a T-shirt that reads, “Sad As Fuck,” pretty much speaking for all of them. But it’s not a drag; there’s just too much energy on that little stage for teen gloom to get you down, and the finale does lift the spirit (Spoiler Alert: No one dies of teen angst).
With many great performances throughout, a standout is Libiran, who has mostly been in choruses and dance ensembles at Wildsong thus far. The passionate cry in his voice brought tears to the eyes of the woman next to me during Tunny’s hospital number (even though she admitted, at intermission, she didn’t know why Tunny was in the hospital, either).
Also terrific was Caitlin Helms as St. Jimmy, the manifested embodiment of addiction who follows Johnny almost everywhere, ruining his plans. If actual heroin is even half as coldly seductive as Caitlin, it’s easy to understand how the drug traps people. The only problem, as is so often at Wildsong, it was hard to discern some lyrics. Dancer Jacob Lopez catches the eye as well, with more complicated moves than other dancers and some sharp syncopated movement with Libiran.
Even if you know the tale beforehand, the plot is basically a wobbly superstructure on which to hang the songs. The majority of them are of the high decibel variety, infusing the raw power of punk with a melodic pop sensibility, but several are actually tuneful, especially those sung to acoustic guitar accompaniment in a pleasing Paul Simon manner. It’s a slam dunk that fans of Green Day, metal, or punk, will enjoy American Idiot. If you’re not a fan, know that it’s literally non-stop rock for two hours (with intermission). However, the commercial acceptance of this musical on Broadway — and its many subsequent revivals — suggests that the show does strike a chord with mainstream audiences. It comes down to that old maxim, “If you like this sort of thing, this is the sort of thing you will like.”
photos courtesy of Wildsong
American Idiot
Wildsong Theatre and Arts Collective
4944 Newport Ave. in Ocean Beach, San Diego
Thurs, Fri & Sat at 8; Sun at 6
ends on June 31, 2024
for tickets, visit Wildsong