american idiot is NOT a jukebox musical!
billie's back... he'll hang out... rock the HELL out of the st. james for a few weeks... but, bottom line, the IDIOTS are packin' up...
i'm saddened... on the 5 EXPRESS to BEREFT.... DAMN..
we were SOOOO lucky to have them while we did... BROADWAY was lucky...
for the past year, we had an HONEST, ARTISTIC, ELECTRIC broadway musical with us... a cool ass FUTHER MUCKIN rock opera... just down the damn block....
MAN, I LOVED THIS SHOW !!!!
i saw it a few times in berkeley before it got here... i was ADDICTED immediately... RAW ENERGY blowing RIGHT AT YOU... from EVERYWHERE...
the sets were TRIPPY... the choreography... MOSH PIT AEROBICS with a side of EPILEPTIC SEIZURE... and the songs... MAN... THOSE SHOCKINGLY COOL SONGS... the famous ones, the less popular ones... some deconstructed and refurbished by (what was about to become) a pulitzer-prize winning superstar... the others polished to FULL GLOSS by the god of RAGE and LOVE himself... mr. armstrong... sexy, more BUFF than ever... BILLIE JOE... (love those upgraded arms!!)...
i thought we were ALL waiting for something like this... i've heard mumblings and grumblings for years...
where are the new musicals?
where are the original ideas?
how come current shows don't reflect the music of today?
why is everything over-produced? over-packaged?
why are we being fed ANOTHER JUKEBOX musical?
well... people...
billie tried to help!!!! he was THERE for you... across the street from PHANTOM... hop, skip and a jump from MEMPHIS.... but you weren't very nice... and you often didn't show up...
some of you were cool... THANK YOU, CHARLES ISHERWOOD... and, yes, the damn thing ran for a GLORIOUS YEAR....
so some people DID stop, admire, appreciate and enjoy the thoughtfull gift that BILLIE JOE and MICHAEL MAYER presented...
the rest of you... well... if i listened to ONE MORE person try to tell me that AMERICAN IDIOT was a jukebox musical... well...
well..
well, i have no idea what i would have done... i am not particularly violent... so, um....
instead, i will just say what i felt... ONCE AND FOR ALL...
here goes...
you may not have cared for AMERICAN IDIOT...
you may not have wanted to check out AMERICAN IDIOT...
you may just feel differently about AMERICAN IDIOT than i did...
I AM COOL WITH THAT...
but, GREEN DAY..
BILLIE JOE ARMSTRONG...
wrote a ROCK OPERA...
A.
ROCK.
OPERA.
a grammy award-winning one, i might add... artful, excellent songs... full story... sexy, serious... nuanced...
this was written and recorded before BROADWAY was even a twinkle in anybody's eye...
NO ONE took some GREEN DAY songs and wrote a little story AROUND them...
SOMEONE.... (MICHAEL MAYER!) took a GREAT rock opera and PLACED it on stage... a BROADWAY STAGE...
this is not a debate... it is not a matter of opinion... it is a simple fact...
AMERICAN IDIOT is NOT a jukebox musical !!!!!!!!!
this NONSENSE debate has been driving me crazy for a YEAR... a FREAKIN YEAR...
ok... i am breathing...
centering...
let me just finish this post....
THANK YOU, IDIOTS !!!
YOU RAISED BROADWAY'S HEART RATE...
IT NEEDED IT...
you will be SORELY missed... certainly by me... but, you will be missed EVEN MORE by the people who didn't appreciate/take advantage of what they had !!!!!
p.s. let me take one more second and thank you for the leaping, jumping, thrashing, t-shirted, sometimes shirtless chorus boys.... especially ANDREW CALL (me!)