The Theater BUFF

AMERICAN IDIOT -- we hardly knew ya!

 

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!)

BABY IT'S YOU -- my mom's thoughts on the april 1st preview

 

cool interview where kyle4 interviews his mom

 

my mom already had tickets to BABY IT'S YOU... so i skipped seeing the first preview and put her to work...

ladies and gentlemen... here's my mom...

 

*****************************************************

 

hey mom... let me start this hard-hitting interview by saying I LOVE YOU... you are the coolest...  ok... who did you go see BABY ITS YOU with?

I love you too! My friends, Linda and Diane.

 

where did you go for pre-theater dinner?

Oh my god, I don't remember the name. It was on 44th Street about two blocks east of the Broadhurst Theatre, the name was "something something" de Oggi.  Linda picked it.  The food was great!

 

what did you eat?

I had orrechiette with sausage and broccoli rabe. It was delicious!  We started with something else -- some kind of salad with sliced artichoke.

were there any cute waiters that served you?

No cute waiters.  We had a waitress.  

 

where did you sit in the theater? did you have good seats?

Our seats were in Row H, close to the center of the row.

did you see stephen spinella before the show started?

Who is Stephen Spinella?  Those usherettes herded us right in.

were there any gay men sitting near you?

As a matter of fact there were two gay men sitting right next to me!

 

how did you like the show?

I loved it!!!

what did you like about the show?

The story was something we could relate to.  All the performers were extremely talented! 

did your gay neighbors like the show?

They absolutely loved the show.  I could tell because they had something to say to each other after each person performed.  At times they became emotional. They were constantly wiping tears from their eyes!

did you see any men in the theater that you felt should be dating your single gay son?

Not this time.  

 did you go anywhere after the show?

No.  We all worked that day.  We left the theater, found the town car we came in and went home.

 did your friends enjoy the show?

Yes, they loved it! The whole audience went crazy for it!

are you tired of answering questions?

Not yet.

while i have you... i need motherly advice... do you think i should approach raul esparaza and introduce myself at the gym?

If you feel that is what you want to do, do it.

 

ok... i'll consider it! thanks mom! i think he'd make a great addition to our family!

kyle, that's up to you!

 

(sigh)