Green Day's American Idiot at QPAC

Green Day's American Idiot at QPAC

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Posted 2018-04-21 by John Andrewfollow

Fri 13 Apr 2018 - Sat 21 Apr 2018

Zac and Kiri (WeekendNotes reviewers) also saw the show - and this review draws heavily on their response: I'm maybe the wrong generation to "get it" as well as they do.

They suggest you first listen to this song:



They say that if you didn't enjoy that song and the punk vibe, then you're probably not going to like this musical. However, if it takes you back to your teenage angst years and you find yourself wanting to rock along with it then, Zac and Kiri say, read on.

In 2004, punk rock band Green Day released the concept album American Idiot. It was a politically-charged album released post 9/11, at a time where Islamaphobia was rife, people were worried about the influence of media on public perception, and the US president, George W. Bush, was prone to public gaffes. What a difference a decade makes.



In 2009, director Michael Mayer, of Spring Awakening fame, collaborated with the lead singer of Green Day, Billy Joe Armstrong, to translate the album onto the stage. The musical takes the songs from the original album and links them together through the story of three angsty American males wishing to break out of suburban monotony and wanting to make it in the big city. After delusions of grandeur, we find Will stuck at home with an unwanted baby, Tunny, joining the army and Johnny, turning to drugs to escape with the help of his rock-and-roll, drug-dealing alter-ego. All the male leads were excellent singers and musicians, often playing guitar live on stage while nailing the rock ballads.

Of the three female leads, only one is given a name. Heather, is Will's pregnant girlfriend and was a stand-out singer. Johnny and Tunny also pair off with "Whatsername", and "Extraordinary Girl", showing that political correctness had not yet fully taken hold in 2009. Despite this, the overall theme and setting is still very fitting for today's political landscape and the production took full advantage of this, working in Trump imagery and slogans into the musical.


As with all Shake & Stir Theatre Co. productions, the show was of high quality. The set design was excellent and the visual animations were a joy to watch. One thing I love about this musical is that the band are featured on stage during the show, which makes it feel like a rock concert at times.



If you're a fan of Green Da,y then do yourself a service and go see it before it's sold out. Even if it wasn't quite on my wavelength, I could see that it was a great production (as are all Shake and Stir productions I've been to) - and that the audience absolutely adored it with whoops and cheers and singing along throughout and an absolutely tumultuous standing ovation at the end. Thanks Zac and Kiri for helping an aged reviewer out!

#music
#brisbane_city
#musicals
#performing_arts
#shows
#theatre_reviews
#april
!date 13/04/2018 -- 21/04/2018
%wnbrisbane
118775 - 2023-06-12 20:56:41

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