Green Day to come to life on the Orpheum stage
It’s been eight years since Green Day released their smash hit album “American Idiot,” but fans of the concept album will have a chance to hear it in a whole new way this month at the Orpheum Theatre in Minneapolis. “Green Days American Idiot: The Musical” will begin its run February 21 and close on the 26.
In addition to a stellar cast, many of whom are returning from the original Broadway production, the musical’s creative team consists of some of the most progressive artists currently working in the industry. Director Michael Mayer won a Tony for his work on “Spring Awakening,” while musical arranger Tom Kitt’s work can also be heard in the popular show “Next to Normal.” Mayer and Kitt worked closely with Green Day frontman Billy Joel Armstrong to create the story and adapt the album’s tracks to make them more stage-friendly.
“American Idiot” follows the lives of three friends––Johnny, Tunny, and Will––as they search for a life beyond suburbia in a post 9-11 world. Johnny and Tunny leave for the city, leaving Will behind to deal with choices he’s made to trap himself in his suburban life. Tunny finds not even the city can alleviate his numbness, he enlists in the army and is deployed to fight in the War on Terror. Alone and still searching for something more, Johnny creates an alternate self in St. Jimmy, and his life begins to spiral out of control.
“American Idiot” is performed as a marathon hour-and-a-half show with no intermission, so the action of this high energy story will keep the audience engaged the whole way through.
Tickets ($35-$80) can be purchased at hennepintheatretrust.org or at the Orpheum Theatre box office. For those interested in learning more about the show and the music of Green Day, Broadway Confidential will be offering the “American Idiot––The Roots of Punk Rock” seminar on February 20. Tickets to the seminar are $15.
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