Green Day’s American Idiot on Tour (Ahmanson Theatre) review

Yes, Rodgers & Hammerstein did bequeath the narrative form to the musical genre, thus irreversibly changing the way we have come to love musical theatre. The integrated book and lyrics took us out of the jukebox format of pop music of the 1920s and 1930s.

Then, in the 1950s rock and roll tried to wedge itself into the musical landscape with rocky results, to say the least. It wasn’t until the 1970s that rock music found a viable alternative on the Broadway stage with “Hair” and “Jesus Christ Superstar.” Those musicals captured the cultural and political zeitgeist in a cohesive and entertaining way.

Flash forward a few decades and what you see on stage is a return to the 20s and 30s with all kinds of music dominating the stage – yes, even rock and roll and 80s hair metal band music. That’s not to say that there isn’t any room for these types of musical genres. With “American Idiot,” Green Day’s concept album of the same name now on stage and touring the U.S., you can add punk music (or at least post-punk) to the mix.

As an album “American Idiot” (and it’s follow-up “21st Century Breakdown”) works well in its original format. Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong created a concept album centered on a character named Jesus of Suburbia, an anti-hero of sorts.

Along the way, other characters are introduced to flesh out Armstrong’s anti-hero, thus creating a unified musical work that explores themes of rage vs. love, media control, government and un-patriotic acts, and drugs and redemption, among others. The album itself is a solid piece of musical achievement representing some of Green Day’s best work.

However, on stage, that solid clarity of themes is diluted into a half-conceptualized idea that relies on a flashy set piece, multi-media, an aerial ballet, and a lot of aggressive choreography that seems forced and trivial. That director Michael Mayer has won numerous awards and high critical praise for this musical (as well as the tepid “Spring Awakening” a few seasons back) seems more a testament to the need for musical theatre to revitalize itself than to the claim of this being a groundbreaking musical.

Sure, it’s attempting to call to a younger audience, but at the same time, it dumbs itself down by assuming the target demographic is not capable of being entertained if not constantly bombarded by lightning-quick MTV-style formatting.

Green Day’s music in “American Idiot” and Tom Kitt’s musical arrangement that complements the punk sound on stage are the only things that really work well. Steven Hoggett’s choreography is so overwrought it almost seems the dancers are competing to avoid elimination on “RuPaul’s Drag Race.”

It’s hard not to compare “American Idiot” to a seminal piece of musical theatre that premiered almost twenty years ago. Christine Jones’ expansive set and some of Andrea Lauer’s costumes evoke the world and characters inhabited by Larson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning “Rent” and the comparisons don’t end there. Armstrong and Mayer’s minimalist book echoes much of that storyline, right down to one of its characters hawking his guitar for a ride back home. Whether this is a viable comparison or not, it is worth pointing out that, indeed, “American Idiot” hardly merits the “groundbreaking” tagline.

So, can punk work on a Broadway stage? Of course it can. Green Day’s riveting music of angst, disillusion, and, yes, even hope already proves that. If only the rest of it would fall in line.

Performances through April 22 at the Ahmanson Theatre, 135 S. Grand St. For tickets and information please call (213) 972-4400 or visit www.CenterTheatreGroup.org/idiot.

Geeks! The Musical at Write Act

I consider myself a sort of geek, albeit a non-fully committed one. I may not own comic books or attend Comic-Cons, but I do own the Wonder Woman series – all three seasons and I might have a few action figures somewhere in storage.

Thankfully, I can continue to skirt my inner geek with “Geeks! The Musical“ at Write Act Repertory Theatre. Set during the behemoth weekend that is Comic-Con in San Diego, the musical follows Jordan’s (Jonathan Brett) quest to find love. It is while he and his best bud Chip (Tyler Koster) are rummaging through comics, that he lays eyes on a rare species – a real girl named Kerry (Redetha Deason.) Of course, obstacles tear these two apart for the remaining weekend.

The musical has all the makings of a fun, campy play complete with a Geek chorus of conventioneers commenting on the highlights of the expo. Following a formulaic set-up, the play is predictable and the sub-plots involving a goth chic named Audrina (Juliette Angeli) who’s in love with bisexual artist named Trey (Brandon Murphy Barnes) and a second sub-plot involving a has-been actor (Richard Warren Lewis) gives the musical a longer running time than necessary.

There are some moments of sheer wit: the musical number, “How Many Actors Have Played Dr. Who,” and “I Hate It!” sung by Emerson (Wil Bowers), Kerry’s snobby know-it-all sidekick, show a glimmer of brilliance. Thomas J. Misuraca has a solid grasp of what it entails to be a true geek and it’s reflected solidly in his book and lyrics.

Unfortunately, the musical is hindered by a bland musical score by Ruth Judkowitz. The bare-bones musical arrangement on piano doesn’t hinder the production, but it does help highlight the fact that perhaps it is still in its workshop stage.

With a few exceptions, the cast is excellent though I wouldn’t say that music is the company’s strong suit. Still, the performers give it their all earnestly and with high energy, which makes this musical a pleasant experience.

If only Mr. Lewis would put a little more energy into his character. His big song “Has Been” seems like a half-hearted effort at best. Like his character that wishes to be anywhere but at the convention, the actor often times looks like he’d rather be somewhere else, too.

Ideally, this is meant as a light-hearted satire and in this, the musical succeeds. Perhaps with a little more workshop, these geeks will indeed inherit the earth!

Performances through March 17 at Write Act Repertory Theatre, 6128 Yucca St. For more information and tickets, please call 323-960-7779 or visit www.geeksthemusical.com.