The Musical

AMERICAN IDIOT

"YOUR HEART WILL POUND, YOUR PUPILS WILL DILATE,

YOU WILL SWEAT AND BREATHE HARD. FOR THE 90

MINUTES THAT AMERICAN IDIOT HAS YOU IN ITS

WHITE-KNUCKLE GRASP, IT WILL ELECTRIFY AND

OVERWHELM YOUR SENSES."

THE BASICS

After the release of American Idiot, director Michael Mayer (Spring Awakening, Thoroughly Modern Millie) approached the band expressing his interest in adapting it for the stage. They agreed to work with him, and gave him full control of the reins after seeing Mayer’s excellent work on Spring Awakening.

The Basics

The Development

THE DEVELOPMENT

The show mainly consists of songs from the original concept album, with a few other Green Day songs added to the mix. Michael Mayer added very little dialogue to the show, as he felt that the lyrics of the music were expressive enough to forward the plot on its own.
The musical premiered at Berkeley Repertory Theatre in September of 2009 and quickly became the top-grossing show ever to grace the Berkeley Rep stage. The producers extended the limited run twice, and the show finally closed in November of that year.

THE BROADWAY BREAK

The musical transferred to Broadway in early 2010, with the previews beginning that March and an official opening on April 20th, 2010.
Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong played the role of St. Jimmy for a week at the end of September 2010, and due to the tremendous increase in sales, he made another fifty or so appearances later in the run.
The show finally closed after 27 previews and 421 performances. The Original Broadway Cast recording won the 2011 Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album.
The show was nominated for Best Musical at the Tony Awards and won the Tony Awards for Best Scenic Design of a Musical and Best Lighting Design of a Musical.

The Broadway Break

More Information

MORE INFORMATION

There is a plethora of information about the development of the musical, however, one of the best resources, if you'd like to know more, is "Broadway Idiot." This is a film documentary about the development of the musical. Unfortunately, it is not free - but it is available on Amazon Prime, Youtube, Google Play, and iTunes.

ADDED SONGS

A couple of songs were added for the musical that were not part of the original concept album. These songs include:
Favorite Son (cut song from American Idiot, released as a single)
Last of the American Girls (from 21st Century Breakdown)
Last Night On Earth (from 21st Century Breakdown)
Too Much Too Soon (cut song from American Idiot, released as a single)
Before the Lobotomy (from 21st Century Breakdown)
When It’s Time (cut song from Kerplunk, released as a single)
Know Your Enemy (from 21st Century Breakdown)
21 Guns (from 21st Century Breakdown)
Good Riddance (from Nimrod)

Added Songs