| American Idiot | |
|---|---|
| The Musical | |
The marquee above the St. James Theatre after the 350th performance of American Idiot |
|
| Music | Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt, Tre Cool |
| Lyrics | Billie Joe Armstrong |
| Book | Billie Joe Armstrong and Michael Mayer |
| Basis | American Idiot (Green Day, 2004) |
| Productions | 2009 Berkeley 2010 Broadway 2011 First National Tour 2012 UK and Ireland Tour |
American Idiot is a one-act, through-sung stage musical. The show is an adaptation of punk rock band Green Day's concept album of the same name. Additional Green Day songs were interpolated from other sources, including 21st Century Breakdown, American Idiot b-sides, and an unreleased song called "When It's Time". The book is by Green Day's lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong and director Michael Mayer. The music is by Green Day and the lyrics are by Armstrong.[1]
The story, expanded from that of the concept album, centers on three disaffected young men, Johnny, Will, and Tunny. Johnny and Tunny flee stifling suburbia and their parents' restrictions. The pair look for meaning in life and try out the freedom and excitement of the city. Will stays home to work out his relationship with his pregnant girlfriend. Tunny quickly gives up on life in the city, joins the military, and is shipped off to war. Johnny finds a part of himself that he grows to dislike, has a relationship and experiences lost love.
After a run at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre 2009, the show moved to Broadway, at the St. James Theatre. Previews began on March 24, 2010 and officially opened on April 20, 2010. The show closed on April 24, 2011 after 422 performances. While Green Day did not appear in the production, lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong performed the role of "St. Jimmy" occasionally throughout the run. The show also had an onstage band.[2] The show opened to mixed to positive reviews from critics, but got a rave review from The New York Times.[3] American Idiot won two 2010 Tony Awards: Best Scenic Design of a Musical for Christine Jones, and Best Lighting Design of a Musical for Kevin Adams. It also received a nomination for Best Musical.[4] On February 13, 2011, it won a Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album.[5]
Contents |
In 2000 Green Day released the album Warning. Village Voice music critic Robert Christgau compared Warning to the band's previous album (Nimrod) and noted that "[Billie Joe Armstrong is] abandoning the first person. He's assuming fictional personas. And he's creating for himself the voice of a thinking left-liberal." Christgau also detected "a faint whiff" of the work from the theatrical composer/lyricist team of Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht.[6]
The trend of writing in the third person came to fruition with Green Day's next studio album, American Idiot in 2004. The first new song Green Day wrote was the single "American Idiot". The band had difficulty following it up.
One day, bassist Mike Dirnt was in the studio recording a 30-second song by himself. Armstrong decided he wanted to do the same, and drummer Tré Cool followed suit. Armstrong recalled, "It started getting more serious as we tried to outdo one another. We kept connecting these little half-minute bits until we had something." This musical suite became "Homecoming", and the group subsequently wrote another suite, "Jesus of Suburbia".
Armstrong was so emboldened by the creation of the two suites that he decided to make the record an album-long conceptual piece. The band took inspiration from concept records by The Who.[7] The album also was deliberately created with a plot arc and that some of their inspiration was from sources in the musical theater repertoire like The Rocky Horror Show and West Side Story and the concept album cum stage musical Jesus Christ, Superstar.[7][8] Armstrong also said the band intended "that it would be staged or we'd create a film or something... we were thinking in terms that it kind of felt like scoring a movie."[8]
Director Michael Mayer heard the album and expressed an interest in adapting it for the stage. When he approached the band about a collaboration, they agreed to work with him.[9] The band also gave Mayer wide latitude for his adaptation after seeing the director's earlier work with Spring Awakening.[8] Though additional songs were included from the Green Day catalog, Mayer added very little dialogue to the show. He felt instead that the music and lyrics were expressive enough on their own, and even removed some of the dialogue that was part of the Berkeley production before the show moved to Broadway.[10]
The musical premiered at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre. Previews began on September 4, 2009 and the official opening was on September 15, 2009.[11] After becoming the top-grossing show in Berkeley Rep history, the producers extended the limited run twice to November 15, 2009.[12] The cast included John Gallagher Jr. as Johnny, Matt Caplan as Tunny, Michael Esper as Will, Tony Vincent as St. Jimmy, Rebecca Naomi Jones as Whatsername, Mary Faber as Heather, and Christina Sajous as the Extraordinary Girl.[13]
The musical transferred to Broadway at the St. James Theatre with previews beginning on March 24, 2010 and officially opened on April 20, 2010.[14] It is rumored that the show cost between $8 million and $10 million to produce.[15] After six months of performances, the show was "still a ways off from possibly turning a profit" according to a New York Times report.[15]
The original Broadway cast included John Gallagher Jr. as Johnny, Michael Esper as Will, Stark Sands as Tunny, Tony Vincent as St. Jimmy, Rebecca Naomi Jones as Whatsername, Mary Faber as Heather, and Christina Sajous as the Extraordinary Girl.[16]
Tom Kitt was the music supervisor and orchestrator for both the Berkeley and Broadway productions.[17] The lead producers for the show were Ira Pittelman and Tom Hulce.[18] The creative team for the show was largely the same as for the musical adaptation of Spring Awakening: Michael Mayer, director, Christine Jones, scenic designer, and Kevin Adams, lighting designer.[19] Andrea Lauer was the costume designer. Brian Ronan was the Sound Designer.
On September 26, 2010, Armstrong wrote on the official Green Day Twitter account that from September 28 to October 3 he would play the role of St. Jimmy. The announcement led to an immediate increase in sales of tickets at the St. James Theatre.[15] Ticket sales for the week Armstrong performed were up 77%, average ticket prices increased 22%, and gross sales increased 127% from the previous week's totals.[20][21][22] The singer-songwriter filled in for cast member Tony Vincent who took time off for personal matters; the following week after Armstrong's run, St. Jimmy's understudies, Andrew Call and Joshua Kobak, split covering the role.[15][23] On November 30, 2010, the producers announced that Armstrong would make another 50 appearances as St. Jimmy between January 1 and February 27, 2011.[24][25][26]
Armstrong's Broadway performances were among a number of personal appearances he has made to help promote the show.[15] As part of the promotion for the show, the cast performed at the Grammy Awards on January 31, 2010 with Green Day.[16]
In addition to Armstrong's stint as St. Jimmy, singer-songwriter Melissa Etheridge played the part of St. Jimmy on Broadway from February 1–6, 2011, and Davey Havok of the alternative rock band AFI took the role from March 1-15, 2011.[27][28]
In the wake of weak sales following the departure of Armstrong from the role of St. Jimmy, The New York Times hinted that the producers could soon post a closing notice for the production.[29] The Broadway production was then scheduled to close on April 24, 2011 after 27 previews and 421 performances. Billie Joe Armstrong returned to the role of St. Jimmy for the final three weeks.[30]
It was announced on February 11, 2011 that the musical will begin a national touring production in December 28, 2011, on Toronto, Canada. The cast has been announced as Van Hughes reprising his role as Johnny, Jake Epstein as Will, Scott J. Campbell as Tunny, Leslie McDonel as Heather, Gabrielle McClinton as Whatsername, and Nicci Claspell as The Extraordinary Girl. Broadway alumni Joshua Kobak will be rejoining the cast as St. Jimmy. The ensemble will include Talia Aaron, Krystina Alabado, Gabriel Antonacci, Larkin Bogan, Matt Deangelis, Dan Gleason, Kelvin Moon Loh, Okieriete Onaodowan, and Kaitlyn Terrill. Tommy McDowell, Jillian Mueller, Vince Oddo have joined the tour cast as swings. Additional casting has yet to be announced.[31]
On 1st December 2011, it was announced that the musical would be touring the UK, as well as Dublin, in Autumn 2012. The tour will visit Manchester, Southampton, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dublin, Birmingham and London.[32]
There are seven principal characters in American Idiot: Johnny, Will, Heather, Whatsername, The Extraordinary Girl, Tunny, and St. Jimmy. They are joined on stage by as many as twelve ensemble players.[33][34]
Johnny, also known as the "Jesus of Suburbia", is the main protagonist of the story and most of the plot points revolve around his picaresque journey. On his quest for self-discovery he experiences nihilism, drug abuse, and lost love. The role was created for the Berkeley and Broadway runs by Tony-Award-winner John Gallagher, Jr.[34] When Gallagher left the production, Van Hughes, who was previously the three leads' standby, took over the role full-time. Van will continue playing the role of Johnny in the first national tour.[33]
Will is one of Johnny's best friends. He plans to leave town with the group until his girlfriend, Heather, reveals she is pregnant with his child. Will stays at home and descends in to an alcohol and drug infused depression. The role was created for the Berkeley and Broadway runs by Michael Esper.[34] When Esper left the production, the role was taken over by American Idol alumnus Justin Guarini for the remainder of the run. It was recently announced that Jake Epstein will play the character of Will on tour this December.[33]
Tunny is another of Johnny's best friends. He accompanies Johnny to the city, but is soon seduced in to joining the military and is sent off to war. Tunny suffers serious injuries and loses a leg. During his rehabilitation, he falls in love with his nurse, The Extraordinary Girl, and the two accompany each other home at the end of the story. Matt Caplan created the role of Tunny for the Berkeley performances.[34] When American Idiot opened on Broadway, Stark Sands played the role. When Sands left the production, the role was taken over by David Larsen. Scott J. Campbell will play the role of Tunny during the first national tour.[33]
Whatsername is a nameless, attractive young woman who accompanies Johnny on his pleasure-seeking journey of sex and drugs. She eventually realizes their relationship is mutually destructive and leaves him. The role was created for the Berkeley and Broadway runs by Rebecca Naomi Jones, who played the part until the end of the Broadway run. Gabrielle McClinton will take over the role of Whatsername for the first national tour.[33][34]
Heather is Will's girlfriend. Her unplanned pregnancy causes Will to stay behind when his friends leave town. She leaves Will and begins a relationship with another man to protect their child. She eventually leads a life of glamour that is in stark contrast to Will's couch-wallowing ways. The role was created for the Berkeley and Broadway runs by Mary Faber.[34] She was replaced on Broadway by Jeanna de Waal for the remainder of the run. Leslie McDonel, who understudied the role of Heather on Broadway, will take over full time for the first national tour.[33]
The Extraordinary Girl is a nurse who treats Tunny after he is wounded in war. She also appears in Tunny's dreams and hallucinations. The two eventually fall in love and accompany each other home after the war. The role was created for the Berkeley and Broadway runs by Christina Sajous.[34] When Sajous left the production, ensemble member and Extraordinary Girl understudy Libby Winters was promoted to full-time. It was announced that Nicci Claspell will be performing as Extraordinary Girl this December, for the first national tour.[33]
St. Jimmy is an energetic, thrill-seeking drug dealer. It is eventually revealed that Jimmy is only a drug-addled manifestation of Johnny's id. The role of St. Jimmy was created for the Berkeley and Broadway runs by Tony Vincent.[33][34] The part has become something of a star vehicle for rock artists, allowing several of them to make their Broadway debuts. Billie Joe Armstrong covered for Tony Vincent from September 27, 2010 to October 3, 2010 and then took over the role for two months when Vincent left the production in January 2011. Melissa Etheridge then covered for Billie Joe Armstrong from February 1, 2011 to February 6, 2011.[35] Davey Havok of AFI replaced Billie Joe Armstrong in the role of "St. Jimmy" beginning on March 1, 2011.[36] Billie Joe Armstrong reprised the role of St. Jimmy on April 5, 2011 until the show closed on April 24, 2011. Former American Idiot swing and St. Jimmy understudy Joshua Kobak will take over the role during the first national tour.
Ensemble cast members for the Berkeley run included Declan Bennett, Andrew Call, Gerard Canonico, Miguel Cervantes, Joshua Henry, Brian Charles Johnson, Lorin Latarro, Omar Lopez-Cepero, Chase Peacock, Theo Stockman, Ben Thompson, Alysha Umphress, Morgan Weed, and Libby Winters.[34] The Broadway Opening Night cast included Declan Bennett, Andrew Call, Gerard Canonico, Miguel Cervantes, Joshua Henry, Van Hughes, Brian Charles Johnson, Joshua Kobak, Lorin Latarro, Omar Lopez-Cepero, Leslie McDonel, Chase Peacock, Theo Stockman, Ben Thompson, Alysha Umphress, Aspen Vincent, and Libby Winters.[33] Throughout the course of the Broadway run, Krystina Alabado, Jennifer Bowles, P.J. Griffith, Sydney Harcourt, Jason Kappus, Sean Michael Murrary, Corbin Reid, Wallace Smith, and Mikey Winslow had joined the ensemble.
The original ensemble company for the first national tour includes Talia Aaron, Krystina Alabado, Gabriel Antonacci, Larkin Bogan, Matt Deangelis, Dan Gleason, Kelvin Moon Loh, Tommy McDowell, Jillian Mueller, Jarran Muse, Vince Oddo, Okieriete Onaodowan, and Kaitlyn Terrill.
Set in the recent past, the musical opens on a group of angry youths unhappily living in suburbia (identified as Jingletown, USA) and saturated with TV. Fed up with the state of the union, the company explodes in frustration ("American Idiot"). The musical then focuses on three best friends: Johnny, Will, and Tunny. The three feel threatened by their mundane lives. Johnny goes to commiserate with Will ("Jesus of Suburbia"). The appearance of a third friend, Tunny, spurs change when the three run out of beer. At the 7-Eleven, Tunny exposes the do-nothing go-nowhere quicksand of their lives ("City of the Damned"). They get riled up, and Johnny challenges his friends to engage ("I Don't Care"). Will's girlfriend Heather appears. She is pregnant and doesn't know what to do ("Dearly Beloved"). Johnny borrows money from his mother and buys bus tickets to the city for himself and his friends. Heather reveals to Will that he is going to be a father, so he decides to stay home ("Tales of Another Broken Home"). Johnny and Tunny depart for the city with a group of other jaded youths ("Holiday").
While Johnny wanders the city and pines for a woman he sees in an apartment window ("Boulevard of Broken Dreams"), Tunny finds it hard to adjust to urban life and is seduced by a television ad for the army ("Favorite Son"). Tunny realizes that his generation has been so numbed and apathetic that nothing, not even the bright lights of the city, will excite him ("Are We the Waiting"). He enlists in the army.
Frustrated by his friend's departure and his inability to find girls or fun, Johnny conjures a rebellious powerful reflection of himself called "St. Jimmy" and shoots heroin for the first time ("St. Jimmy"). Back in Jingletown, Will sits on the couch as his girlfriend's pregnancy progresses. He drinks beer and begs for a release. Meanwhile, Tunny is deployed to a war zone, and is soon shot and wounded ("Give Me Novacaine").
Johnny finds that St. Jimmy has given him everything he's ever wanted—girls and fun—and spends the night with the girl he saw in the window, whom he calls "Whatsername". Johnny is smitten with Whatsername and wants to celebrate, but St. Jimmy has other plans for them ("Last of the American Girls/She's a Rebel"). Johnny and Whatsername go to a club, shoot drugs together, and have passionate sex. By this time, Will and Heather's baby girl has been born, and Will is increasingly oblivious as Heather tenderly commits herself to her baby's future ("Last Night on Earth").
Heather has had enough of Will's pot-and-alcohol-fueled apathy. Despite Will's protestations, she takes the baby and walks out ("Too Much, Too Soon"). Around the same time, lying in a bed in an army hospital ("Before the Lobotomy"), Tunny falls victim to the hopelessness he has seen during wartime and hallucinates. He and his nurse engage in a balletic aerial dance ("Extraordinary Girl"). He quickly falls in love with her ("Before the Lobotomy (Reprise)").
Back in the city, Jimmy reappears but Johnny ignores him, watching Whatsername sleep. Johnny muses on their relationship and reveals the depth of his love for her ("When It's Time"). The temptation of drugs, however, is too great; Jimmy forces Johnny to become increasingly erratic, and he eventually threatens Whatsername (and then himself) with a knife ("Know Your Enemy"). Whatsername attempts to talk about his behavior, but is shocked at the depths to which he has spun out of control. Meanwhile, the Extraordinary Girl dresses Tunny's wounds and Will sits on the couch, once again alone ("21 Guns"). After this, Johnny leaves with Jimmy after leaving a note for Whatsername, saying that he has chosen Jimmy and his drugs over her. Frightened and fed up, Whatsername explodes at Johnny, telling him that he is not the "Jesus of Suburbia" and revealing to him that St. Jimmy is nothing more than "a figment of [his] father's rage and [his] mother's love" ("Letterbomb"). She leaves him.
Hurt by Whatsername's departure, Johnny is forced to admit that his life has amounted to nothing; he longs for better days ahead, Tunny longs for home, and Will longs for all the things he's lost ("Wake Me Up When September Ends"). St. Jimmy appears and makes one last attempt to get Johnny's attention, but that part of Johnny has died, resulting in the metaphorical suicide of St. Jimmy ("The Death of St. Jimmy"). Johnny cleans up and gets a desk job but soon realizes that he can find no place for him in the city ("East 12th Street"). Will, all alone with his television, bemoans his outcast state ("Nobody Likes You"). As he finally gets up off the couch, Heather appears with her new show-off rockstar boyfriend ("Rock and Roll Girlfriend"). Will heads to the 7-Eleven to get away from them and, surprisingly, finds Johnny there. Johnny had sold his guitar for a bus ticket home. Tunny returns from the war zone (as an amputee) with the Extraordinary Girl. As Tunny introduces his friends to the Extraordinary Girl, Johnny becomes furious with him for leaving the group, but quickly forgives him and the three friends embrace. Heather and her boyfriend arrive. In an uneasy truce, she gives the baby to Will. Other friends show up to greet the three men they haven't seen in a year ("We're Coming Home Again"). One year later, Johnny laments that he lost the love of his life, but he accepts that he can live inside the struggle between rage and love that has defined his life. With this acceptance comes the possibility of hope ("Whatsername").
After the cast takes their bows, the curtain rises to reveal the entire company with guitars, with which they perform the song, "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)".
The show features all of the songs from the album American Idiot, some B-tracks and a few of the songs from Green Day's 21st Century Breakdown.[37]
Green Day re-released the single "21 Guns" with the musical cast on Spinner.com on December 3, 2009.[38] This version features Billie Joe Armstrong, together with Christina Sajous, Rebecca Naomi Jones, Mary Faber and Matt Caplan, with backup from the rest of American Idiot cast. Another version was released with John Gallagher, Jr., Michael Esper and Caplan singing the parts that Armstrong had previously sung. Green Day and the cast of the musical also performed the song at the 2010 Grammy Awards on January 31, 2010.[39]
The original cast recording of the musical was released on April 20, 2010.[40] The cast album includes all the songs featured in the musical plus a brand new recording of "When It's Time" by Green Day. The instrumentation of the recording is also played by Green Day. The album won Best Musical Show Album at the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards.
Reviews for the Berkeley Rep production were mixed. Charles McNulty of latimes.com called the show "Kinetically entertaining in a way that intentionally reflects the shallow, media-saturated culture the album rails against".[41] Karen D'Souza of MercuryNews.com called the production "a thrashing collage of songs fused together with hypnotic movement and eye-popping visuals" and thought the show "as compelling as it is abstract [and] channels the grungy spirit of punk while also plucking at the heartstrings."[42] However, Jim Harrington of the Oakland Tribune compared the show unfavorably to the original album, writing: "[what] once was a fine Gouda, has been prepackaged as Velveeta", and continued sarcastically, "In other words, it should do big business on Broadway."[43] Charles Isherwood of The New York Times commented that the show contained "characters who lack much in the way of emotional depth or specificity, and plotlines that are simple to the point of crudity" but also felt that "the show possesses a stimulating energy and a vision of wasted youth that holds us in its grip."[44]
Isherwood's review for the Broadway production was enthusiastic. He called the show "a pulsating portrait of wasted youth that invokes all the standard genre conventions ... only to transcend them through the power of its music and the artistry of its execution, the show is as invigorating and ultimately as moving as anything I’ve seen on Broadway this season. Or maybe for a few seasons past."[3] Jed Gottlieb of the Boston Herald enjoyed the premise of the show but found that "the music and message suffer in a setting where the audience is politely, soberly seated".[45] Michael Kuchwara of the Associated Press found the show to be "visually striking [and] musically adventurous", but noted that "the show has the barest wisp of a story and minimal character development".[46] Paul Kolnik in USA Today enjoyed the contradiction that Green Day's "massively popular, starkly disenchanted album ... would be the feel-good musical of the season".[47] Time magazine's Richard Zoglin opined that the score "is as pure a specimen of contemporary punk rock as Broadway has yet encountered [yet] there's enough variety. ... Where the show fall short is as a fully developed narrative." He concluded that "American Idiot, despite its earnest huffing and puffing, remains little more than an annotated rock concert. ... Still, [it] deserves at least two cheers – for its irresistible musical energy and for opening fresh vistas for that odd couple, rock and Broadway."[48] Peter Travers from Rolling Stone, in his review of American Idiot, wrote "Though American Idiot carries echoes of such rock musicals as Tommy, Hair, Rent and Spring Awakening, it cuts its own path to the heart. You won’t know what hit you. American Idiot knows no limits — it's a global knockout."[49] UpVenue described the musical as a "groundbreaking piece of artistry," having the "emotional charge of Rent," and congratulated Green Day for immortalizing American Idiot and 21st Century Breakdown.[23]
American Idiot won a total of six awards from 20 nominations. At a meeting of the Tony Administration Committee on April 30, 2010, the score of American Idiot was deemed ineligible for a Tony Award for Best Original Score nomination because less than 50% of it was written for the stage production.[50]
| Year | Award Ceremony | Category | Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Broadway.com Audience Award[51][52] | Favourite New Broadway Musical | Nominated | |
| Favourite Ensemble Cast | Won | |||
| Favourite Leading Actor in a Musical | John Gallagher, Jr. | Won | ||
| Favourite Performance by a Featured Actor in a Broadway Musical | Michael Esper | Nominated | ||
| Stark Sands | Nominated | |||
| Tony Vincent | Nominated | |||
| Favourite Performance by a Featured Actress in a Broadway Musical | Rebecca Naomi Jones | Nominated | ||
| Favourite Onstage Pair | John Gallagher, Jr. and Rebecca Naomi Jones | Nominated | ||
| Drama Desk Award[53][54] | Outstanding Musical | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Director of a Musical | Michael Mayer | Won | ||
| Outstanding Orchestrations | Tom Kitt | Nominated | ||
| Drama League Award[55] | Distinguished Production of a Musical | Nominated | ||
| Distinguished Performance | John Gallagher, Jr. | Nominated | ||
| Tony Vincent | Nominated | |||
| Outer Critics Circle Award[56][57] | Outstanding New Broadway Musical | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Lighting Design | Kevin Adams | Won | ||
| Tony Award[4][58] | Best Musical | Nominated | ||
| Best Scenic Design of a Musical | Christine Jones | Won | ||
| Best Lighting Design of a Musical | Kevin Adams | Won | ||
| 2011 | Grammy Award | Best Musical Show Album | Won | |
The following is a month-by-month breakdown of sales, attendance, and performance data for the production at the 1709-seat St. James Theater.[59]
| Time period | Attendance | Gross sales | Average Paid Admission | Percent of Capacity | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 24 – April 4, 2010 (12 previews) | 16,879 | $1,312,033 | $77.73 | 82.3% | [60][61] |
| April 5 – May 2, 2010 (14 previews, 16 performances) | 38,195 | $2,591,496 | $67.85 | 74.5% | [62][63][64][65] |
| May 3 – June 6, 2010 (40 performances) | 47,371 | $3,898,058 | $82.29 | 69.3% | [66][67][68][69][70] |
| June 7 – July 4, 2010 (31 performances) | 36,876 | $3,082,501 | $83.59 | 69.6% | [71][72][73][74] |
| July 5 – August 1, 2010 (32 performances) | 39,793 | $3,199,187 | $80.40 | 72.8% | [75][76][77][78] |
| August 2 – September 5, 2010 (40 performances) | 45,125 | $3,535,540 | $78.35 | 66.0% | [79][80][81][82][83] |
| September 6 – October 3, 2010 (31 performances) | 36,363 | $2,491,234 | $68.51 | 68.6% | [21][84][85][86] |
| October 4 – 31, 2010 (32 performances) | 28,202 | $1,983,404 | $70.33 | 51.6% | [87][88][89][90] |
| November 1 - December 5, 2010 (40 performances) | 33,334 | $2,452,032 | $73.56 | 48.8% | [91][92][93][94][95] |
| December 6, 2010 - January 2, 2011 (32 performances) | 33,694 | $2,694,839 | $79.98 | 61.6% | [96][97][98][99] |
| January 3 - February 6, 2011 (40 performances) | 47,347 | $3,912,616 | $82.64 | 69.3% | [100][101][102][103][104] |
| February 7 - March 6, 2011 (32 performances) | 43,148 | $3,818,799 | $88.50 | 78.9% | [105][106][107][108] |
| March 7-April 3, 2011 (32 performances) | 32,498 | $1,912,847 | $58.86 | 59.4% | [109][110][111][112] |
| April 4–24, 2011 (24 performances) | 31,898 | $2,913,465 | $91.34 | 77.8% | [113][114][115] |
| Totals | |||||
| 422 performances, 26 previews | 510,723 | $39,798,051 | $77.92 | 66.7% |
In 2010, Tom Hanks and his production company, Playtone, optioned the musical to create a film version.[116][117][118] On April 13, 2011, it was announced that Universal Pictures had begun initial negotiations.[119] Dustin Lance Black has been selected to adapt the screenplay from the musical for the film.[119] Michael Mayer, who also directed the Broadway version will be directing the film while the producers will be Green Day, Pat Magnarella, Playtone and Tom Hulce, who served as producer of the Broadway production.[119] Magnarella is Green Day's manager and was a producer for the band's live albums Bullet in a Bible, Awesome as Fuck, and the documentary Heart Like a Hand Grenade.[119] Rolling Stone reported that Billie Joe Armstrong would be starring as St. Jimmy in the film, and that it was set for a 2013 released date. However, Armstrong later posted on his Twitter account that he hadn't "totally committed to St. Jimmy for the AI movie." and "Yes, I'm interested. Yes someone jumped the gun..." [120] No other cast members have been confirmed.[121]
Playbill of American Idiot (the musical)