I Miss American Idiot

I wasn’t aware that it was possible to miss a Broadway show as much as I miss American Idiot. It’s strange really, that I would miss it this much. The cast recording gets played in my house (or on my mp3 player) almost every day. And if I go more than a couple of days without hearing it, I feel like something isn’t right in my world. You can call me crazy. I’ll understand. But for me, it’s true. The only person that I know in real life that has as much (or more) of an attachment to the show is my friend that I saw it with every time that I saw it.
I miss the craziness. I miss the choreography that I could never quite figure out. I miss the car hanging from the ceiling. I miss the “Love Happened Here” fliers. I miss the crazy antics from Michael Esper and Gerard Canonico on the couch. I miss the “I Hella <3 Oakland” shirt that Heather wears. I miss the way my heart aches when Johnny sings “Boulevard of Broken Dreams,” because I know what it’s like to feel all alone in life, even surrounded by a thousand people. I miss the lump in my throat when Tunny sings “the Jesus of Suburbia is a lie” during “Are We the Waiting” because you can tell how much it hurts when reality has sunk in, and that his best friend isn’t his savior.

When I was in New York in May it marked my first trip in over a year that didn’t involve a trip to the St. James. I miss the St. James. I miss that I knew exactly where the bathrooms were. I miss that I knew where BOTH stage doors were. I miss being able to write my name on the red walls in silver sharpie. I miss knowing that there is this fantastic little deli right now the street in one direction, and a great pizza place down the street in the other direction.

It’s crazy because I’ve loved other Broadway shows. I love theatre or I would have this blog. There is (almost) not a show that I wouldn’t see. My apartment is decorated in framed Broadway posters and framed pictures of New York. But there is just something that was so special to me about American Idiot. I’ve blogged about it before, so I won’t get into it again. But American Idiot brought a sense of comfort and familiarity to me. And it brought me a little rag-tag group of online friends who love the show as much as me. Maybe not for the same reasons, but love it just the same.

Part of me is afraid as well. I’m afraid I’ll forget the way it looked and the things that happened on stage. I’m afraid I’ll forget at what point the first explosion happens during “Novacaine” or when the girls run out on stage for the first time during the opening number. Thankfully, I’ll be able to see it a few more times while it’s on tour. But after that…. I don’t know. My mind is human, and filled with forgetfulness. I know that a lot of people don’t think filming Broadway productions is a good thing.
But this is one of those times that I wish it had been done.

The other night I sent out a tweet to several other “Idiots” and asked them what they missed most about the show. I got a few replies back and they were kind enough to let me post them here.

@andscreaming : Esper

@lolas_ramblings : I miss my heart stopping @ the opening

@ChanManTatumLuv : the feeling u get when espy cries

@andscreaming : I miss knowing I get 2 see them 1 more time 4 GR (for those of you not familiar

with the show, GR is twitter-speak for the encore performance of “Good Riddance: Time of Your Life” done at the curtain of every performance)

@lolas_ramblings: That last cello note the uncontrollable sobbing the Esperness of it all  (I agree about that last cello note at the end of “Whatsername.” I sometimes still want to cry when I hear it on the cast recording.)

@whatsername43 : I miss the thrill and Letterbomb and JGJ (Also twitter-speak. This time the shortened version of original Johnny/Jesus of Subrbia, John Gallagher, Jr.)

@Rhinoriddler : I miss the feeling of fearlessness like what Jack felt on Titanic. Like we’re doomed but it’s ok.

What do you miss about American Idiot? Do you have a show that you miss? What do you miss about that show?