American Idiot Closing

Last week the official announcement came. American Idiot on Broadway is closing April 24th, 2011. It’s not like those of us who are fans weren’t expecting it. But I think we were all hoping it would hold out just a little bit longer. Other than times when Billie Joe was in the show, it was only selling at 40%-60%. You can’t run a show on numbers like that.

In honor of the closing of the show, I’d like to share about why I love this show so much. Explaining what a show means to me usually isn’t very hard. They are comic relief, or they made me think, or I connected with a character. But before American Idiot, I’d never felt the need to see a show more than once. Sure, there are shows I’d love to have seen again. But nothing made me feel like I needed to see it again. American Idiot did that for me. I connected to the show. I connected to the lyrics. I connected to the characters.

I am not a Green Day fan (or I wasn’t before this show). It really is not my type of music. And the music was a little more political than I liked. On top of not being a huge Green Day fan, I also tend to lean conservative politically. Not in everything, but I do have conservative tendencies. Add those together and American Idiot/Green Day wouldn’t really be on the top of my list of things to check out in concert or on Broadway.

But I saw it. And I loved it, in spite of all the screaming teenagers who are there because they “totally love, love, love” Green Day. The show is actually the story of my generation. Those of us who were young adults when 9/11 happened. We were just getting out into the “real world.” We weren’t sure what we were doing with our lives.
We’re the generation that came from broken homes. We were latch-key kids. We grew up with little parental supervision because our parents were working all the time, or simply just weren’t around. We were raised on MTV and cable television. We lived lives before cell phones and large portions of our lives before the internet.
I will guarantee you that every single person in my generation can see themselves or someone that they know up on the stage during an American Idiot performance. We all know someone who got knocked up (or knocked someone up). We all know someone who got messed up in drugs and partying. We all know someone who joined the military, for whatever reason. I personal know more than one person that I went to high school with that was hurt while in battle.
For me, that person I connect to is an ensemble member (most often played by Leslie McDonel, if I'm not mistaken). Toward the end of the show, after Johnny has "straightened up" and is working a desk job. Some of the cast comes out ready for a professional job. Leslie is in a skirt and shirt, looking professional and ready to work. But like every other person on that stage, still feels trapped in her life. That's me. I'm living an adult life. But I don't always feel like I'm living life the way I should.
Growing up is hard. Being a grown-up is hard. It’s something our parents never told us. They made it look so easy. But even as I sit here, knocking on the door of thirty, I feel like I’m 16 and I don’t have a clue what I’m doing. That’s what all of those characters in American Idiot are dealing with.
Maybe those are the reasons I connect with that show. Sure, I never got hooked on drugs, or dealt with an unplanned pregnancy, or went to war. But those stories are just part of my life. They are a representation of what I, and an entire generation, have dealt with. Those characters on stage represent my friends, my neighbors, and in many ways, myself.
Life doesn’t always have a happy ending. Just like this show doesn’t leave everyone with the ending that would be considered happy. But it does leave you with hope. Hope that you’ll make it. Hope that there is a tomorrow. It may not be the tomorrow you planned on, but tomorrow will come. And you’ll get through it.
Currently, I've seen American Idiot on Broadway four times. I'll be seeing the show a fifth, and final time in early April. I can guarantee that it will be bittersweet parting for me. I plan on wearing little make-up and stuffing my purse full of tissues. I know I'm going to need them.
To the cast members who have made this show so memorable for me, I say thank you for personifying my generation and my life. To Green Day and Michael Mayer, thank you for giving them the chance to do so. Even though a thousand people may tell you how wonderful this show is, and how much it touched their lives, I didn't want to miss my chance to thank you. This show changed my life in many ways. But more than that, it told my story. Thank you for telling my story. It means more than you can ever know.

Spring Awakening

My first memory of Spring Awakening was the performance I saw by the original cast on the 2007 Tony Awards. At the time, I wasn’t going to New York on a regular basis, and I wasn’t following theatre very closely (my addiction was there, but hadn’t taken full root yet. ;). I knew I’d love to see the show. And watching them win 8 Tony awards that night really made me wish I could see it. Sadly, I didn’t get to see the show before it closed. But I did purchase the cast recording fairly quickly and had a basic idea of the plotline of the show.

Knowing that the subject matter of the show was very controversial (even the cast recording as an EXPLICIT label on it) and has some nudity in it, I really figured it would never even come close to Tennessee. I love my state and I love where I live, but sometimes it can be conservative to a fault. Shows like Spring Awakening and RENT are going to get way less support than shows that some would call “more appropriate”.

Anyway, that knowledge in mind, when Spring Awakening came to Atlanta last year, myself and a friend went down to see the show. It was, to say the least, AMAZING. The talent in the show was incredible. But the show itself was a masterpiece. I’m not here to give my opinion on that production, however. I’m here to share about another production of the show. Nashville’s Tennessee Performing Arts Center actually picked it up for this season.

If you aren’t familiar with Spring Awakening, one of the most distinguishing parts of the show is that a limited number of audience members sit on stage during the show. I was advised to not get stage seating for the first time I saw the show, but since I’d already seen the show, I opted to try to get a ticket for stage seating when they released additional seating the week before the show opened at TPAC in Nashville. They are cheaper (only $25) than any other seating in the theatre and I knew I was going to be in Nashville last Saturday anyway. And I was lucky. I was able to get a seat.

When you show up at the theatre you go to a specific area and are lined up in a particular order. One person I was standing next to had been at the show the night before and enjoyed it so much she came back. On the other side of me was a young man (only 18) that had tickets to every single show that weekend (the production was only in town Friday, Saturday, and Sunday). Upon talking with him a little more, I found out he’d seen it 7 times on Broadway and had traveled all over the country following the equity tour. Wow (That almost makes me feel normal about my obsession with American Idiot. Almost.).

The set design is pretty amazing. It has things hanging all over the walls, and it looks very crazy, but the coloring fits the mood of the show. It has a very similar feel to the set design from American Idiot, which is no surprise since they were both designed by the very talented Christine Jones. There are two rows of chairs sitting on each side of the stage. Some are left empty for the cast members to use. The musicians are on stage as well. Outside of a few props, and the chairs the cast use, the set is just lighting, the design on the walls, and an area of the floor that is covered in one area with a simple painted design.

The strength of the show is in the music and the dialogue. The songs are almost separate from the dialogue part of the show. It takes place in the 1890s in Germany, so you would think that the rock music type score would clash. But it works. The actors are in one mode while the dialogue is happening, and when the music starts, microphones appear from jacket pockets and the concert begins.

Overall, the show delves into what happens in a truly repressive society where the adults are refusing to talk to the children about ANYTHING even remotely sexual in nature. Once again, even being a conservative of sorts, I can see the problems with this. You end up with what happens in this musical. You have children who are trying to deal with their blooming sexuality, and you end up with death, unplanned pregnancy, and children who have no idea how to deal with issues like homosexuality and masturbation.

The actors in the show were amazing as well. In appearance, they were much younger looking than the cast I saw in Atlanta, and they also looked much younger than the original Broadway cast. One of my favorite characters in the show, Ilse, was played by the beautiful and brilliantly talented Courtney Markowitz. I have always been fascinated with the role of the “outcast” who had been abused and then kicked out of her home when she tried to report it. That character also sings two of my favorite songs in the show, “Blue Wind” and the haunting “The Song of Purple Summer,” which concludes the show.

Elizabeth Judd played a wonderfully innocent Wendla. She was perhaps the youngest looking cast member on stage, which gave credibility to her role. Jeff Ostermueller (understudy) was in for the role of Melchior and did a superb job. In fact, there wasn’t a member of the entire cast that I have a bad word to speak about.

The only issue that happened was during the dialogue right before “Don’t Do Sadness” and “Blue Wind.” There were some technical difficulties. The microphones for both Moritz and Ilse didn’t work. Those of us on the stage could hear them talking, but I’m sure no one past the first couple of rows could. Someone ran out handheld mics to both of them. But I would have hated to have been in the shoes of Courtney Markowitz or Coby Getzug. I very much felt sick to my stomach for them. But they were very professional and just kept right on going.

Perhaps it was because I was seeing the show from the stage (and catching all the little things (mess-ups, facial expressions, etc.), but I enjoyed it more than I had the first time. And I enjoyed it thoroughly the first time I saw it. My advice is that even if you’ve seen the show before, so see this production of it. It would be well worth your time.

Also, if you'd like to read a "real" review, go check out Jeffrey Ellis' review HERE.

Camp Rock: The Musical

I’ll admit it. I’m a Disney movie junkie. Even more so, I love their musicals. High School Musical, Hannah Montana, Camp Rock. I love them all. You can call me a nerd. I’ll agree with you. In a way, I’m perpetually a 12 year old girl.

When I found out that the Cumberland County Playhouse was going to have a production of Camp Rock, I knew I’d need to go. I took my sister to see CCP’s production of High School Musical a few years ago, and it was wonderful. My sister is a little older now. She’s in high school. So I thought I might have trouble getting her to go see Camp Rock with me. I was actually prepared to go see it by myself. But instead, I got sneaky and offered to take both my sister AND her boyfriend. It worked.

I love that the Cumberland County Playhouse does the productions specifically for young people every year. It gives local children and young people the opportunity to be a part of theatre when our local schools are sorely lacking in the fine arts. Every production I’ve seen has been very good. Obviously, they don’t have as much of a talent pool to pick from as a larger area would have, but they always put on an amazing show.

Some of these kids really could continue in theatre as a career. Some of them will do a few shows and have something to talk about when they’re older. Some of them may do this one show and never do another. Either way, it’s a wonderful opportunity for children in this area.

There were some exceptional standouts in the show. Austin Price as Shane Gray was entrancing. Austin is extremely talented and very much can hold the attention of the audience while he’s on stage. Jason Gray was played by Ian Sweitzer. Ian, while not playing a huge role in the show, did a fantastic job of keeping the audience laughing. The entire cast could be on stage doing a group number and you’d immediately see Ian and his comedic actions.

Jordan Wright played Luke Williams, the lead singer at rival Camp Star (here’s where I should note that Jordan is from my hometown, but I don’t know him, so I don’t consider my opinion too biased). Jordan gave a stand-out performance in his role as Luke. He is extremely talented vocally.

Overall, my only complaint was that the show was titled Camp Rock: The Musical, when it really was based on the sequel, Camp Rock: The Final Jam. I haven’t seen the second movie, so I was a little lost when the show started.

My sister and her boyfriend loved the show, and both wanted to know when we could go back to see something else. It is definitely a great show for families, but if you just enjoy a cute, fun musical, you would enjoy the show as well.

The Vagina Monologues

On Saturday night I had the pleasure of seeing The Vagina Monologues at my alma mater, Tennessee Technological University. While I was in college I took a few theatre classes, only to discover that my joy of theatre was in watching it more than being a part of it.

The Vagina Monologues was a show I saw while I was still in school. At that time it had only been performed one other time in the area and the title alone was enough to make some people stay away. The title alone was also the reason some of us went.

The Vagina Monologues was written by Eve Ensler. It is an eye opening experience and helps to bring awareness to sexual abuse against women. It will make you laugh, it will embarrass you, it will make you cry, and it may even shock you.

One of my favorite things about seeing The Vagina Monologues is the diverse cast. Every time I’ve seen it (and all the other times from what I’ve been told) the cast varies. Some people have had tons of theatre experience. Some have never set foot on a stage before. In this production, the range was no less impressive.

Directed by Steven W. Gwilt and Daniel Evan Montgomery, this production was beautiful. The stage was extremely simple, allowing the audience to focus on the actresses and their stories. There were minimal props. In fact, I can only think of one of the monologues that had a prop that wasn’t part of the costumes of the actresses.

Some of my favorite monologues were the funny ones. There’s nothing like listening to an entire theatre of people screaming, “Cunt! Cunt! Cunt!” along with the actress on stage as we did with the monologue entitled “Reclaiming Cunt.” Or laughing along with your neighbor as “The Angry Vagina” complains about tampons and the “duck lips” used in a gynecological exam.

During my favorite comedic monologue titled “The Woman Who Loved to Make Vaginas Happy,” I laughed so hard I cried. Believe me when I say that I had no idea all the different type of orgasms there could be. And Weslie Webster (of Cumberland County Playhouse fame) did a fantastic job of teaching the audience each and every one. Did you know that there’s a Diva Orgasm (that sounds remarkably like Lady Gaga)?

A few of the monologues were serious, even sad. “My Vagina was my Village” was a beautiful piece told from the point of view of a girl who had been sexually abused during war time in her country. “They Beat the Girl Out of My Boy” was told from the point of view of several transgender women. It was heartbreaking and eye opening.

There were so many talented women performing in this show that it’s hard to pick a favorite. Had I not read the bios in the program, I would have been hard pressed to pick out the rookies from the seasoned actresses.

Overall, it was a fantastic show. And the best part of the night? All the proceeds went to benefit TN Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence and SAFER (Students Active For Ending Rape).

And a small disclosure: one of my very best friends was in the show. However, she played none of the parts I mentioned, so I don’t feel too biased with my assessment. :)

Season Tickets and Future Plans

So the other day I finally got around to purchasing my season tickets for the Cumberland County Playhouse. I've never had season tickets to anything before, so this is new for me. And I kinda like it. It means that I'll see at least 14 productions this year. :) Which probably means 14 reviews, give or take a couple, for my blog.

First up, I'm going to see Camp Rock in a couple of weeks. Yup, CCP is doing Camp Rock. I saw High School Musical last year (?) when they did it. I took my sister. She had a blast. This year, I'm taking her and her boyfriend (gasp! When did my little sister grow up??).

Truth be known, I would have gone to see them both anyway, even without having a younger sister to take. I love musicals. HSM and Camp Rock play a part in bringing our young people back to the musical (even if it isn't in the classic sense). And, I own Camp Rock on DVD. I asked for it for Christmas last year... and got it! :)

But even before that, my alma mater, Tennessee Tech University, will be doing a production of The Vagina Monologues. They've done it every year for a while. I saw it twice when I was in college (I won't say how long ago that was...). This time, I'm going to see it for an alternative reason (other than just because it's a good show). One of my best friends (and former roommate) is going to be in it. I'm so excited to see it next weekend.

So, my 1 reader out there, be prepared for some more posts coming your way soon!

Stunt Casting?

I've heard so many things about stunt casting. Some people are so opposed to it. They say it takes away from "real theater". They say it cheapens the show. They say it puts less talented people in roles that more talented (stage) actors miss out on when they really are the ones that need the jobs.

I have my own opinions. Sometimes they are close to those above. Sometimes they aren't. First of all, actors are actors. Sometimes they've started out in theatre. Some of them have professional training. Many famous actors and actresses started out by doing theater in their hometowns while they were in school. Others pursued it further before breaking big in Hollywood. I will agree that some actors don't translate well to the stage. They need that camera and that set verses the audience and the inability to stop and re-film a scene. I won't say I haven't seen actors or actresses that were "Hollywood" famous do a poor job on stage. I have.

But not all of them do a poor job. And is it considered "stunt casting" if they are good? I saw A Little Night Music with Catherine Zeta Jones. I didn't go to see her. I actually went because Angela Lansbury was in it. Is it considered stunt casting to cast either of them? In a way, it was for both of them. I specifically went to see Angela Lansbury. Would I have gone to see the show if she hadn't been in it? I don't know. I would venture to say it wouldn't have been at the top of my list.

I'm sure that people specifically went to see Catherine Zeta Jones (believe me, I would know. The line at the stage door was so horrendous that I didn't even stay). She wasn't horrible in her role. I thought she did a respectable job. Her voice was good. Her acting was good. However, I do NOT believe that her performance was Tony worthy. That, however, is a whole 'nother story.

Producers need to make money, or they can't make the show last. They need names to get not only Broadway fans in the seats, but people who aren't normally theatre people. If they need a name to get tickets sold, I don't have a problem with it. My problem comes when the person they put in that role can't act. Or sing. Or whatever. Broadway is live theatre. You can't cut & re-shoot. You can't auto-tune. You have to get out there and give it your all and do it to the best of your ability. And sometimes actors just aren't cut out for that.

And onto the reason this whole post was started. New casting for American Idiot. Sigh. If you know me, you know this is the first and only show I've ever seen more than once. At current, I've seen it 4 times, which is saying something considering I have to travel over 16 hours to get to NYC. The show has been open for nearly a year now and in all truth, will probably close May 1st (the date they currently have tickets on sale thru). Most of the people who were in the show, were also in the show when it started in Berkely. It's time that they are wanting to leave, looking for new endeavors.

In the past few weeks Corbin Reid and Theo Stockman have left the show. Christina Sajous (Extraordinary Girl) and Michael Esper (Will) are scheduled to be leaving soon. In the few months before that, original cast members Tony Vincent (St. Jimmy) and Mary Faber (Heather) have also left the show.

Mary was replaced by a virtual unknown, so that couldn't have been stunt casting. Tony has been temporarily replaced by Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day. That is stunt casting at it's finest. I've missed him every time I've seen the show, but he's filling seats and from what people say, he's pretty good. Once again, if he's good is it really stunt casting?

It's the role of Will that worries me. Yesterday it was announced that Justin Guarini (of American Idol fame) has confirmed that he will be joining American Idiot in March. Here's the deal, there are only 2 roles that are ending around then. Both Billie Joe (St. Jimmy) and Michael Esper (Will) are leaving February 27th. While Justin didn't confirm what role he would be stepping into, it seems fair to say that he will probably be the new Will considering the rumors that say Adam Lambert is in talks to play St. Jimmy.

He has some theatre experience. He just recently completed a run in Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown. In fact, Ben Brantley, who reviewed the show for the New York Times, said "For the record, Mr. Guarini, the first runner-up of the first season of “American Idol,” is just fine as the stammering Carlos." This is positive considering most of the review was horrible. But in general, I'm scared. Justin doesn't strike me as hard-core enough, or dark enough to play Will. Will is a seriously disturbed young man with a TON of emotional issues and baggage.

Is casting Justin, a semi-well known name, another form of stunt casting? I know if Adam Lambert ends up playing St. Jimmy, that would totally be stunt casting (but with Adam's former theatre experience, I'm okay with that and think he would do a good job with the role).

All in all, here's my view on Justin playing the role of Will: If he gets the role and he's good, I will publicly (on my blog anyway) apologize for my doubt in his abilities to assume such a dark, emotionally disturbed character. Until I see him in the role, I won't believe it. And I hope that the casting people know what they're doing. Cause casting him just because of his name could be a serious back-fire and an insult to those of us who love the show.

Theo's Last Performance

Sunday night was Theo Stockman's last performance in American Idiot. I could go on and on about how wonderful he was in his role. I could talk about how he gave everything he had every time I saw him on stage. I could talk about how nice he was at the stage door each time I waited.
But I won't. I'll just share this youtube clip and tell you all how much I wish I could have been there.
There may be another Representative from Jingletown, but no one will be able to do it, quite like Theo.