Green Day’s AMERICAN IDIOT operates at the level of metaphor, it is a primal rock opera that gets at the MYTHOLOGY of the modern American condition. I don’t say mythology to imply it’s fake, but as Roland Barthes defined as a type of modern communication. Mythology transcends language. He argues things like albums, musicals (any cultural product) get transformed by society into something that help us explain who we are, where we are, and what matters to us. Mythologies construct, maintain, or subvert our dominant ideologies. They do that at a symbolic, and I would argue primal (there’s that word again) level.
Establishing this was important for me as the director so that all of my collaborators understand “the show we’re in” and move ahead together accordingly.
AMERICAN IDIOT is also a great example of what Joseph Campbell called The Hero’s Journey. If you’ve ever seen a Star Wars or Harry Potter movie, if you know the story of either Christ or Krishna, you know this structure. A visual aid:
But this is a high-powered rock theater event, not an academic exercise.
I offer this all to perhaps contextualize where this thing is coming from and prepare the viewer for “what’s happening.” This is not a literal story, it’s not kitchen-sink. These named characters (Johnny, Tunny, Will, Heather, Whatsername, Extraordinary Girl) are archetypes, the ensemble a Greek Chorus. The cool part comes in that we get a TRIO of heroes. Each of those men has a journey that is all their own, they each leave home, face their own Underworld (literal or figurative) and return home wiser.
AMERICAN IDIOT doesn’t give us black-and-white morality, it offers no easy answers or solutions. But, make no mistake that I think there IS hope and maybe most important of all COMMUNITY that gets re-established in the closing number and encore.
I’m so excited for people to see this show. This cast is ABSOLUTE FIRE and you are going to be absolutely BLOWN AWAY by their talents and energy.
“It’s something unpredictable, but in the end is right”
I hope you’ll have the time of your life! Got tickets?
