Performance Run: Tue 10 - Sat 14 May 2016

Performance Reviewed: Wed 11 May 2016 (Press Night)

Dipping into the disillusion and frustrations of the post 9/11 American teenage psyche, American Idiot is much like an angsty teenager itself. Noisy, bombastic, rarely subtle, occasionally incomprehensible and prone to drastic swings of mood and tone, it’s also somehow strangely world-weary and unromantic to boot. Not that this is necessarily a negative, though; indeed, in following a simple yet resonant tale of three friends who each embark on their own radically different steps from idealistic, youthful rebellion to unexpected adulthood, there’s something of a profundity to the simplicity and blatancy of American Idiot’s central story and concept. 

Many will recognise much of the music that forms the backbone of the show, cherry picked as it is from American Pop-Punk band Green Day’s 2004 album of the same title; itself an ode to an impending rebellion from the disenfranchised youth of the States. Johnny (chart-topper Newton Faulkner in his Theatre debut) charts a destructive course into the drugs and decadence of big City living, Tunny finds himself media-washed into signing up for the armed forces, whilst Will (Steve Rushton) gets his American dream cut short when girlfriend Heather (Alice Stokoe understudying in the performance reviewed) turns up to their send-off decidedly ‘in the family way’. 

"It isn't especially deep... for better or worse. If this

makes for a somewhat vibrant yet vacuous first Act,

fortunately come the show's second half... there's a

lot more meat added to it's narrative bones."

And that’s pretty much it as far as American Idiot’s plot is concerned. It isn’t especially deep, and doesn’t trouble itself with unnecessary dialogue or any overt character development, for better or worse. If this makes for a somewhat vibrant yet vacuous first Act, fortunately come the show’s second half, when the central trio’s plights become far more visceral and dramatic, there’s a lot more meat added to it’s narrative bones. 

At just under 2 hours, including the interval, American Idiot is a lean, efficient and mostly energetic piece of musical theatre, yet there’s a definite sense that this latest production falls shy of the show’s full potential. Sara Perks set is suitably grunge and littered with plenty of fitting iconography, and Tim Deiling’s lighting in particular keeps up with the booming, almost hyperactive soundtrack. However, incoherent mics and wobbly sound levels plagued Act I in particular in the performance reviewed, with vocals during key numbers borderline inaudible, and at several times throughout Racky Plews' directing and choreography seemed in the hands of an almost flagging company who failed to imbibe it with any real vim or vitality; strange, considering much of the show is of such a charged nature.

"X Factor alumni Amelia Lily is feisty and spirited...

though she is disappointingly underused and,

like much of the supporting cast, gets very little

opportunity to shine other than few promising

glimpses."

The performances, also, offer something of a mixed bag. Faulkner shines in the quieter moments afforded Johnny, unsurprisingly most effective when it is simply he, guitar in hand, carrying some of show’s more delicate moments. When required to do more than this, though, his relative inexperience in theatre performance begins to creep through. X Factor alumni Amelia Lily is feisty and spirited as Johnny’s fling ‘Whatshername’, though she is disappointingly underused and, like much of the supporting cast, gets very little opportunity to shine other than a few promising glimpses. Jemma Geanaus threatens to steal her few numbers with some powerful vocals, whilst Lucas Rush frequently commands attention with a devilishly charismatic turn as the enigmatic ‘St Jimmy’.

To brandish this latest production of American Idiot, fresh from a successful run in the West End last year, a disappointment would perhaps be unduly harsh. It is still a perfectly entertaining and refreshingly focused foray into the American zeitgeist, one that eschews any conventional musical theatre schmaltz and is still underlined by an admirably downbeat and honest endgame. Green Day’s music remains accessible, enjoyable and a surprisingly strong match throughout, with even those unfamiliar with the group likely to appreciate the fit. Still, with some of the previous productions’ more audacious and impressive set pieces removed (for instance Tunny’s aerial dance, which is nowhere to be seen here) and a handful of issues both technical and creative muddying the waters early on in particular, it would be remiss to not concede that this isn’t the show at its strongest by any measure.

Still, you certainly wouldn’t be an ‘idiot’ for catching a visit, and for fans of Green Day and the original album, it remains something of a must. Next time round though, let’s hope those involved lay off the Novacaine a little.

RATING - ★★★

Tickets: 0844 871 3011  / Official Website: click

For more news, reviews and original content, be sure to Follow Kyle on Twitter!