The Mark Taper Forum is back in business with an American Idiot revival so spectacular, the sex-drugs-and-rock-and-roll-packed musical extravaganza ought to follow in the footsteps of Deaf West’s Big River and Spring Awakening and become a Broadway must-see.

First introduced to New York audiences back in 2010 as “The Groundbreaking Broadway Musical,” American Idiot broke ground indeed with its high-volume soundtrack, expletive-laced book and lyrics, and Fuck-The-Establishment attitude.

Based largely on Green Day’s 2004 concept album of the same name, American Idiot recounts A Year In The Life of three societally alienated best friends and does so almost entirely in song (music by Green Day, lyrics by Billie Joe Armstrong) plus the barest minimum of dialog (book by Armstrong and Michael Mayer).

The Green Day Musical introduces us to best buds Johnny (deaf, signing actor Daniel Durant voiced in Deaf West tradition by hearing actor Milo Manheim), Tunny (Landen Gonzales voiced by Brady Fritz), and Will (Otis Jones IV voiced by James Olivas), whose plans for an escape from the stifling constraints of suburbia pan out for only the first two, Will opting not so willingly to stay behind with his pregnant girlfriend Heather (Ali Fumiko Whitney).

Life in Metropolis proves too much for Tunny, who ends up enlisting in the Army and getting shipped off to desert combat. Johnny, on the other hand, sticks it out in the big city with a girl named Whatsername (Mars Storm Rucker), a devilish alter ego known as St. Jimmy (Mason Alexander Park), and a possibly heroin-induced Extraordinary Girl (Kaia T. Fitzgerald voiced by Jerusha Cavazos).

With its punk rock score, nihilistic storylines, and profusion of sex, drugs, and the F word, American Idiot makes its rock musical predecessor Rent seem relatively tame by comparison, yet it never lets us forget the humanity of its three heroes.

As for AI’s music score, Green Day’s melodies turn out to be so unexpectedly melodic and catchy under the pulsating drumbeats and electric guitar licks that even those not accustomed to listening to contemporary rock may find themselves humming as they leave the theater.

And if a musical based entirely on songs might not seem as obvious a choice for Deaf West treatment as the plot-based Big River, Spring Awakening, and Pippin (the Taper’s 2009 collaboration with Deaf West), thanks to director Snehal Desai, choreographer Jennifer Weber, and a dream team of L.A.’s most gifted designers, the end result is so visually stunning a production that deaf audiences will have just as much reason to cheer as their hearing counterparts.

Desai’s direction is imaginative as all get-out and Warner’s virtually nonstop high-energy dance numbers (seamlessly integrated with Colin Analco’s ASL choreography) will have you wondering who in the cast is hearing and who is not, so perfectly in sync is each and every one of American Idiot’s dancing-signing stars.

Takeshi Kata’s multilevel industrial set design combines to perfection with Karyn Lawrence’s rock-concert-flashy lighting and David Murakami’s dazzling array of projections to make this American Idiot a veritable feast for the eyes, and having each and every lyric projected and synchronized with vocals means no one need wonder what Armstrong’s lyrics have to say about the world we live in.

Lena Sands’ costumes and Shelia Dorn’s wig, hair, and makeup are every bit as fabulous, and with sound designer Cricket S. Myer’s pumping up the bass, you don’t need to be hearing to feel the beat, and if this American Idiot isn’t as easy to follow as some other productions I’ve seen where “plot” is concerned, all of the above and a dozen and a half sensational performances make this a virtual non-issue.

Deaf West superstar Durant cuts a commanding figure as Johnny, Gonzales and Jones make indelible impressions as well, and though Manheim, Olivas, and Fritz remain largely in the background, their powerhouse vocals and guitar licks mesh perfectly with the performances of their deaf counterparts.

As for Park’s dynamic, genderfluid St. Jimmy, Johnny’s drug-dealing double gets a lot more to do here than is usually the case since they take over as the character’s singing voice when Johnny falls under Jimmy’s drug-induced influence.

Will Branner’s Favorite Son, Rucker’s Whatsername, Whitney’s Heather, Cavazos’s Voice Of Extraordinary Girl, and Monika Peña’s Alysha all reveal power pipes to reach the rafters, with ensemble members Steven-Adam Agdeppa, Lark Detweiler, Josué Martinez, and Angel Theory doing thrilling triple-duty throughout the show and ensemble/swings Patrick Ortiz and Mia Sempertegui adding their own vocal talents as music supervisor David O and the production’s live eight-piece band rock the Taper like nobody’s business.

Casting is by Beth Lipari, CSA. Giovanni Maucere is swing. Amelia Hensley is ASL associate choreographer. David S. Franklin is production stage manager and Michelle Blair and Sue Karutz are stage managers.

Since it has now been nearly fifteen years since American Idiot made its New York debut, the time is ripe indeed for the Green Day musical to make a triumphant return to Broadway with this must-see CTG/Deaf West collaboration. Revivals don’t get any more dazzling than this.

Mark Taper Forum, 35 N. Grand Avenue, Los Angeles.
www.centertheatregroup.org

–Steven Stanley
October 9, 2024
Photos: Jeff Lorch

Tags: Center Theatre Group, Green Day, Los Angeles Theater Review, Mark Taper Forum