Green Day’s 2004 album American Idiot – composed as a disaffected punk opera about a suburban kid-turned-drug dealer — will get its due as a stage musical when it opens the 2009-10 season at the Berkeley Repertory Theater, Variety reports. Spring Awakening Tony winner Michael Mayer will direct and cowrite the script with Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong. The Grammy-winning concept album sold 12 million copies and has been compared to The Who’s Tommy, which became a Broadway hit in 1993, though there are no Broadway plans for Idiot as of yet.
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“American Idiot” is a classic album up there with Tommy. It should be interesting to see how it does in stage form.
Mark, hahahaha you’re comparing American Idiot with Tommy. That’s a joke. Green Day is horrible. They’ve gotten worse with every album they’ve released since Dookie.
MDK-thanks for one more trite comment stating that Dookie was their best album. This shows me you haven’t seriously listened to their music over the past decade, or even really understand punk.
On topic – deeply ambivalent about this news. I don’t think the movie Tommy was very good. Any time you dramatize music–well it’s gets pretty dodgy. This isn’t Frankie Valli.
No I have listened to their music and I think American Idiot is a piece of crap. I’m not a fan of four chord alt-punk rock in general but I thought that Dookie was at least fresh when it was first released. Green Day’s best song by far was “Good Riddance”. Can you listen to “American Idiot” (the song) and honestly tell me that it rivals any track on Who’s “Tommy”?? “American Idiot” is on par with some of the worst musical compositions I’ve ever listened to (almost as bad as Beyonce’s “Single Ladies”). I’d rather listen to Yanni Live at the Acropolis than hear Green Day’s anti american political musings.
Yes, yes, yes! I was staging the whole thing in my head the first time I heard the album and I can’t wait! Hope it comes to Broadway!
Fine, your opinion. I don’t care, but at least listen, actually listen, before you hold forth.
Oh, and if you don’t listen, and really know the music, then don’t hold forth.
On one hand, this album was so fantastic, it COULD work well as a play. However, I’ve seen some pretty lame versions of Tommy performed, that makes me wonder if it SHOULD be done. Despite being a huge fan of the album, this rates a solid “meh” for me.
“American Idiot” is not even close to the depth and impact of “Tommy”. Comparing the songwriting ability and musicianship of Armstrong and Townshend is like comparing Lance Armstrong to a second-grader with training wheels. Blah.
American Idiot is a great album. It has some very good songs on there but as an album it’s fantastic….a rare things in the days of the itunes single.
i just hope the musical doesn’t tour outside of the country and badmouth america like the buffoon BJA did.
music: fantastic.
politics: horrible
why can’t people divorce one from the other?
“American Idiot” seemed more of a vain attempt at “Quadrophenia”…
Townshend is a genius. BJA? Just loud.
This sounds AWESOME!!!
MDK and Snarky why don’t you just F*** and get it over with. That said I do agree with Snarky on this one.
I am hopeing this show does tour other countries otherwise i have to find the cas to go all the way to America! cant be missing this one.
i mean cash