The national tour of the explosive Broadway hit AMERICAN IDIOT, called “wonderfully raucous” and “emotionally charged” by The New York Times, will make its Utica premiere December 21 & 22 at the Stanley, presented by Broadway Theatre League of Utica. In addition, Utica will serve as the tech city for AMERICAN IDIOT’S national tour.
AMERICAN IDIOT, a 2010 Tony Award®-nominated Best Musical and 2010 Grammy© Award winner for Best Musical Show Album, features the music of Green Day with the lyrics of its lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong. The book is by Armstrong and Michael Mayer and direction is by Tony Award®-winner Mayer (“Spring Awakening”).
The acclaimed creative team also includes choreography by Olivier Award-winner Steven Hoggett (“Black Watch”), and musical supervision, orchestrations and arrangements by Pulitzer Prize-winner Tom Kitt (“Next to Normal”). The Tony Award®-winning scenic design by Christine Jones and the Tony Award®-winning lighting design by Kevin Adams will also be featured in the tour.
Nominated for three Tony Awards®, AMERICAN IDIOT is the story of three boyhood friends, each searching for meaning in a post- 9-11 world. Through incredible spectacle, thrilling performances, and with the hope embodied by a new generation, AMERICAN IDIOT has given Broadway audiences the time of their lives night after night since the musical began performances at the St. James Theatre in March 2010.
“Since its inception, audiences have been surprised by the emotional journey the show takes them on, told almost exclusively through Green Day’s songs, including many they are already familiar with and love,” said Tom Hulce, producer. “This is such a potent time for our country, and the search of our characters for what to believe in is gorgeously celebrated through Billie Joe and Green Day’s wonderfully lush score,” he added.
“We are pleased not only to present this exciting musical performance, but also to have the show in town for an extended period of time,” said Broadway Theatre League’s Executive Director, John Fehlner. AMERICAN IDIOT is the second tech show that the Broadway Theatre League has brought to Utica this year.
With Utica as the tech city, patrons of the Broadway Theatre League will be among the first to see the national tour of AMERICAN IDIOT. The cast and crew will set up shop for a period of 10 days, which will be of great benefit and contribute a significant economic boost to the area.
The musical features the hits “Boulevard of Broken Dreams,” “21 Guns,” “Wake Me Up When September Ends,” “Holiday” and the blockbuster title track “American Idiot” from Green Day’s 2004 Grammy© Award-winning, multi-platinum album. Also included in the score are several songs from Green Day’s 2009 release “21st Century Breakdown,” and an unreleased love song, “When It’s Time.”
AMERICAN IDIOT premiered at Berkeley Repertory Theatre in September 2009 and played through November of that year. In April 2010, the musical opened on Broadway where reviews were unanimously positive with Charles Isherwood of the New York Times calling the show “the most adventurous musical to brave Broadway in the past decade” and the Toronto Star naming it “the first great musical of the 21st century!”
For more information on AMERICAN IDIOT, visit www.americanidiotthemusical.com or www.broadwayutica.com.
