by: Arren Joseph-White
This past month, Ashmore Auditorium was thoroughly rocked by the presentation of punk rock opera American Idiot. Based on the album of the same name, the play celebrates the world-renowned band Green Day.
It was first formed using the songs written by Green Day’s frontman, Billie Joe Armstrong, and with writing help from American theater director and filmmaker, Michael Mayer. Pensacola State College’s rendition was directed by Dr. Rodney Whatley and presented on the 3rd and 4th weekends of October.
The play followed the turbulent lives of three young men—Johnny, Will, and Tunny—who try to learn how to navigate through and eventually out of their California suburban hometown as they struggle with love and self-identity. Their lives are riddled with the whole nine yards of what you would expect from punk misfits: sex, drugs, and rock and roll.
Despite eventually going their separate ways—Johnny experiments with drugs, Will stays in their hometown to take care of his pregnant girlfriend Heather, and Tunny joins the U.S. Army- they find a way to navigate life and eventually come back together with their own experiences.
Each of these characters serves as a display of the hardships of young adulthood in modern American society. Tunny’s Army adventures come from his desire to be “America’s Son.” someone who is admired by all; a perfect figure, a sex machine, a symbol to everyone. His ambitions lead him to war, trauma, and the loss of a leg in combat. But he ends up falling in love with the nurse taking care of him after his injury, eventually marrying her.
Unlike Tunny and Johnny, Will remains in their California hometown to stay with his pregnant girlfriend, Heather. But his insistence on staying and taking care of her eventually fades. Soon after, his lack of care and mistreatment of his lover causes Heather to leave him for a new guy, taking her baby with her.
Despite this, Will is so focused on himself that he cares nothing for the family leaving him behind. By the end of the rock opera, Will is finally forced to take a look around him and see the destruction he has caused. After making slow and steady amends with Heather, Will is able to be a part of his child’s life once again.
Johnny, the main protagonist of the three, is the one whose story is most elaborated on. Addiction is Johnny’s biggest struggle, taking the personified form of a rockstar named St. Jimmy. Jimmy is a badass, fun-loving, punk-rock guy- a figment of Johnny’s imagination- who continues to encourage Jimmy’s debilitating addiction.
So, when Johnny gets his life together and decides to become sober towards the conclusion, Jimmy is killed by desire to live normally and get sober, a wonderful metaphor for fighting your demons and trying to do better. For Johnny and many other people, things got worse before they got better.
Like his friends, Johnny also went through romantic toils. In his adventures in the big city, he falls in love with a girl, referred to as Whatshername. The two of them are infatuated with one another, never leaving the other’s side, going to punk shows, and shooting up drugs. She loves and accepts him for all his flaws, making Johnny feel safe as he can confide in her.
Unfortunately, Johnny’s own poor volition and addiction ruins their relationship, and Whatshername leaves him. Her lack of an official name leaves the audience invested in her; she has no name, but we see her and Johnny’s lives be utterly intertwined. The finale of the entire play, ends with Johnny thinking of her and what she might be up to.
It takes the main protagonist losing everything dear to him to properly open his eyes and get his act together. He does what he thinks a man like himself should do; get an office job and wear a suit and tie. But Johnny soon finds this monotony to be inauthentic to him, driving him to the brink of crazy to be someone he is not. Losing love and getting clean drive him to sell his guitar, go back to his hometown, and try to look toward the future.
The play itself was emotional; you felt for each main character, felt drawn to their story, and wanted to know more about how they navigated the harsh world surrounding them. Each song, along with a few diary entries from Johnny, help to set up the specific scene at hand.
Even though Green Day is known for their political passion and loud opinions about America, the play focuses on struggling to grow up and find yourself. While there are political elements, the play felt less like a political critique and more like a navigation of these characters trying to find their place in the world. On top of each scene and song captivating the audience, there were also several in-depth and secret details for the audience to unveil as the rock opera went on.
The story is complex; each character goes through their own trials and tribulations, demanding the audience’s captivation and attention. With your interest and help from ballads of rock, the story unfolds itself. As you begin to understand the characters and their stories, you respond emotionally to them. Whether that emotion is positive or negative is up to the watcher.
Despite the play being fun, having good music, and being visually pleasing, it did have its flaws. Unfortunately for a first-time viewer, it can be very confusing. Without any real dialogue, you can only use context clues to try and follow along with the story. The music, although occasionally following the story, found itself being a separate story at times. You are given a mere general understanding of the story but are not given the chance to properly analyze the things in front of you before something new happens.
Another issue was the ending; it seemed lackluster. Johnny sells his guitar and moving back home, though realistic, is unexpected. Also, the finale being the song “Whatshername” made it feel like there was supposed to be more to the story.
Even with an emotional ending like that one, you would assume there would be some kind of dialogue to conclude– perhaps a message to the audience from our main character about hope and starting again. You are left wanting more. The performers playing “Good Riddance” after to close things off almost feels undeserved. Things felt rushed, and the finale leaves watchers desiring more of the story of our characters.
Generally, ‘American Idiot’ was a wonderful watch. The students of PSC’s theater department did a wonderful job of conveying the characters and their struggles, and each performance given had passion and effort behind it. The set was immersive, showing a run down concrete structure with graffiti and TV screens.
If you like theater, you might be able to enjoy the storytelling and the characters in the play. For Green Day fans, hearing some of your favorite songs come to life can bring joy and admiration, as you find yourself grooving in your seat to familiar songs. Overall, Dr. Whatley did a fabulous job at directing and reimagining this play, leaving me and the rest of the audience excited for the chance to watch even more plays at Pensacola State College.