I hope I am not the only one wishing the band were louder. I do (really, I do) understand the concept of “balance,” especially as it equates to vocals/instrumentation in the context of musical theater, and yet I DO want it louder. By significant factors.
That is my only complaint about the execution of Green Day’s American Idiot as performed by Silhouette Stages at Slayton House in Columbia, Maryland. I like everything else about it, except, perhaps, the thing itself.
I’m what I’d call a casual Green Day fan, to begin with. I like Green Day to the point that, occasionally, when hearing Foo Fighters, I wish it were Green Day instead. I can’t name all their albums, all the band members, and if I were to name a few of their songs — which I think I can — I’ll probably get the titles slightly wrong. I have Green Day CDs in my car. When I’m in the mood for Green Day in the car, I play it LOUD. Something about the ethos demands volume.
American Idiot — music by Green Day, lyrics by Billie Joe Armstrong, book by Billie Joe Armstrong & Michael Mayer — is a rock opera set in the center of the grunge era, speaking to those coming of age in the late ’90s and early aughts. Millennials are known for their forlorn and desolate sensibilities, which are a million percent understandable. From the perspective of someone whose earliest memory of national tragedy is the attacks of September 11, and the ensuing … everything, with yet another historically unprecedented crisis every few weeks, American Idiot makes perfect, heartbreaking sense. Life has been unrelentingly bleak, and they don’t remember a time when it wasn’t. I, in my hose-drinking latchkey Gen X way, was busy having, and raising, a Millennial in the mid-nineties, which in itself is an intrinsically hopeful act. The main story of three dudes who aren’t even trying particularly hard to get their shit together is tough for me to endure. Look, I liked experiencing it, and it was really well done, but this is not a show I’d recommend to friends my age who aren’t hardcore Green Day fans. We GET the grit, but we WANT the cotton-candy fun of Cyndi Lauper. “Escapism,” says my Millennial, and he’s not wrong. Life is hard. I don’t want “hard” entertainment, which is why I skipped the Oppenheimer movie. That is my personal bias, and I’ve made no secret that I love farce, prefer Hamlet to Macbeth, and am ambivalent about juke-box musicals.
An important thing to keep in mind about this show is that Green Day is political. While turning a pop concept album into a Broadway musical is a form of monetization, it’s not monetizing it very much, because it’s still art, and art doesn’t (historically) make lots of money. The political nature of Green Day is to criticize The System, which American Idiot does, and pretty well, too. It’s not called “American Idiot for the Win” or “American Idiot Turns Out Okay”; it’s just American Idiot. The show is about a lack of options, a refusal to make choices, and an inability to step up to the occasion. It’s very, very Green Day, which is the point.
The pre-show projections, created by director Henry Cyr and Delaney Gregg, tell a story I remember experiencing in real time. It is not a happy story. It sets us up for a confrontational and deliberately not-happy show. Since when was Punk happy?
The performers are without exception excellent. The live band onstage is precise, rich, nuanced. Kudos to all and particularly to musical director Virginia Moses. I did not think of cello as a rock music instrument, but cellist Jen Retterer completely sells rock cello.
Director and scenic designer Henry Cyr creates a unified aesthetic for the show, all of it identifiable as “grunge.” From modular urban accoutrements to costuming to the slumping shuffle of disenfranchised youth, the blend is rundown semi-suburbia and the not-nice neighborhoods of the most glamorous cities in the United States. Costume, hair and makeup designers Zen Tabligan and Jaylyn Hess create wardrobe that works for characters, crowds and archetypes. Everyone and everything looks authentic.
The group and individual movement add visual interest, courtesy of choreographer Maddie Ervin, who gives the cast some really entertaining movements that they execute brilliantly. I find myself admiring the choreography all throughout the show. Intimacy director Sarah Luckadoo ensures that the relationships look authentic to the audience. Stage manager Dana Bonistalli, assistant stage manager Robin Blasberg, and the stagehands are speedy moving modular set pieces around, seamlessly, so there are no lags for scene changes.
The main characters are Johnny, played by Maxwell Wolf; Tunny, played by Terin Kelsey; and Will, played by Ryan New. All three are strong vocalists, and Wolf and Kelsey prove themselves decent guitarists as well, evidenced by their acoustic duet during “Wake Me Up When September Ends.” Kelsey captures the vocal slide frequently featured in Green Day songs.
Much of the show’s story is told through pantomime action, as there’s almost no dialogue. Minnie Gregorini, playing Heather, is particularly excellent at this, and from very early on, I am never in doubt how she’s feeling in every moment. Whatsername, played by Geneva Croteau, is not so much a character as an archetype (though arguably this could be said about every character in the show), though extremely emotive and a powerful vocalist.
Ross Bollinger as Favorite Son does a superior job of selling the notion of not having to make choices or moral judgement, thus luring Tunny away from Johnny’s side, while Johnny continues to make poor decisions. Lily Arbaugh, who plays Extraordinary Girl, is a treat to watch and despite appearing near the end of the performance, holds her own with cast members who have had most of the show to establish themselves.
Rock N Roll Boyfriend, played by Scott Armiger, is sort of a side-note trophy for Heather, who manages to escape the cycle of despair. In fact, the female characters are significantly more hopeful than the male ones, and appear to manage the business of living much better than our core three dudes.
Whether the show works or not hinges largely on the seductive, destructive charm of St. Jimmy, so that casting is absolutely crucial. Tyler White as St. Jimmy is extremely convincing and eye-catchingly attired.
Ensemble performers, who are absolutely instrumental to the successful staging of this show, are Garrett Crouch, Shea Gardner, Patrick Gray, Rebecca Hanauer, Jonathan Hardin, Laura Hepp, Jay McKinnon, Katie Quinn, Zen Tabligan, and Nick Yarnevich. Each of them is worth watching, individually and as part of a larger unit. They were particularly striking in a marching number that was simple and dramatic.
Sound design, by Kristy Lebiere, is smooth and atmospheric, with excellent balance. Lighting designer Sammy Jungwirth gives us mood and drama as required by each sequence, as well as locations that never seem ambiguous.
So is American Idiot a cheerful story? It is not. Does it have a hopeful conclusion? Somewhat. Is it worth looking at for almost two hours? Absolutely. In the words of my very own Millennial, regarding navigating the wasteland of contemporary life, “The only time you have a chance is when you try together.” That’s worth remembering, and this show reminds us of that.
Running Time: One hour and 45 minutes with no intermission.
Green Day’s American Idiot plays through June 28, 2026, presented by Silhouette Stages, performing at Slayton House in Columbia, 10400 Cross Fox Lane, Columbia, Maryland. Performances are June 19, 20, 26, 27 at 8:00 PM and June 28 at 2:00 PM. Tickets ($15, $20, and $25) are available online. For additional information, email info@silhouettestages.com or call 410-216-4499.
Free parking is available in the Wilde Lake shopping center or by the swim center.
Final Factoid: Heart Like a Hand Grenade, the documentary movie chronicling the making of Green Day’s award-winning seventh album, American Idiot, was released to the public in 2015, though it had a brief theatrical release in 2009. Despite decades of chatter regarding a film version of American Idiot, the idea has been tabled indefinitely.
