We had two people write in with their thoughts of Billie Joe's opening night in the American Idiot Musical a few days ago. Here are their thoughts:
Alise S.
[quote]I saw AI for the 3rd time today. Billie Joe roared back onto Broadway in full-throttled glory this afternoon. The audience was electrified by him, and seemed only to have eyes for him. Given the holiday, it was a heavier tourist crowd than usual.
The lighting and the set have been tweaked (for the better) since Billie Joe was there in October, and there have been some cast changes. Billie Joe's interpretation of St. Jimmy is pretty much the same as before, with the addition of having him toss confetti often. Billie Joe's St. Jimmy is both more menacing and more seductive than Tony Vincent's was, and he uses those very expressive eyes of his to full force. Johnny Gallagher and Billie Joe paid homage to the holiday in one scene, with Johnny wearing a New Year's hat, and Billie Joe, of course, donning a New Year's tiara.
During St. Jimmy's suicide scene, both Johnny and St. Jimmy ripped their shirts off, which caused the many young females in the audience to howl like cats in heat. Quite amusing.
The cast all picked up acoustic guitars again after the curtain call and accompanied Billie Joe on "Good Riddance." I wish I could afford to go see AI more often because the show just keeps getting better. [/quote]
Caianne LaSota
Alise S.
[quote]I saw AI for the 3rd time today. Billie Joe roared back onto Broadway in full-throttled glory this afternoon. The audience was electrified by him, and seemed only to have eyes for him. Given the holiday, it was a heavier tourist crowd than usual.
The lighting and the set have been tweaked (for the better) since Billie Joe was there in October, and there have been some cast changes. Billie Joe's interpretation of St. Jimmy is pretty much the same as before, with the addition of having him toss confetti often. Billie Joe's St. Jimmy is both more menacing and more seductive than Tony Vincent's was, and he uses those very expressive eyes of his to full force. Johnny Gallagher and Billie Joe paid homage to the holiday in one scene, with Johnny wearing a New Year's hat, and Billie Joe, of course, donning a New Year's tiara.
During St. Jimmy's suicide scene, both Johnny and St. Jimmy ripped their shirts off, which caused the many young females in the audience to howl like cats in heat. Quite amusing.
The cast all picked up acoustic guitars again after the curtain call and accompanied Billie Joe on "Good Riddance." I wish I could afford to go see AI more often because the show just keeps getting better. [/quote]
Caianne LaSota
Having already attended the American Idiot musical twice beforehand, I was already expecting a great show from the beginning. Billie blended exceedingly well with each of the characters, and although Armstrong's portrayal was slightly different from Tony Vincent's adaptation of St. Jimmy, absolutely nothing was lost. The cast seemed even more pumped than usual, and a few imrpov lines made it all the more real. The show was fantastic and I'm sure the applause would've lasted plenty longer if it hadn't been temperately hushed by the humble rock star. Overall, the performance was phenomenal, even without Billie Joe Armstrong taking a role, this play is still an epic.
