Keegan Theatre’s hurricane of a production, directed by Susan and Mark Rhea, with musical direction by Jake Null, is truly a once in a lifetime experience. Just like the album, it is at times percussive and violent, and at other times profoundly human and raw. The production is also a word that I never thought I’d apply to Green Day: gorgeous. There were gorgeous performances from the entire cast.… Choreographed by Rachel Leigh Dolan and Alison Crosby, the show is percussive and physical. Through her design, the ensemble is equally as believable as a group of small town teens and as business drones. It is also effortless and melodious at times, as in “Wake me Up When September Ends.”
… AMERICAN IDIOT is a work of art in the capable hands of master artists. In their note to the audience, Directors Susan and Mark Rhea describe American Idiot as “a love letter to a musical movement… a defiant cry for understanding on behalf of the generation who came of age in the post 911 world.” I think that there is a truly unifying human need for understanding, and this production provides a space for it for those who feel like they are “living in a world of make believe that don’t believe in me.”
