Ok, so I’ll admit it; the hype over Spiderman, the danger element, the almost year long delay, they all contributed to me wanting to see the show.  The tweets on Sunday night, the first preview in front of a paying audience sealed the deal and I immediately bought a ticket. 

I want to be clear that I recognize this was the 2nd PREVIEW and hope anyone reading this will do so with that in mind.  Lots can change between now and opening and I am only documenting my thoughts as I was asked to do so. 

Having said this……..

I went to the theatre excited to see what was offered and hoping to be catching my breath by the end of the show.  While there were some “wow” moments, I can’t say the show as a whole “wowed” me. 

**SPOILER ALERT**  It starts off with what is described as a “geek chorus” of high school kids.  Best as I can figure out, they are trying to write the story of “Spiderman” & end up describing the first “Spider WOMAN”.  This scene is very “cirque de soleil” with women hanging in silky fabric swinging back and forth.  We learn how she came into existence. (she is apparently a character Taymor created for the purposes of the show & is not a part of the comic).

We meet Peter Parker who is being bullied and beaten up by his high school classmates.  We learn of his crush on Mary Jane (MJ) and the issues both of them face at home.  They go to a science lab on a field trip run by Dr Osborn & his wife.  Peter accidentally gets bitten by one of their genetically altered spiders.  With their funding drying up and their assistants all jumping ship, Dr Osborn decides to use himself as a guinea pig and turns his experiment on himself.  This turns him into the Green Goblin (GG). There is now a “Rhythm Nation-ish” scene with army guys who look like Nazis.  

The experiment ends up killing his wife and thus sets up his angst and anger against Peter Parker (who has begun acting like Spiderman & has-in his mind-stolen his intellectual property) and the citizens of the city who forced his hand. 

In his zeal to try out his “powers” & win some money, Peter gets into the ring with “BoneCrusher McGraw”. This is the one laughable moment as, “BoneCrusher”, is a huge blow up doll!  Obviously they ran out of money!  I think this could have been done better. 

The sets are FANTASTIC.  This show is visually stunning!  I can definitely see where they spent a lot of the money on moving sets and design. 

The flying sequences are AMAZING!  But they don’t start til almost 3/4 of the way through the 1st act, so don’t go expecting to see people flying all through the show.  

There is an amazing fight scene where Spidey actually “rides” on the back of GG over the orchestra and Spidey lands on a platform at the edge of the Dress Circle (Flying Circle) and up to the balcony, so no level is left out!  This is where the 1 stop occurred.

The flying Spiderman was apparently meant to grab something on the side of the stage to pull himself offstage, but missed it and swung back and forth a few more times trying to snag it before they announced a stop.  Just as they announced the stop, he grabbed it.  But the show was stopped for less than 5 minutes and they finished the fight scene in it’s entirety.

But the book is VERY convoluted.  There is a whole backstory of “SpiderWoman” (Arachne) who becomes angry in the 2nd act. She banishes the Geek Chorus and takes over the storytelling when Peter Parker decides the price of being Spiderman is not worth it to him (his loved ones become targets, etc.).  She brings his nemeses back to “life” to force him to fight and face who he is.  

The pacing of the show is too slow & it REALLY needs to be tighten up.  The transitions between scenes do not appear to be set and seem to be disjointed in parts.  The rigging needed to moved back once Spiderman or GG or Arachne reached the stage and, from where I was sitting in the Flying Circle, it was very distracting to see it in my field of vision.  Not sure if that bothered anyone else and was probably a product of where I was sitting, but it was distracting nonetheless.  And, finally, the music was VERY disappointing.  There is a club scene where they actually play U2, but other than that, I didn’t feel that U2 had anything to do with the music.  

What is confusing is that I thought U2 had done ALL the music.  Yet there is one song in the “set list” that is asterisked and says “lyrics by Bono & The Edge, Music by U2”.  So did they write only this one song (“The Boy Falls From the Sky”)?

Ok, so bottom line….. I THINK I enjoyed it.  It was an experience and I’m glad I went. But do I think it’ll last?  Not unless some MAJOR changes are made and the show is tightened up considerably.  But that’s what previews/try outs are for and, hopefully, nothing is cast in stone.  

I think tourists MIGHT go to see it for the epicness that it is hyped to be and to say they saw it.  I doubt many “Broadway fans” will see it (unless they can get rush seats) as it’s just not all there & many may not want to see it simply BECAUSE of all the hype.  Then again, I’ve seen lesser shows succeed.  

And speaking of the Rush Policy; are they really going to make you stand/sit on line (because you know people are going to line up at the ass crack of dawn!) only to be told at 10am when the box office open, that there are no rush tix for that performance?  You either have them or you don’t.  Don’t toy with people and make them wait for nothing! Announce in advance if they are not going to be available. 

I don’t think ANYTHING could live up to the hype that has surrounded this show.  

Do I think, as Michael Riedel put it, the show is an “epic flop”? No. Neither do I think it’s a hit as it stands today.

I can see what Julie Taymor was trying to achieve.  I think she reached way beyond what is even possible in today’s world.  But I do admire her for trying.  And I do hope the show has some staying power.

I’ll definitely go back after opening to see what changes have been made (I may venture a trip halfway through previews to see if they are even making any attempts to save the show!)

So I can’t recommend it for anything other than the experience and bragging rights (a la “Carrie”!) at this time, but I’m hopeful. 

If I didn’t have witnesses to the day, I wouldn’t believe it myself!  LOL!  I was front row for the American Idiot matinee to watch Joshua Kobak blow the roof off the joint as St. Jimmy!  

Last night, Libby started to give me her pic after “Good Riddance” but ended up giving it to Rob.  She said “You have a million”.  I told her I didn’t have “Libby pic” so she said next time. 

True to her word, she handed me her pic at the matinee.  

For the evening show, I had already reserved my Idiot Nation tickets, knowing Joshua was on.  Apparently there was some sort of mix up with the Idiot Nation tickets for the matinee, so I was a little concerned, but I had no need to be.  I was front and center to get AA101/102, prime Jimmy seats!  And Joshua gave me his pic at the end of the show.  

Each of the “Jimmys” (Tony, Joshua, Andrew and Billie Joe) has their own take on the character and it’s really interesting to see the differences, not only in the vocals, but in the acting choices.

The show was fantastic (as usual) but we were surprised to see the bar was closed when the show was over, as we usually hang out on Saturday nights. 

We waited in the hall as long as we could, til we were asked to leave.  But as we were walking to the door, Christina was coming out the other door.  I had something for her, so I met her halfway.  She asked when I wanted to go backstage & did I want to go tonight.  I told her it was up to her as I knew she was probably tired after a 2 show day. She said to follow her after I asked if I could grab Christine to come with us.  

So we went backstage at Idiot.  

It’s amazing how much smaller the stage looks when you are actually on it.  And the space backstage is so cramped.  It has to be as choreographed backstage as it is onstage or people would be crashing into each other.  

Christina even explained how she flies and showed us the wires, etc.  (I told her I would donate $100 to a charity of her choice if she nailed Ben in the face with her burka one night when I was there!  She hit Wallace the other night and it was hysterical watching him lay there with his face totally covered!)

So on our way out, we ran into John Gallagher Jr.  I should probably mention that he stage doored Friday night, so we got to take a pic and just say “hi”.  But tonight we actually spoke for several minutes.  We talked about “Hunger Games” and I told him I cried at the end of “Mockingjay” and he said he “bawled like a baby” (exact quote! LOL!)  We talked about the amazingness that is the Kindle (when I finished Hunger Games at 2am, I was able to download the next book in 2 minutes and continue reading!) and his pic throwing ability (or lack thereof!).  

It was a really nice, and totally unexpected, conversation.

We also met some of the backstage crew, the guys who keep the show running.  They were also very sweet. 

Everyone was exhausted, so we said thank you and good night.  When we walked out the stage door to the crowd that was waiting, I heard some girl say “oh, just 2 random people” talking about me and Christine. 

But after the day I had, I don’t feel “random”.  I felt very special and blessed to have met such nice people who are involved in a show I love.  

There has not been one person involved with “American Idiot”, that I have met, who is not genuinely happy to be involved in the show and grateful for the show and fans. And, as a fan, it’s nice to be appreciated and to see people who are grateful to be on Broadway. 

So, if you see the show and stage door, take the time to know the names of the actors you admire and say “hi”; don’t just shove a “Playbill” in their face and snap a picture. They are wonderfully talented people who will stop and talk with you.

Of course I’ll be back.  But I don’t think I will ever be able to top today! 

So tonight was the 3rd time I have seen Billie Joe Armstrong in American Idiot on Broadway.  And while his performance was, once again, fantastic, I can’t say the same for the behavior of the audience. 

Punk rock invaded Broadway in the form of American Idiot 6 months ago, but the punk rockers have just caught on and that might not be a good thing for civility.

We were lucky enough to have friends show up at lotto to help us and, surprisingly, someone won!  So, thanks to Michelle, we got to sit in the 2nd row.  Behind us was a Canadian family who brought their 2 boys to see the show and were THRILLED to find out they had tickets for Billie Joe.  I can deal with young kids and the occasional talking as they don’t know any better and the mom was good in telling them not to talk during the show.

What I can’t deal with is grown adults who are rude & obnoxious. 

When we sat down, a woman was sitting in front of us with an empty seat next to her.  She kept turning around looking for her friend.  She kept making comments like “she better get her ass here soon and she better bring a drink”.  Then she added “or I’ll slap her around”.  She looked at us and covered by saying “oh I’m just kidding, I would never hit a woman”.  Her friend finally arrived about a minute before the show started and, luckily (?) had the foresight to bring a drink. Otherwise, I shudder to think what would have happened. 

Throughout the show, the original woman felt it necessary to sing LOUDLY from the FRONT ROW.  The cast could hear her as they kept looking down.  The woman next to her (not with her, but apparently like minded as she was also singing) pulled out her phone during “Last Night on Earth” and proceeded to take video of BJA.

Throughout the show, this woman fist pumped, threw up the horns and generally acted inappropriately during the emotional high points of the show.  She actually screamed “yeah” after “21 Guns”.

After a standing ovation at the end of the show, the cast came out to perform “Good Riddance”.  As a courtesy to the kids sitting behind us, we sat down and tried to move so they had a good view of BJA.  The front row remained standing and, when I tapped the woman in front of me and asked her to sit so the kids could see, I was met with a “fuck off” and she moved (purposely) to further block the view.

Can someone please tell me what has happened to common courtesy?  

Why do people feel it necessary to be rude, obnoxious and have no consideration for others?

This experience was second only to the “pimp” and “whore” who sat behind us in Row E and talked IN A NORMAL CONVERSATIONAL VOLUME throughout the show.   

This is the theatre, people.  Have some respect for the performers and the people around you that, in some cases, are spending hundreds of dollars for tickets and paid to see the professionals on the stage.  If you want to perform, find a stage and sell tickets. 

I get that the show sold out for all 3 performances, so far.  But maybe, along with a ticket, the theatre should provide a written statement of what is, or is not, acceptable behavior.  When you start infringing on someone else’s experience, you’ve crossed a line. 

Ok, enough of my ranting for now………

Let’s get that out of the way right now. I can’t remember a single case of “stunt casting” where I felt the medium was better for it or it enhanced the viewing experience.  It simply draws in fans of the person being cast and (IMO) destroys the enjoyment of the show for the people who came for other reasons. 

Billie Joe Armstrong of GreenDay just made his Broadway debut as St. Jimmy in American Idiot, a musical based on his CD of the same name.  I’ll admit I’m a GreenDay fan; not fanatic, just fan.  They put on AMAZING, 3 hour long shows and 2 of the top 3 concert experiences of my life were at GreenDay.  But I’m not crazy for them. 

So I was hesitant at the motives behind Billie Joe stepping into the show and was concerned about it changing the emotional impact of the show.  I’ve seen the show 47 times now and I cry every time.  It’s just that powerful.

I was wrong about THIS casting.

Billie Joe Armstrong IS St. Jimmy.  This is a character created in his mind and soul and no one knows him better.  TV plays Jimmy as much more malevolent.  Jimmy is there to do harm, to get Johnny to stay on the “dark side”.  

Billie Joe played it as if Jimmy were the friend your mother doesn’t want you to hang out with.  He’s not “evil”, just misguided.  It works just as well as the pure “evil” Jimmy, in different ways.

His vocals were fantastic, which you would expect as he wrote the songs.  But these are different arrangements in different keys and yet he was almost flawless. 

Billie Joe was funny in the part, often adding his own mannerisms or gestures to convey what he couldn’t say.  He seemed to really enjoy himself on the stage.  I particularly LOVED his acting choices during “Letterbomb”.

Yes, I said ACTING choices.  He’s a natural performer, but often that doesn’t translate to the stage.  Billie Joe Armstrong is a good actor. 

The only “complaint” I have about tonight had to do with the audience.  It was obvious from the get go that this was not a typical theatre crowd.  There’s nothing wrong with that.  In fact, it’s a good thing because it brings new people to the theatre who will (hopefully) go home and talk about how much they enjoyed the show (not just Billie Joe) and that will result in more people coming to see it. 

But the audience felt it necessary to clap after EVERY song, regardless of the emotional impact of what had occurred.  For example, between “Enemy” and “21 Guns”, there is something palpable in the air.  I’m usually too engrossed in the emotional aspects of the show by that point to applaud.  So I was jarred out of the show a little by the clapping. But that’s a small price to pay to have more people see the show and love it.

The cast seemed really happy to have Billie Joe and was on fire!  Everyone sounded fantastic and the show just soared!  There was definitely something in the air!

Although we didn’t wait to see if he came out, when we left, the stage door was a madhouse with people waiting across the street for even a glimpse of Billie Joe. 

I’m definitely going back tomorrow night and possibly the rest of the week.  

So if you’re in the NYC area, you should make it a point to see American Idiot while you’re in town.  

And if you don’t get to see it this week, don’t be too upset.  While Billie Joe was fantastic, the rest of the cast is amazing, as well.  They do this 8 times a week, so go support them, as well!