In a way, "American Idiot" presented Mayer, whose theater credits include the Tony winners "Thoroughly Modern Millie" and "Side Man," a twist on the challenge he faced with his coming-of-age mash-up "Spring Awakening." Mayer used songs by Duncan Sheik and Steven Sater to inject emotion and energy into Wedekind's potentially remote narrative about adolescence.
With "American Idiot," there's no traditional book to propel the tale forward, and the music can't do all the heavy lifting (a handful of letters that appear in some of Green Day's "American Idiot" liner notes are read between songs). This music was not a "Spring Awakening" interlude, but the direct language of the "American Idiot" story. "The closest example is opera, because the songs have to do everything," Mayer said.
Opera, of course, appeals to older patrons, as does a lot of theater. Though 23% of Berkeley Rep's single-ticket buyers last season were under 30, half of the season ticket buyers were 55 and older. "But we have an adventurous audience that is storyteller-driven," said Susie Medak, the managing director for the theater, which has sent four shows to Broadway in the last four years: "Bridge & Tunnel," "In the Next Room (or the vibrator play)," "Passing Strange" and "Wishful Drinking."
The ultimate test will be whether Mayer and his collaborators can create in "American Idiot" something that simultaneously advances and is faithful to a beloved album. "If people come to this show and they don't think they're hearing Green Day," Kitt said, "then we've done a disservice."
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john.horn@latimes.com
