American Idiot

TYLER, ZECH, ELIZABETH

Michael Mayer

 Born June 27th, 1960 in Bethesda Maryland

 He’s directed other shows such as Spring Awakening and Thoroughly
Modern Millie on Broadway. Off-Broadway he’s directed Stupid Kids and
Baby Anger.
 He wrote American Idiot along side Billie Joe Armstrong, lead vocalist and
guitarist of Green Day.
 Synopsis of the show

 American Idiot is a show based around the band’s, Green Day, album of the same name. It
brings the album to the stage and tells its story through the characters Johnny, Will, and
Tunny. It follows their lives as they attempt to break free from their suburban existence.
Johnny leaves the city and finds himself involved in a relationship with a young woman,
Whatsername, and in an even more intense relationship with drugs. Tunny finds his
purpose in joining the military, but is injured both mentally and physically while serving.
Will doesn’t leave the city and has a newly pregnant girlfriend, though his life leaves him
feeling stuck.
 Character descriptions

 Johnny: He’s the main protagonist and the self proclaimed “Jesus of Suburbia.” He has a drug addiction and is
in a relationship with Whatsername.
 Tunny: He is one of Johnny’s friends and joins the military to escape the city and find his purpose in life.
 Will: Johnny’s third friend. He’s the only one to not leave the city. His girlfriend is pregnant and he feels stuck
and depressed in his life.
 St. Jimmy: He is a drug dealer that is later revealed to be a figment of Johnny’s imagination stemming from
his drug addiction.
 Whatsername: A young woman who is in a relationship with Johnny and follows him throughout his story. She
leaves him after realizing their relationship is bad for them both.
 Heather: She is Will’s girlfriend. She eventually leaves him and lives a life of glamour in stark contrast of
Will’s depressive state.
 The extraordinary girl: The rehab nurse who treats Tunny. The two eventually fall in love.
 Themes portrayed in American Idiot

 The struggle between rage and love. This is the main theme of American Idiot as we follow the coming
of age story. The relationship between Johnny and Whatsername can be used as an example of this.
Johnny’s “rage” is his addiction and relationship with St. Jimmy while his, quite literal, love is in his
relationship with Whatsername.

 There is also the theme of drug addiction. It’s most heavily portrayed by Johnny and his addiction
throughout the show. The character of St. Jimmy basically being the physical manifestation of his
struggle with drug use.

 There is also the theme of finding yourself, with each of the three main characters struggling to find their
purpose. Johnny is addicted to drugs, Tunny joins the military and gets injured mentally and physically,
and Will is alone and depressed after his girlfriend leaves him.
 What led to the creation?

 American Idiot is political in some of its themes. The original album called out things
such as large corporations and the dysfunctional state of America at the time. The musical
addresses these same themes as well, portraying it through their characters and music.
Johnny is an example of the very clear drug issue in America, and Will is an example of
how we can feel stuck trying to pursue what’s viewed as “ideal” in American society. The
musical and album both tackle these societal issues in a way that makes them something
more interesting to hear about to most people.
A video from the show

 https://youtu.be/mjks0jxetWc

 The video is inappropriate so we won’t play it :)

Works cited

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Idiot_(musical)

 https://scholarworks.umass.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1013&context=masters_these
s_2

 https://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/02/theater/02greenday.html

 What The Making Of Green Day's American Idiot Musical Teaches Us About Rejuvenatin
g Our Careers