★★★
Featuring all the elite hits from Green Day's back catalogue, American Idiot is a high energy musical based on just that. With lyrics by Billie Joe Armstrong, and the book by himself and Michael Mayer, the concept stems from three men trying to discover who they are by leaving their hometown behind in search for a better life in the thrilling city that brimmed with excitement and new opportunities. Soon, this doesn't go quite to plan, when Will (Joshua Yeardley) must return back to figure things out with his new family, Johnny (Nick Dore) falls into a troubled love and Tunny (George Langdown) goes off to war.
With the apparent focus on the score, it is unsurprising that the storyline itself appears a bit lacklustre. Being difficult to establish at times, and generally unattached, the grungy atmosphere fits well with the tracks, but doesn't seem to build into much of a meaningful narrative. However, the song performance aspects of the piece were met with the strong cast all round- many of which are destined for a bigger stage- who took them on with electric intensity. A notable act was Sorrel Brown who played St. Jimmy, and nailed the mannerisms of her reckless character, as well as displaying some impressive vocals, along with the rest of those acting.
Having an incredible live band brought that extra dynamic that brought immense power when combined with the full company in particular. The choreography by Jen Bullock was enticing and worked well with the stage given, as well as the road cases used as the main props throughout. Furthermore, the lighting, designed by Olly Levett, was used effectively in conjunction with this.
Loaded with the great track list including 'Jesus of Suburbia', 'Boulevard of Broken Dreams', 'Holiday', 'Wake Me Up When September Ends' and of course, 'American Idiot', plus an additional beautiful surprise encore, this show will undoubtedly leave you unapologetically humming them for at least a week afterwards. This version of American Idiot, directed by Matt Bentley, is one of Sedos’s best shows yet.
