Eight years since the US punk-pop band Green Day released their biggest-selling album American Idiot, it has been transformed into an unlikely musical which was a success on Broadway and had its opening night last night at Dublin’s Bord Gáis Energy Theatre.
Last night the theatre hosted probably the most unusual crowd to turn up for a musical since it opened its doors four years ago. Overwhelmingly young and dressed for a rock concert rather than a musical, they were far from a typical audience attending such events.
“We thought it would be young, but not this young,” said theatre manager Stephen Faloon. “I’m looking around me and literally everybody that I see around here are people who have not been in this theatre before. It is a great way of bringing new people in and hopefully try something else.”
One of them was Ben Leahy (18) from Limerick who arrived at the musical wearing the American Idiot T-shirt with its distinctive image of a fist holding a hand-grenade.
“I’ve loved them since American Idiot came out and I have the entire back catalogue. I wouldn’t come to a musical even if I was paid unless it was Green Day.”
The show features all the songs from the album, along with four songs from the follow-up album 21st Century Breakdown and the well-known Time of Your Life.
Casey O’Farrell, who plays Will, one of the three main characters in the musical, said: “It’s been incredible. There is an unbelievable energy in the crowds that come to see it. There are lots of superfans who love Green Day, but don’t love musical theatre and who get rowdy.” The musical runs until Saturday.
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