From the Boulevard of Broken Dreams to Broadway

For all the Green Day lovers out there, Broadway’s got  a show for you.

Green Day’s most popular album, American Idiot, is on now Broadway. With a plot line based off of the songs on the album, the show is “invigorating, moving and thrilling” according to The New York Times.

The musical follows young Johnny as he is pressured into a life of drug addiction by the drug pusher St. Jimmy.  Green Day’s very own front man, Billie Joe Armstrong, joins the cast as St. Jimmy himself.

An image from 'American Idiot.' Photo from today.msnbc.msn.com

Johnny is portrayed as a rebel more likely to love than to fight, but he can’t resist the temptation of the bad influence, St. Jimmy. As St. Jimmy leads Johnny into his life of drugs, sex, and rock ‘n’ roll, Johnny’s friends also become a focus of the show. Tunny, played by Stark Sands, joins the Army after his move with Johnny to the city, Will, played by Michael Esper, must stay home to be with his pregnant girlfriend (Jeanna de Waal), and then there is the girl Johnny has his eyes on.

Armstrong and his band Green Day wrote all of the songs for the show and Armstrong wrote the book with the director, Michael Mayer.

The show received outstanding reviews from many critics including The Toronto Star which said that  “American Idiot” is “the first great musical of the 21st century.”

Rolling Stone called it “a global knockout. Blows your mind while it blows the roof off. ”

Penn Manor students, however, have mixed reviews about the musical.

Zoe Hower, a junior, thinks “it looks stupid. I don’t like musicals.”

Another student said it sounds dumb.

Some students think it’s a great idea to make the album into a musical. Trina Martin and Haleyy Smith, both sophomores, would go see it.

“I love the whole album,” said Martin.

“Green Day? I love them,” said Smith.

“American Idiot” will be at the St. James Theater, 246 West 44th Street, Manhattan with Billie Joe Armstrong performing as St. Jimmy.

By Cassie Funk