American Idiot, Comedy Theatre, Thursday March 1st 2018

American Idiot, Comedy Theatre, Thursday March 1st 2018

"American Idiot" presented by shake & stir theatre co and Queensland Performing Arts Centre at the  Comedy Theatre, Thursday March 1st 2018.

For those new to my blog I write about the holistic experience of attending the theatre. I buy my own tickets. So if you want a re-telling of the story please refer to the links for further information or for further insights.  Note, that I may provide different links for repeated main words or phrases.  I write for my memories of what I have seen, and is more of a stream of consciousness.

"American Idiot" presented by shake & stir theatre co and Queensland Performing Arts Centre at the  Comedy Theatre, Thursday March 1st 2018.

Direction by Craig Ilott scraped the bare essentials from the show.  The emotional journey of each character was lost on the audience as the main performers were not secure in their characterisations. The relationships between characters were nearly nonexistent. The staging was well done and sadly the performances did not elicit the emotion from the material.  The audience barely applauded during the show.  I remember crying my eyes out on two occasions as the Broadway performers brought out so much angst and truth from the material.  Sadly this depth was lacking in this production.

Interestingly I think the show worked better during the Obama years to counter point the messages, rather than the in your face Trump years.  The show has blandness and seems like the "Me Too" equivalent for satirising Trump. It lacks any protest.

The choreography by Lucas Newland captures the essence of the show, but sadly the execution of the choreography was very questionable - with some performers walking the moves.  We were in the front row and did not miss a trick.  For example: when the new recruits lined up in their white underwear for inspection; the military officer lacked authority in his gait.  Then the performers marched off in various modes of carelessness.  The costume change for Tunny could also have been choreographed better to allow for his jacket to be prepared rather than him swinging the coat around.  Feed him the jacket so that he can slide his arms into it!

I look forward to seeing more of Lucas Newland's choreography in the future.

Only one performer was consistently hitting the moves - she was wearing a black short skirt with stripped socks in the opening sequence.  I think this was Erin Clare who displayed consistent angst and depth of any characterisation.  

The other performer who shone was Connor Crawford as Tunny who showed us a glimpse of what this show is about.

Vocally the show was very average with only the finale capturing the rich vocals and harmonies that were so missing throughout.

Lighting Design by Matthew Marshall was slick, clean and sharp as it created defined spaces,

Video Design by Craig Wilkinson was effective to create moods and atmospheres.

Set Design by Josh McIntosh was a variation of the Broadway set and was very effective with the video screens housed into the set.  The trolleys were too clean for their purpose.

The band was easily the best part of the show.  So congratulations to the Music Director Glenn Moorhouse and the Sound Designer Julian Spink.

The performers seemed to be on edge or cautious.  They seemed to be holding back.  Whether this has anything to with after effects of the recent sacking is anyone's guess.  But I witnessed a very lacklustre show with barely any applause.

My partner described the performances as shocking!

"American Idiot" obtained a 6.5/10.