Review of 'American Idiot'

http://americanidiotwestend.com/

A high-octane high-energy story of a young man, “Johnny” (Aaron Sidwell) looking for meaning in his life as he moves to the big city, succumbing to the appeal drugs. This is also a tale of two of Johnny's friends: “Theo” (Luke Baker) and “Tunny” (Alexis Gerred). While Johnny wastes his life on drugs, Theo joins the army only to lose his leg and be returned back home, with Will staying home with his newly pregnant girlfriend.

Incredibly energetic music with an equally energetic performance from the young cast on such a compact stage. Amazingly well performed and sung. You are drawn into the story from the very beginning wondering where it will go. I found the second half tended to lag a bit with the slower tunes (such as the wonderfully sung ensemble version of “21 Guns”) there and the story pretty much stuck in the mire of Johnny's drug use. You may find the drug use and language a bit harsh but there is real heart here with fantastic, expressive lyrics.

This is a modern tale but, to be fair, not necessarily a happy one but it is one heck of a ride.

Rating: “Really good but I have some issues”

Review Date: 2015-08-11



Arts Theatre

Location: London (England)

Address: Great Newport Street, LONDON WC2H 7JB ENGLAND

Public Transport: TUBE Leicester Square

Telephone: +44 (0) 20 7836 8463

URL: http://artstheatrewestend.co.uk/

A tiny theatre just a stone's throw from Leicester Square on a small side street. Both the small balcony and stalls are accessed via the main foyer which has a small bar and a few places to sit. I have found often it can be very stuffy and hot as there is little ventilation in the theatre itself - when it is a full house it can be very uncomfortable. Acoustics are not bad and despite being close to some busy streets you can hear little of that noise. The theatre tends to have small slightly off-beat or independent short-run shows.