‘It’s a record that’s coming to life,’ frontman Billie Joe Armstrong tells MTV News. By James Montgomery Billie Joe Armstrong at “American Idiot” on Broadway Photo: Bryan Bedder/ Getty Images They’ve already promised that the Broadway version of their American Idiot album isn’t going to be “a rated-PG affair,” but now Green Day are taking it one step further, telling their fans why they should make their way to New York to catch the musical. “I think it’s the same reason why you would want to go see a band play live, you know? It’s a record that’s coming to life, it’s in your face, and it’s a story. You’re seeing a good movie,” frontman Billie Joe Armstrong said. “It’s a great story, and it’s going to move you. … That’s what American Idiot does. That’s what it does in the music, and that’s what it’s going to do onstage.” And based on early accounts, Armstrong is right. The stage version of “Idiot” doesn’t officially open until Tuesday at the St. James Theatre, but the band — and director Michael Mayer — have been tinkering with it in rehearsals since last month. And with an A-list cast of actors, a bombastic soundtrack (which features songs from Idiot and 21st Century Breakdown and a couple of Green Day B-sides) and a book that doesn’t shy away from the political or the personal, it’s already looking like an explosive show — the kind of thing that very well may turn Broadway on its ear. Make no mistake about it, this isn’t your parents’ musical. It’s something new, something controversial, which is yet another reason Green Day want you to see it. After all, they’re hoping to change your entire worldview. Or at least shove you off the couch. “You know, it is real life,” bassist Mike Dirnt said. “There is a saying that if theater is life and movies are entertainment, then television is furniture.” Will you head to New York to see “American Idiot”? Let us know in the comments! Related Videos Green Day’s ‘American Idiot’ On Broadway Green Day Rocks Broadway: American Idiot
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Green Day Say ‘American Idiot’ Musical Is ‘In Your Face’
