Just like the album, the show comes with a parental advisory warning for explicit content. This hasn’t become any less muted over the past decade. But perhaps the controversy now is not so much that we are seeing hard drug use on stage but that the bleakness of these broken lives is somehow sanitised by a rock song.

There’s a hollowness too in our knowing the nation Green Day mocked for being ‘controlled by the media’ now has a rich reality TV star in the White House and project fear has expanded to the level where the US is planning to wall itself in.

If you’re looking for hope in a new generation, the picture American Idiot leaves us with is bleak.

It follows three boyhood friends: Johnny (Tom Milner), Tunny (Joshua Dowen) and Will (Samuel Pope). There’s a lot more cock-sure choreography than I remember from previous productions. If the lads aren’t grabbing their crotches, they are hitting someone else’s or mimicking masturbation. They are the disillusioned youth, railing at the world while at the same time too lazy to shower. Thankfully they can hold a good tune though, which keeps us watching. You can forgive a lot when the music is this good and the on-stage band is terrific.

Maybe suburbia is the problem, or so the boys think. Each has their own route to escape. Tunny joins the army, Johnny heads for the big city and Will, well it’s hard to tell whether he’s left holding the baby after his girlfriend gets pregnant, or if he’s simply too stoned to get up off the sofa.

Outside their home town reality bites. Oh yes, it gets bleaker. Tunny goes to war, Will smokes more dope and Johnny falls in love, briefly with a passing Whatsername (Sam Lavery), but more heavily for heroin.

X-Factor finalist Luke Friend makes an impressive musical theatre debut as St Jimmy. It’s not clear if his character is a drug dealer or an alter-ego of Johnny, but Friend makes him sleazy and memorable on every appearance. His raspy vocals are well suited to the angry rock sound.

There are some beautiful ballads on the soundtrack too, like Boulevard of Broken Dreams and Wake Me Up When September Ends. Tom Milner is a strong lead and carries the tunes well.

The split-level set is largely concrete graffiti-covered walls, with a filthy toilet on show throughout. It is all gloriously grungy and grotesque. And once the lads get their hands out of their pants and onto the guitars, the energy of rebellion surges through the auditorium in a way that will no doubt fuel this musical for years to come.

American Idiot is at Manchester’s Palace Theatre from 2-6 April 2019. See website for full tour details.

Read our interviews with the cast: Sam Lavery; Luke Friend, and Tom Milner.

The post American Idiot Review Palace Theatre Manchester appeared first on Quays Life.

What attracted you to American Idiot?

I had friends who’d been in it or seen it, who just talked about how amazing it was, how energetic it was and how it should have had a longer run in London. As a show, it’s right up my street. It’s a completely different style of musical and it’s my style of singing, so it really suits me.

What’s the show about?

It tells the different stories of three characters. My character, Johnny, has not had the best of upbringings and has a lot of deep lying issues. He wants to leave his city and go and explore the world. He takes everything that comes his way – sex, drugs and rock and roll.

It’s a rollercoaster of a show and you’ve just got to go with it. It’s an emotional journey dealing with today’s issues. It’s about making the right choice in life. Sometimes we don’t do that, but my character certainly doesn’t.

The show explores serious subjects including drug and alcohol abuse. How is that handled?

If you delve into why Green Day wrote the album American Idiot [on which the musical is based], it was a backlash against the government following the Iraq war and 9/11. It can be hard putting this type of story on stage; it’s not easy viewing for an audience. But the director, Racky Plews, is amazing. She’s come from a choreography background and now she’s a director, so she can visually and physically tell a story, not just using the script but through dance and movement too.

Former X-Factor stars Sam Lavery and Luke Friend star alongside you. What are they like to work with?

People might make a judgement about them being from the X Factor, but actually they both took to this like a duck to water. They are just amazing. I remember my first musical. I asked so many questions and learned so much. With these two, it’s like they’ve been doing it for 10 years already.

Are you excited about touring the show?

I’ve never toured before, so yes, I’m really looking forward to going to seeing new places with great people. Luckily one of the cast members, Josh, has decided to book all my rooms for me, so I don’t have to worry about that.

Is there anywhere in particular that you’re looking forward to playing?

I’m looking forward to Manchester. It’s a beautiful city. I spent a lot of time there filming Waterloo Road. I’m actually staying with one of the old cast members from that show. It will be great to catch up with him.

Is there anything you’ll need to take with you?

My Playstation. That and FIFA and I’ll be very happy. I’m sure there’ll be plenty of tournaments. And obviously a guitar, because I write music as well. I’ll be using my downtime in the days to do a bit of that.

In an age when entertainment is available at the click of a button, what’s makes live theatre special?

We’re living in a decade where we’re obsessed with screens. You see parents feeding kids their iPad because it’s easy. We should be getting out and doing more of what we did 20, 30 years ago, what our parents and grandparents did.

With this show in particular, we don’t have an inch of energy left when we’re finished. You’re seeing that; live performers giving everything.

What was it like to appear on The Voice?

It was a whirlwind. What people don’t know is that you’ve actual done three producer auditions before the first time that you’re seen on television. 50,000 people audition, and by the first TV episode the viewers see you’re down to the last 100. If you can make it to the TV and you don’t get a chair turn, you’ve actually still been very successful. People don’t realise that.

The whole experience was amazing, especially as before it I took two years out of the industry because I’d been working since I was 13. I needed a break and a bit of normality in my life.

Was it difficult being part of the industry from a young age?

I’ve never trained. I’ve worked since I was 13. I was learning on the job at a very young age and it doesn’t get better than that. But I think drama schools give young performers an armour that I didn’t have. Rejection is massive in this industry. When you go for a job, the chance of you getting it is really low. That’s not being negative, it’s realistic.

From a young age I was successful. As a young actor doing all this work, you think it’s going to last forever, but you get slammed back down to reality, because that isn’t life. That’s why I needed to take those two years out to sort my head out and work out what I wanted to do. Right now, this is exactly what I need to be doing and I love it.

What can audiences expect from a trip to see American Idiot?

Great music and great energy. You’re not going to leave the theatre feeling disappointed. We throw our heart and soul into the performances.

American Idiot is at Manchester’s Palace Theatre from 2-6 April 2019. See website for details.

Read our review.

Read our interview with co-star Sam Lavery.

Read our interview with co-star Luke Friend.

The post Tom Milner interview -‘Rejection is massive in this industry’ appeared first on Quays Life.

How does it feel to be making your musical theatre debut in American Idiot?

It’s an amazing feeling. I don’t think I’ve ever been this proud of something.

What’s the show about?

The show is based on a Green Day album and follows three friends trying to find escape from their suburban lives.

The story is harrowing. It’s about people struggling because they don’t know their place in a world controlled by people who are power hungry. It asks ‘How would you get through the struggles of being down and not recognising your place? How do you get out of the rut you’re in?’

It’s an amazing experience to be able to do some really serious theatre.

It doesn’t shy away from tough subjects, does it?

No, it is tough. In real life, some of us have never felt the hardship we go through on the stage, but you get immersed in it so much while you’re on stage and your character takes over.

It’s very emotional. I’ve had times when I’ve been a bit tearful.

Your character, St Jimmy, is a drug dealer. What’s he like to play?

He’s a skitty maniac. Crazy. He’s got a lot of attitude. He’s a very complex character and I love playing him; trying to taunt people, taking control of the stage and taking over everything is great fun.

This is the 10^th anniversary tour of the show. Why do you think it is still popular a decade after it premiered?

The score is incredible, and the music is so nostalgic for a lot of people. When Green Day were writing American Idiot, they were all going through a mad time. They were super angry with the world. Not much has changed. There’s still a lot of very awful people out there, so it still resonates with the world today.

Were you a fan of the album?

I was the dude with the black emo hair and painted fingernails. I don’t think it’s any surprise to anyone that I loved that album when it came out. It’s the thing that got me to pick up a guitar and start playing.

I must have been about 12. I didn’t even know how to tune a guitar then. The first song I attempted was When September Ends. I’d been playing for about three hours and my fingers had blistered, but I’d gone through that and carried on because I was determined to get it right. That first day was pretty disastrous, but I stuck at it. I actually performed that song for the audition as well.

You’re working with fellow X Factor contestant, Sam Lavery and The Voice’s Tom Milner on the tour. What are they like?

Genuinely, we get on so well. We really do. Sam and I knew each other before this and we’ve always got along. Tom and I are total wind-up merchants, so I think that’s going to be great fun for the tour.

Are you excited about touring?

I feel like my whole life’s a tour, so this is brilliant. It’s slightly more organised than my life usually is; at least I know where I’m meant to be. I once booked two gigs a day apart. One was in south west Devon and the next day was in Inverness. I’m glad we’ve got professionals organising this tour.

What makes seeing a live show so special?

It’s real and authentic. It’s never quite the same every time you watch it. People may react differently; people may feel a different way in the moment. On television, you can rewind it and watch it again and it’s going to be exactly the same. Theatre is there, it’s live. It’s like a concert. What’s better than a live concert? I’d rather have no CDs at all and be able watch my favourite people play live each night. It’s up front, it’s personal and it’s special to you because no one else is going to see the performance you see.

Looking back on it now, how was the X Factor experience?

It is an incredibly intense, frightening but amazing experience. It positively conditioned me to be more relaxed in very heated and stressful environments, so it was a big positive. I’ve always loved the show. I still do. I love the people who worked on the show; they were always really good to me.

What can audiences expect from a trip to see American Idiot?

Passion. Everyone in this cast is amazingly passionate. If someone is loved on stage, you know they’re loved. If someone is raging on stage, you feel it. And you won’t be able to stop jiggling your feet if you’re sat in the audience either. It’s going to be incredible.

American Idiot is at Manchester’s Palace Theatre from 2-6 April 2019. See website for details.

Read our review.

Read our interview with co-star Sam Lavery.

The post X Factor finalist, Luke Friend gets rockin’ angry in American Idiot appeared first on Quays Life.

What attracted you to the show?

Theatre is something I’ve always been interested in, but I’ve concentrated on music since X-Factor. When I heard about the show, I thought this role would be a perfect fit, especially as my first role. I jumped in with two feet and I’ve learned so much from it because it’s a completely different kettle of fish from what I’ve done before.

What is it about your character, Whatsername, that you connected with?

The character has got so many layers. She’s a powerful female in a situation that everyone’s been through where a partner is not putting her first and deciding, ‘Do I choose you or something else?’ This show is a rollercoaster of emotions and it gives me a chance to explore the different sides of her personality.

The show deals with some really tough issues too…

It does. It’s completely different to anything I’ve ever seen before. I think what’s important is we’ve all worked together to research and look at the intention of every single line of every single song. We aren’t just singing or acting on a whim, we’ve really researched the facts of it. We want it to be as truthful as possible.

Has anything surprised you about the show?

I was surprised by how emotional it is. When I do gigs, I get emotional with songs, but this is different. Even when we’re in the wings, some of us will start crying because you get drawn in by it. In the show, I sing Letterbomb. That song’s full of rage. I come off stage after that and I am absolutely raging. I’m angry. The emotion stays with me.

What do you think might surprise audiences about the show?

I think they’ll be really surprised at the energy of it. There’s not a lot of dialogue. It’s really just music and telling the story through emotion. It’s really different. It’s something I would definitely see with a group of my friends. I think that’s really important because a lot of people my age or younger wouldn’t necessarily go to the theatre.

Waterloo Road actor and The Voice contestant Tom Milner plays Johnny. How’s working with him?

We get on so well. Tom and I have got some really intense, personal scenes together, but he’s been the easiest person to work with. That’s made all the difference, because those scenes now aren’t awkward.

Are you excited about touring the show?

I am! We’re going to loads of places I haven’t been before, and every place you go to you get different reactions from different audiences. I love touring and I’m lucky that I’m doing it with a great group of people as well.

What do you think makes live performance so exciting?

I think the general energy in the room, the atmosphere from beginning to end. With American Idiot, you go from a full-out, big-energy rock song to it being deadly silent and watching someone in a state of mind in which they have no idea where they want to go with their lives. It’s so intense. I don’t think you can get that from watching a film, not to that level.

How did you get into performing?

When we were in primary school, we went on a school trip and there was a little talent show on the last day. All the girls were dancing and all the boys were doing whatever. I don’t know why, but I got up and sang a song. From there I’ve never stopped singing.

What was it like to appear on X Factor?

It was very intense, but also exciting. I was 16 / 17 when I was on the show and there were others younger and older than me who didn’t deal with it as well. I wanted to enjoy it, take it for what it was, take everything I could out of it and learn from it. I didn’t wish it away. I didn’t want to be at home. When I came off the show I knew I needed to work and build from it, which is what I’ve done.

Finally, what can audiences expect from a trip to see American Idiot?

So much energy and so many emotions. It’s a really intense show. You’ll come away from it and feel you’ve experienced every part of the story yourself.

American Idiot is at Manchester’s Palace Theatre from 2-6 April 2019. See website for details.

Read our review.

Read our interview with co-star Luke Friend.

The post Sam Lavery adds an X factor to Green Day musical American Idiot appeared first on Quays Life.