Cabaret Theatre's 'American Idiot' welcomes audience to new kind of theatrical edge

Cabaret Theatre brought out its inner rockstars this past weekend in "American Idiot," the company's fall mainstage musical.

The production, which originally opened on Broadway in 2010, is a jukebox musical based on songs by the band Green Day, with most of them hailing from its iconic "American Idiot" album. The show is classified as a "sung-through musical," meaning that there is little to no dialogue, and the story is mainly told through song.

Felicity Winter, a School of Arts and Sciences senior, directed Cabaret Theatre's production of "American Idiot," focusing on three friends in the early 2000s: Johnny, Will and Tunny, played by Jack Cosentino and Derek Schoch, two School of Arts and Sciences sophomores, and Keiran Varian, a School of Arts and Sciences senior, respectively.

During the show's runtime, the friends grapple with tumultuous relationships, injuries and drug addiction while deciding whether they want to leave or remain in their suburban hometown.

Cabaret Theatre, a small black box theater located on Douglass campus, allowed for an intimate performance between the cast and its audience. Cast members made direct eye contact with audience members and sang to them in the aisles, bringing lots of angsty energy and fun to the performance.

It allowed onlookers to have a deeper connection to the show and also established how much passion the performers and production staff of the company have for theater.

Every single cast member brought their A-game in terms of talent and energy to the production. Specifically, Kitana Sultan, a School of Arts and Sciences senior, played the character Whatsername and showcased impressive belting in "Boulevard of Broken Dreams."

Additionally, Megan Burns, a School of Arts and Sciences sophomore, demonstrated sweet but powerful vocals when singing "Dearly Beloved" as her character Heather.

"Holiday," "21 Guns," "Letterbomb" and the show's opener "American Idiot" were all highlights of the production.

With most sung-through musicals, the story can be difficult to follow as it progresses. But any confusion within the plot or story of "American Idiot" was overshadowed by how enjoyable the cast's performances were.

In addition to these strong performances, the musical benefited from fantastic technical production. Before the show began, audiences got to take in set design coordinated by John Baker, a School of Arts and Sciences senior, which included graffiti and an upside-down American flag. Matching the setting's grunge aesthetic were costumes designed by Shaena Harasty and Jane Mirvis, two School of Arts and Sciences seniors.

One of the standout moments from the show was a scene where the characters of Johnny and Whatsername did drugs on one side of the stage in red light, while characters Will and Heather cradled their child on the other side in blue light.

With a unique and colorful lighting design, operated by Ian Clark, a School of Arts and Sciences junior, the moment encapsulates the show's broader theme of the different paths people can go down in life.

Despite having a shorter runtime and no intermission, Cabaret Theatre's "American Idiot" was a memorable production from start to finish. Any Green Day fan would be pleased with great performances of their favorite songs, coupled with the passion and magic of live theater.

Despite the "Idiot" in the title, "American Idiot" proved itself to be rather clever. After this production, there's no doubt that Cabaret Theatre will continue to put in a lot of effort and showcase talent for the rest of its season.