Advertisement

Culture Musicals

His Day has come

AMERICAN IDIOT by Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt, Tre Cool and Michael Mayer, directed by Mayer, with Jake Epstein, Van Hughes, Scott J. Campbell and Gabrielle McClinton. Presented by DanCap at the Toronto Centre for the Arts (5040 Yonge Street). Opens tonight (Thursday, December 29) and runs to January 15, Tuesday-Saturday 8 pm, matinees Wednesday, Saturday-Sunday (and December 29-30) 2 pm, January 8 at 7 pm. $62-$180. 416-644-3665. See listing.

Sometimes rock ‘n’ roll dreams do come true. Just ask Jake Epstein. The first rock concert he ever attended was Green Day’s at Mississauga’s Hershey Centre back in 2001. Now, 10 years later, he’s in the touring company of American Idiot, the multi-million-dollar Broadway show based on the band’s music.

“It’s totally a pinch-yourself moment for me,” says the Toronto native, best known for playing troubled rocker Craig Manning on Degrassi: The Next Generation. He’s one of four Canadians joining the cast for the 16-city North American tour, which starts in Toronto and runs through July.

The musical, which premiered in 2009 and hit Broadway in 2010, is based on the California punk band’s eponymous 2004 concept record, which sold 16 million copies, won a Grammy and thrust the mid-career trio back into the spotlight.

Like the record, the musical follows the fortunes of a kid named Johnny who hates the comfortable confines of suburbia and heads to the big city in search of new experiences. The musical version adds two of Johnny’s friends, Tunny and Will, into the mix. Tunny joins the army and fights in Iraq, but Will (Epstein) discovers his girlfriend is pregnant and decides to stay put in the burbs.

“I’m the only character who doesn’t leave the stage for the entire show,” laughs Epstein about director Michael Mayer’s decision to have his character’s monotony constantly on display.

“While stuff’s happening to Johnny in the city, I’m just sitting on this couch at home. I have couch choreography’ through the whole show so the audience can watch my condition worsen over time. It’s funny, but also pretty realistic and tragic.”

At first glance, DIY punk ethos and Broadway extravagance might seem incompatible, but Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong wrote the album as a rock opera and cites musicals like West Side Story, The Rocky Horror Picture Show and Jesus Christ Superstar as inspirations. Epstein goes a step further, calling the show “punk opera.”

“This show is fast and loud, just like punk. It clocks in at an hour and a half, so – like a two-minute punk song – we trim the fat and get right to the point. It has that exciting feeling that anything can happen. Punk ups the stakes more than rock music.”

Though the show’s themes may be explicitly American, Epstein feels that Toronto audiences will identify with its depiction of political frustration, protest and mistrust of authority.

“It’s a really interesting time to be doing this show, because it resonates with all of the Occupy movements. People realized that the situation on Wall Street is fucked up and unfair, and started this protest movement. That feeling of frustration, that something’s wrong and there needs to be a change, is a big part of the show.”

On Broadway, Armstrong surprised Green Day fans by joining the cast for a number of performances, but Epstein is tight-lipped about whether the rock star will crash any of the tour shows.

“I would love it. I’m hoping. With this show, don’t rule anything out!”

Interview Clips

On singing like Billy Joe Armstrong:

Download associated audio clip.

On the show’s punk touchstones:

Download associated audio clip.

stage@nowtoronto.com

Advertisement

Exclusive content and events straight to your inbox

Subscribe to our Newsletter

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

By signing up, I agree to receive emails from Now Toronto and to the Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions.