Green Day's 'American Idiot' is loud, aggressive and irresistible

If "American Idiot" is too loud, you're too old.

The galvanizing punk rock musical adapted from Green Day's hit 2004 album makes that clear from the start, which delivers to the audience a metaphoric slap upside the head in the guise of a ringing guitar and a defiant yell.

What follows is 90 minutes of noisy, propulsive, irresistible, 21st century punk by Billie Joe Armstrong, Tre Cool and Mike Dirnt accompanied by Armstrong's lyrics, which range from barely articulate to acutely perceptive. A vivid, aggressive portrait of disaffected youth, "American Idiot" is a rousing assault - a blast from the Clash with a side of The Ramones - chronicling the efforts of restless twentysomethings to transform their dull, ordinary lives.

Clearly, this 2010 Broadway hit isn't for everyone, evidenced by the couple who scurried up the aisle 20 minutes into Tuesday's opening at Chicago's Oriental Theatre and never returned. But if ever your heart thumped to a rock 'n' roll beat, or if it still does, this is a show for you.

Part rock opera, part rock concert, this coming-of-age, slice-of-late-adolescent-life doesn't adhere to a traditional musical format. Imaginatively staged with an edgy sensitivity by Michael Mayer ("Spring Awakening"), who also cowrote the book with Armstrong, "Idiot" is almost entirely sung-through, with a handful of spoken interludes mostly in the form of letters home from the central character. That would be Johnny, a goofy, yet endearing slacker flawlessly played by Van Hughes, a veteran of the Broadway cast, who brings depth to a character conceived as a stereotype.

Bored, buzzed and living in the 'burbs, Johnny and his pals Will (Jake Epstein) and Tunny (Scott J. Campbell) have nowhere to go and nothing to do except hang out, drink beer and stew in their late adolescent juices.

The trio decides to trade suburbia for the big city, but Will's girlfriend's pregnancy keeps him tethered to his hometown and his sofa, from which he watches as his life slips away from him. Johnny and Tunny catch a Greyhound bus and wind up - predictably - more alone and alienated than ever.

The increasingly withdrawn Tunny gets seduced by the military and shipped off to Afghanistan. Johnny, his guitar strapped to his back, prowls the boulevards where he gets seduced first by Whatsername (the tough, sexy Gabrielle McClinton) and then by the glitter-loving St. Jimmy, Johnny's alter-ego and ringmaster for his drug-infused debaucheries. He's played by Joshua Kobak, whose alluring display of excess and abandon stands out even in an ensemble comprised of young standouts.

Backed by on onstage band - a powerhouse sextet conducted by Jared Stein - they sound terrific. Kudos to music supervisor Tom Kitt, whose gorgeous arrangements make rock anthems like the gleefully raucous "Holiday" and the poignant "21 Guns" sound as lush as any Broadway ballad. You're unlikely to find a harder-working ensemble on a Chicago area stage right now. Steven Hoggett puts them through their paces with his pugilistic, fist-pumping, headbanging choreography that leaves the performers gasping for air. Like the members of a sports team who leave everything on the field, Mayer's explosive cast leaves everything onstage. As for Hoggett, his work is inspired. His pas de deux depicting Johnny and Whatsername shooting heroin has a terrible grace that makes the scene even more chilling.

Musical blitzkrieg notwithstanding, "American Idiot" has a familiar ring: restless, disenchanted young people look to trade their ordinary existence for lives more extraordinary. Every generation enacts its own version of the story. And they all end the same way: with a kick in the pants and a few bruises which ultimately culminate in self-awareness and sobriety. These are the rewards that come from surviving life punching you in the solar plexus.

Yet, it's a tale worth repeating and, like this "Idiot," worth seeing.

“American Idiot”

★ ★ ★ ½

Location: Ford Center for the Performing Arts, Oriental Theatre, 24 W. Randolph St., Chicago. (800) 775-2000 or broadwayinchicago.com

Showtimes: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday through Friday; 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday; 2 and 7:30 p.m. Sunday; 2 p.m. Wednesday through Feb. 19

Tickets: $27-$95

Running time: About 90 minutes, no intermission

Parking: Paid garages nearby

Rating: For mature audiences; features adult language, strong sexual content, nudity, references to drug use and violence