By Kenneth Jones Explaining his character, Gallagher told Playbill.com, "Johnny is in his mid-20s, and he's just at that age where it's starting to dawn on him that it’s starting to feel rather pathetic that he hasn't done more with his life. He's kind of a — somewhat of a loner, hangs out with his two friends and listens to a lot of punk rock music, and comes from a broken home and, I think, feels very disillusioned and alone and feels like his generation got slightly gypped somehow. He finally wakes up one day and realizes that he holds all the power to make his future and decides to go off on, for lack of a better word, his own personal journey to find himself."
Hope fuels most musicals. Is there a sense of hope in the anger-spiked, drug-injected American Idiot?
"Absolutely," Gallagher said. "I think there's hope just in anyone trying to get closer to what they believe and what they want and what they need and what they feel that their community needs or their generation needs. You know, there are some dark twists in the show, but ultimately, I really do think there is a lot of positivity, and like I said, for every dark place that these characters go, they go to some pretty bright ones at the same time."
20 Apr 2010
The show features scenic design by Tony nominee Christine Jones (Spring Awakening), costume design by Baryshnikov fellow Andrea Lauer (The Butcher of Baraboo), lighting design by two-time Tony winner Kevin Adams (Hair), sound design by Obie Award winner Brian Ronan (Cabaret), as well as video design by Darrel Maloney. The music director is Carmel Dean.
The show is produced on Broadway in association with Berkeley Repertory Theatre.
Visit www.AmericanIdiotOnBroadway.com.
