The musical 'American Idiot' is being performed again in Los Angeles with deaf actors

There is a scene in “American Idiot” where Will, a young man who is about to start a new life in the city with his friends, receives the unexpected news that he is about to become a father. He is left stranded in his suburban hometown and, as the song's lyrics describe, “Give me novacaine” Suddenly you feel stuck, restless and desperate for release, a specific feeling that is difficult to illustrate on stage.

Or not? The public of a Upcoming revival in Los Angeles In Green Day’s musical, performed simultaneously in spoken English and American Sign Language, Otis Jones IV will sit on a couch, waving his hands in palpable frustration, and James Olivas will run around in circles, singing the ballad with audible anguish. Both actors — one deaf, the other hearing — will portray Will in the show, and together their performances arguably explore the nuances of this scene more thoroughly than ever before.

“We all know the feeling of having multiple voices in our heads and feeling like they’re really pulling you in different directions,” said choreographer Jennifer Webster.

“That’s exactly the subtext we’re interested in exploring here: how can we use all the languages ​​at our disposal to get to the heart of these characters and where they are at each moment in this story?”

This staging of “American Idiot” is a landmark production for Los Angeles. From October 2 to November 10, the collaboration of the Center Theatre Group and the Deaf West Theatre marks the Mark Taper Forum Reopens After a one year breakthe first full season scheduled by CTG's newly appointed artistic director Snehal Desaiand Desai's directorial debut in CTG. That his journey aligns with the Politically charged punk rock album turns 20 And an important presidential election is no coincidence.

“It's a unique piece of theatre to begin with, and even if you've seen it before, this is a very, very different version,” Desai told The Times after the production's two-week workshop in late July.

“It may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but I’m going to urge people to give it a chance because, with things more dire than ever and us facing another very pivotal election in our country’s history, what we’re all going to need this fall is a place to escape, be in community and shout.”

Together, Otis Jones IV and James Olivas play Will in “American Idiot.” (Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)

That this staging of “American Idiot” is a bold and timely endeavor is appropriate, given the show’s origins. The musical, based on the Bay Area trio’s 2004 album of the same name, was its own grand twist: a concept album about an exasperated, lower-middle-class teenager coming of age in a period marked by the presidency of George W. Bush, the Sept. 11 attacks and the Iraq war.

“I think everyone is confused about the weather these days,” said singer and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, who forms Green Day with drummer Tré Cool and bassist Mike Dirnt. The Times in 2004. “[The album]“It's about the confusion of what it is to be an American.”

“American Idiot” was a critical and commercial success, winning Grammys for rock album and record of the year (“Boulevard of Broken Dreams”). And with more than 23 million copies sold to date, the album remains a millennial touchstone for its melodious expressions of anger and alienation.

“Growing up queer and brown in small-town America after 9/11, this album played a big role in my life,” recalled Desai, who is of Indian descent and was raised in Quakertown, Pennsylvania.

“I listened to it over and over again because I felt so marginalized; people who look like me are no less American, but we were perceived very differently. This album addressed the unease, anger, and helplessness I felt, while also being unafraid to question what it means to be an American during this tense and frightening time in our country’s history.”

The musical adaptation It premiered in 2009 at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre. before a year-long run on Broadway that earned him a Tony. He expanded the album's solo journey to that of three young outcasts without adding a line of scripted dialogue between 20 Green Day songs.

“It’s a complicated and ambiguous story,” said director Michael Mayer. he told the Times at the time“The closest example is opera, because songs have to do everything.”

The themes of “American Idiot” resonate deeply in the deaf community, as “we grew up accustomed to being in a place where the world probably doesn’t hear us and doesn’t understand what we do,” he said. Artistic Director of Deaf West Theatre, DJ Kurs.

“And the role of media in people’s lives that ‘American Idiot’ predicted 20 years ago is more relevant than ever for the deaf community, because social media is a way for us to connect with each other and the world at large.”

Daniel Durant and Mars Storm Rucker star as Johnny and Whatsername, respectively, in “American Idiot.” (Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)

Thanks to all the technology used to listen to music (audio captions on Instagram and Tiktok, bass-boosting headphones, cochlear implants, hearing aids, and more), today's generation of deaf people are expressing themselves by uploading videos of their ASL versions.

“I grew up in a hearing family and often felt very alone as a deaf person,” Jones said. “I started Post covers of R&B and hip-hop songs. “I came onto the Internet five years ago and it helped me find the deaf community I was looking for, as well as a connection to a full hearing audience that I didn’t know I could have.”

These ASL versions will be played on the Taper at the top of this production of “American Idiot,” which is intended to be fully accessible to deaf and hard-of-hearing audiences through projected captions, interpreted American Sign Language, and boosted bass to feel the vibrations of the music. (Earplugs will be available upon request.)

Some moments are expressed for a reason only, Desai said: “If you know sign language, you’ll understand; if you don’t, you’ll have access to what it means to be deaf in a world that’s constantly talking to you.”

Because this “American Idiot” relocates the story to the present, archival clips from the original production of former President Bush will be replaced with those of other former presidents, as was done in Various stagings from the musical.

The musical also centers on three deaf friends in today’s hearing America, which immediately raises the stakes of their stories: What does it feel like to be in a relationship with a hearing person who refuses to learn sign language? What does it mean for a deaf person to want to join the military, which still doesn’t allow deaf people to enlist?

Previous Deaf West Theatre Musicals Typically, the lead roles were doubled, with one deaf actor and one hearing actor playing the exact same narrative or emotional detail in a scene. But in “American Idiot,” a show in which much of the conflict is internal, the two actors playing the same role often communicate different thoughts and feelings and even seem to disagree with each other, as in the “Give Me Novacaine” sequence.

“These three characters are having internal battles about what they thought their dreams would be like and how their lives can change based on one decision,” explained ASL choreographer Colin Analco.

“When they feel self-destructive or dissatisfied with their life situation, we want to explore those dynamics through our combination of dance and sign language. There are no limits to using movement as a narrative tool in this case.”

Landen Gonzales plays Tunny in “American Idiot.” Lark Detweiler is part of the ensemble and is also the dance captain of the show. (Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)

Throughout the production, the cast of 20 actors, about half of whom are deaf or hard of hearing, uses sign language. “It’s been so exciting to see all of the hearing actors learn sign language for this play,” said Lark Detweiler, a deaf actor who is also the show’s dance captain. “It’s great to see people who care so much and work so hard to get it right.”

Keep an eye out for choreography during the instrumental sections of the production. “There are quite a few moments in the ‘American Idiot’ soundtrack that don’t have lyrics,” Webster said. “We want to materialize that sound for our deaf audiences and have them be able to see the music and experience it along with the hearing audience.”

“It's not about gimmicks,” Kurs added. “It's about using real tools to honor the spirit of a revival: taking old material and doing something new with it, and figuring out what works best for each section of the story.”

“American Idiot” is the fourth collaboration between Center Theatre Group and Deaf West Theatre, following 2009’s “Pippin,” 2007’s “Sleeping Beauty Wakes” and 2003’s “Big River.” That first show went to Broadway, earned two Tony nominations and completed a national tour. The fact that “American Idiot” is the first production of Desai’s debut season at CTG is, as he called it, “very intentional.”

“A lot of people look at an artistic director’s first season as a sign of where we’re going,” Desai said. “I wanted to make sure we recognized our place in the Los Angeles theater community and the legacy and history of those relationships.

“I also wanted us to start down a new path in terms of what we’re doing at CTG, artistically,” she added. “It was important to me to create space for the next generation of actors at CTG. With this production, a third of our actors weren’t even born when 9/11 happened; this was their first professional workshop. All in all, I hope this kicks off this next chapter of CTG in a really dynamic way.”

“It's not about gimmicks,” DJ Kurs said of the simultaneous use of American Sign Language and English on “American Idiot,” which features Otis Jones IV, James Olivas, Mars Storm Rucker and Daniel Durant rehearsing.

(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)