American Idiot the Musical Broadway opening night:
Opening on April 20th 2010 at St James Theatre in New York, this musical is a unique show. The concept was a visual adaptation of Green Day’s concept album American Idiot. The set design helped to create a perfect atmosphere to follow the story but the one thing that brings everything together is the music. Much of the audience were previous fans of Green Days’ music and were keen to see the post 9/11 story behind the music. They also attracted many famous people such as Donald Trump and Elizabeth Gillies (Haun, 2010).
As I just mentioned, previous fans of the 2004 album were excited to hear about the release of the show but also the documentary called Broadway Idiot (Broadway Idiot – Green Day (2013) [HD720p], 2014). This documentary was a perfect promotion technique as trailers of the movie were often clips of the rehearsals or of band members talking about the show itself. I believe that this method of promotion is very effective and would be perfect to use at our own event. If you use social media to upload videos of rehearsals or sneak peeks, it is a great way to advertise your show. Another great promotional method they used was releasing carefully designed posters and billboards. This was great because not only were they eye-catching but were seen by people passing by and using social media platforms. This would also be great for us to use as it is easy to hang posters around college or at venues as well as post to our social media accounts.
The show used lots of various lighting and effects. This added to the overall atmosphere and was very effective. If done correctly and safely, this would look great at our event but only if it is completely necessary. The lighting can be a great way to set the tone of a performance. Therefore this is an important thing to consider when organising an event as it could add a lot to the performances.
A great part of this show is their band’s involvement in the actual production. Rather than solely having a pit band, certain members of the ensemble are built-in behind the set and have certain roles to play of their own. Whilst this may not always be useful when event planning specifically, it helps to see that everyone can have a part in the show. This is a great attitude to have and can really help to put everyone in a positive team-orientated mindset.
This event could, however, be improved if it had a wider range of music or it was not targeted at a specific audience. This can be applied to us by having our artists play a varied set or having a wider concept. If it is relatable, we are more likely to attract a large audience. This is why a charitable event can be great to do.
Bibliography:
2014. Broadway Idiot – Green Day (2013) [Hd720p]. Available at: <https://youtu.be/Hn1JYbww-XM> [Accessed 12 May 2020].
Haun, H., 2010. PLAYBILL ON OPENING NIGHT: American Idiot — Green Day’s Red-Letter Day | Playbill. [online] Playbill. Available at: <https://www.playbill.com/article/playbill-on-opening-night-american-idiot-green-days-red-letter-day-com-167836> [Accessed 12 May 2020].