REVIEW: Green Day's American Idiot, Kings Theatre, Southsea, until Saturday, April 30

American Idiot takes us back to the immediate aftermath of the multiple terror attacks on the States as three life-long mates try to make their way in life and make sense of it all.

Their paths diverge dramatically: one stays at home; one goes into the army; the other gets sucked into the druggy underworld. And you just hope that somehow the power of friendship will team up with sheer survival instinct to bring them back from the brink.

Any parent will know, the pressures on youngsters days are surely worse than they have ever been; this show puts three mates in extremis… and you will them out the other side.

The music modulates perfectly between the heavier numbers and the heart-string-tugging ballads; the wow factor comes from the fact it’s all performed live before our eyes by a multi-talented cast working terrifically well together.

If you’re looking for a bright, cheery night out, this isn’t the one; if you’re wanting something you’ll remember the next morning, catch American Idiot in Portsmouth this week.

The cast features: Amelia Lily (Whatsername), Matt Thorpe (Johnny), Cellen Chugg Jones (Theo), Jemma Geanaus (Alysha), Alexis Gerred (Tunny), Llandyll Gove (Gerard), Karina Hind (Libby), Emma Housley (Heather), Lawrence Libor (Swing), Lucas Rush (St Jimmy) Steve Rushton (Will) and Alice Stokoe (Extraordinary Girl).

Phil Hewitt

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