Scene designer Christine Jones discusses her Tony-winning creations for "American Idiot," which consist of bill-covered walls, video monitors and a very unusual prop masquerading as a bus. She leaves little notes in each area of her set to put the actors in a particular location-based mindset. As her team tests the set, the actors are shown reacting to their new onstage home. The footage used in "Broadway Idiot" gives the impression that the camera is always in the right place to capture moments of genuine surprise on the faces of everyone involved. There are some emotionally stunning and candid moments in this documentary, and they unfold without seeming forced or staged.
When the camera isn't observing the folks behind the curtain, "Broadway Idiot" points it at the actors out front. "These characters are a lot like us," says Rebecca Naomi Jones, a powerhouse singer assaying the role of the album's oft-mentioned female character, Whatsername. She's joined by John Gallagher Jr., who plays Johnny, the lead character, and Tony Vincent, whose St. Jimmy looks as advertised by Armstrong's vocal on Jimmy's eponymous album track. St. Jimmy is the role Armstrong prepares to play at the beginning of "Broadway Idiot," and until he does, we're treated to a satisfying chunk of scenes where the cast sing and practice their numbers. The musical moments include Green Day's Grammy show performance with the cast, which occurs on the same day everyone finds out their Berkeley-staged tryout is headed for Broadway.
Armstrong remains present throughout "Broadway Idiot," and while he's never seen as anything less than supportive, it must have been nerve-wracking for the show creators trying to elevate and perfect Green Day's work on a musical's stage. "Some of these arrangements are better than ours," Armstrong says at one point, putting Mayer and Kitt at ease. Kitt makes parallels between the chord progressions on "American Idiot's" mournful "Wake Me Up When September Ends" and A Chorus Line's "What I Did For Love," showing that Green Day's rock music isn't so different from that of a Broadway show. Armstrong then reveals a childhood story that may explain why the similarity is there.
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