SOUTH SALT LAKE CITY — There are often interesting coincidences with art and the world at large. The announcement that Green Day would open Super Bowl 60 when the creative team at The Grand Theatre was already deep in rehearsals of the band’s jukebox musical American Idiot with lyrics from Billie Joe Armstrong and a book co-written by Armstrong and Michael Mayer. As someone whose young music tastes were being defined to the sounds of punk rock voices like Green Day, the show has always held a special interest for me. American Idiot won tony awards for Scenic and Lighting design as well as receiving a nomination for Best Musical in an admittedly thin class.
Jukebox musicals tend to either be autobiographies through music or wholly new stories developed out of a group’s music anthology. American Idiot is a little of both as a rock opera that is mostly sung through and depends heavily on dance and movement for understanding the broader story. Essentially it boils down to three angst filled men in a post September 11 world entering adulthood and rejecting the horrors of their country engaging in Middle Eastern combat that come with it set to the sounds of much of Green Day’s seventh studio album.
The stage was immediately visually stunning with a live band centered on platforms. The exposed light rigs gave the space a concert feel. Halee Rasmussen created an visually striking scene. Walls were covered in anti-propganda imagery such as a skull wearing a star spangled hat with “I Want You” spray painted and some other tagging on the steps and set. Embedded in the set were screens that overlaid song titles during the various medleys in the show. The stage is set for the audience to walk in and enjoy a night of irreverent anger, epic storytelling and early 2000s nostalgia that will blow the doors off. The show earns an R rating that is advertised clearly prior to entering the space for profanity, substance abuse, and adult themes.
The only problem was, the doors weren’t blown off. To be clear, I really enjoyed the show, with two major exceptions. The first is that the show often looked like a rock concert. Tim Swensen’s music timed and masterfully focused lighting design was both rocking and dramatic. Shannon McCullock’s emo-adjacent costumes with flairing plaid skirts, band t-shirts and other iconic styles set a definite tone. High energy skanking and ensemble choreography that was incredible to watch. The visual storytelling and blocking was masterful. The singers were incredibly high caliber. Talent galore. And yet, even for someone whose birth year starts with 198-, I wanted a more. Not to sound like a heckler to sound designer Porter Charlesworth, but crank the volume! This is a rock opera. I want to be rocked.
The second criticism I had was harder to put my finger on, but it ultimately boils down to this. Punk comes from a place of unbridled rebellion and angst – animosity for the establishment, even. This show at times felt a little too much like a musical where people are having fun engaging in high risk activity and flipping people off than a punk fueled demonstration where the characters are furious. Real anger, despite a host of things to be angry about on or off stage, didn’t manifest here. Mark Fossen’s direction does so many things well. He lead a cohesive design aesthetic that matches the energy of and genre of the song. The visual storytelling is profoundly clear through some of the vignettes, and Fossen doesn’t lose the main relationships and arcs of the characters. I just felt that at times it was a little too much of a musical and not enough of a an anti-establishment rebel cause.
The show is led by Tristan Johnson as the show’s central figure Johnny. He’s case in point for what absolutely worked and what I felt was missing in the show. His vocals were impressive in bringing a resonance and high caliber performance quality to the show that were always engaging to watch. The only thing more dynamic than his vocal range was his emotional range. Johnny’s descent into addiction was heart wrenching to watch as Johnson shows Johnny in denial of the negative effects he’s dealing with until it is far too late. What was missing, however, was a reason to be angry or the manifestation of anger at all in his performance. Despite many flipped birds, I never got the sense of Johnny being a character that is angry as much as him being one who is flippant.
I was profoundly moved by Taylor Smith as Tunny whose character is enlisted in the military and suffers devastating loss during Operation Iraqi Freedom in the story. His arc is profound and Smith brought a level of depth, sobriety and profundity to the role that I appreciated. Those sequences were some of the most evocative moments of the show. The developed relationship between Tunny and Heather (McKenna Kay Jensen) were the beautiful rays of sunshine such a visually heavy story needed and both actors were able to tell a deep story without saying much.
McKenna Walwyn was a devastating Whatsername who is the love and loss of Johnny. She brought exceptional vocal talent to the show and her performance was another strong element. Walwyn was able to show the unfettered intimacy of the character as well as the devastation of the drug abuse that overtakes Johnny as she is iced out. Walwyn was believable and gave that arc depth of throwing away something good.
Choreography, as mentioned above, was a wonderful aspect of this show. The actors were deeply into it, and it added a youthful enthusiasm to the show that carried the production’s early moments as well as helping with some of the most striking staging later in the play. Choreographers who can utilize a signature style, keep it at the level of the actors, and still make it dynamic to watch are top notch and Jessica Pace Lyells did exactly that. Jonathan McDonald was an exceptional live music director. The band sounded great and looked the part from start to finish.
This show may not be everyone’s speed. American Idiot is not plot rich. The sometimes gritty adult content will deter some local audiences. Being more of a true Opera without explanatory dialogue or a character driven production is different than many other contemporary musicals. But the show was artistically deeply, and kept me engaged from start to finish. The show runs 90 minutes and I was left with much to think about and discuss. The Grand continues a tradition of taking on challenging work that challenges sensibilities and responds to the world it is produced in, and it was a compelling piece of art to engage with.
MORE INFO: AMERICAN IDIOT is currently playing at The Grand Theatre (1575 S State St, Salt Lake City, UT 84115) as part of The Grand Theatre’s 2025–2026 season. The production runs through March 15, 2026. Performances are held at 7:30 PM on select evenings, with 2:00 PM matinees on select Saturdays and Sundays. Tickets for American Idiot typically range from $25 to $45. For the most up-to-date schedule, performance details, and official ticketing, visit The Grand Theatre website: https://www.the-grand.org/