Scott J. Campbell, Van Hughes and Jake Epstein

The national tour of Green Day's American Idiot makes its third stop for eight performances only this week at the Boston Opera House. The Tony Award-nominated and Grammy Award-winning punk rock musical lives up to the hype as a raucous and emotionally charged staging of Green Day's 2004 concept album, in the tradition of The Who's Tommy and Jesus Christ, Superstar. Following a successful tryout at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre in the fall of 2009, the musical transferred to Broadway's St. James Theatre in March, 2010, and closed on April 24, 2011, after 27 previews and 421 performances.

Original Broadway cast member Van Hughes heads up the company as Johnny, with Jake Epstein as Will, Scott J. Campbell as Tunny, and original Broadway cast member Joshua Kobak in the pivotal role of St. Jimmy. In a show laden with testosterone, original Broadway cast member Leslie McDonel as Heather, Gabrielle McClinton as Whatsername, and Nicci Claspell as The Extraordinary Girl garner a lot of positive attention, packing their portrayals with emotional punch. This impressive group of featured players is joined by a strong company consisting of actor/singers who make an impression in their own right.

Rage and love are expressed in equal measure in this archetypal coming-of-age story about three friends in stultifying suburbia, herein referred to as Jingletown. Influenced by the politics and world order post-9/11, the ensemble of disaffected youth rage against the machine, as it were, with upraised middle fingers, glowering faces, and herky-jerky movements that let you know they are not this generation's flower children. They defy George W. Bush, the "redneck agenda," the 24-hour news cycle, and Mom, Dad and apple pie.

Alienated and angry as they are with a world that doesn't believe in them, Johnny, Will and Tunny decide to leave the suburbs for The City to start a new life. They follow familiar paths: Will reluctantly stays at home with his pregnant girlfriend Heather, drowning his sorrows and boredom in pot and alcohol; Johnny, aka the Jesus of Suburbia, finds love with Whatsername and heroin with St. Jimmy around the same time, leading to an inevitable showdown; and when his disillusionment morphs into patriotism, Tunny enlists in the military, gets wounded, loses a leg and finds love with the Extraordinary Girl. Eventually, the trio is reunited in their hometown, sadder but wiser.

Granted, even the classic West Side Story is a latter day Romeo and Juliet, but the formulaic book is not the driving force behind American Idiot. That distinction must go to the music of Green Day with lyrics by lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong. The score consists of hard-driving, pulsating music (often augmented by strobes or pulsating colored lights designed by Tony winner Kevin Adams) interspersed with some lovely ballads, notably "When It's Time" and "Wake Me Up When September Ends." Hughes and Epstein accompany themselves on acoustic guitars on the latter tunes. Music Director/Keyboardist Jared Stein and five band mates on guitar, bass, cello and drums are scattered around the stage, incorporated into the ensemble. Musical supervision, arrangements and orchestrations are by Tom Kitt, choreography by Steven Hoggett, and Michael Mayer, who co-wrote the book with Armstrong, directs.

Christine Jones' Tony Award-winning scenic design, paired with Darrel Maloney's video/projection design is cause for sensory overload. Inspired by a warehouse or punk rock club, the unit set serves as various locations, from suburban living room to dive motel, from battle zone to hospital, and set pieces on wheels are moved around as needed. More than two dozen video screens line the upstage and stage left walls, flashing images at warp speed, reflecting the media bombardment in our culture. There is never a dull moment visually, a high point being an exquisite aerial ballet featured in a dream sequence when Tunny is hospitalized ("Extraordinary Girl").

There is no plausible basis beyond the characters' fatigue and maturation to explain the conclusion of the show when the three friends return home from their journeys, in defeat. Arguably, only Tunny has had an experience of valor, while Will hasn't done much of anything and Johnny has been out of control. What lies ahead appears to be the very same landscape they had previously rejected, yet they view it with hope, rather than despair. The anger is gone, replaced by submission. Where's the hope in that?

Green Day's American Idiot Broadway in Boston presents performances through January 29 at Boston Opera House, 539 Washington Street, Boston, MA; Ticketmaster 1-800-982-2787 or www.BroadwayInBoston.com. For more information on the tour, visit americanidiotthemusical.com. Music by Green Day, Lyrics by Billie Joe Armstrong, Book by Billie Joe Armstrong and Michael Mayer; Scenic Design, Christine Jones; Costume Design, Andrea Lauer; Lighting Design, Kevin Adams; Sound Design, Brian Ronan; Video/Projection Design, Darrel Maloney; Production Stage Manager, Monica Dickhens; Music Director, Jared Stein; Musical Supervision, Arrangements and Orchestrations, Tom Kitt; Choreographer, Steven Hoggett; Director, Michael Mayer

Cast: Van Hughes, Scott J. Campbell, Jake Epstein, Gabrielle McClinton, Nicci Claspell, Leslie McDonel, and Joshua Kobak; with Talia Aaron, Krystina Alabado, Gabriel Antonacci, Larkin Bogan, Jennifer Bowles, Matt DeAngelis, Dan Gleason, Kelvin Moon Loh, Omar Lopez-Cepero, Tommy McDowell, Jillian Mueller, Vince Oddo, Okieriete Onaodowan

Photo: Doug Hamilton

- Nancy Grossman