You have a huge misunderstanding of American Idiot as well as some insight. Green Day is most assuredly on "adult radar." They have been around since the 80s and have been a very well known quantity for about 25 of those years. I have been a fan for decades, as have lots of others (including Michael Mayer, who is slightly older than me). They are NOT really a band with a huge millennial following. It is laughable to suggest that their fans couldn't afford tickets. Laughable. You are correct that the "natural audience" is not "Broadway friendly." That, I would suggest, is Broadway's fault, not theirs.
How sustainable the social media-generated buzz for this show proves to be is TBD. But an analysis based on critics and the like is (I would think you would realize) irrelevant. I agree this target market is not in the post-millennial range, but this nonsense about not being able to afford tickets just really misapprehends the market.
I think an off-B path might have been better, though off-B is not a place one thinks of as a money maker for a show like this. Going to NWS is not cheap either, and London is irrelevant. I understand why this show is willing to roll the dice, even though I would not have. I think the play here is to tour, and of course the Broadway logic for that is quite enticing. |
