Fan Fare
Entertainment behind the scenes
Punk rock gets more respectable with Green Day musical
(Writing and reporting by Dean Goodman)
Green Day, the California rock trio who arguably did more than any other act to bring punk to the mainstream, are developing a stage musical based on their 2004 hit album “American Idiot.”
The production, also titled “American Idiot,” will premiere on Sept. 4 at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre, in the northern California university town where the band first gained a following.
The musical “American Idiot” follows working-class characters from the suburbs to the Middle East, as they seek redemption in a world filled with frustration, according to the band’s music label, Warner Bros. Records. An onstage band will accompany an ensemble of 19 young performers.
The show will be directed by Michael Mayer, one of the creative minds behind the edgy Tony-winning musical “Spring Awakening,” who is a collaborator on the musical’s book with Green Day frontman and lyricist Billie Joe Armstrong.
From blogger to Broadway — almost — for Perez Hilton
Celebrity blogger Perez Hilton began his rise to fame by gossiping online about the adventures — and misadventures — of Hollywood’s bold and beautiful but now he finds himself being talked about with a musical about him set for the stage.
From August 8-14, “Perez Hilton Saves the Universe! (or at least the greater Los Angeles area): The Musical” is running at the New York International Fringe Festival. Organizers describe the show as exploring a normal day in Hilton’s life – well, were it not for the plans of evil terrorists and Kathy Griffin. Throughout the day, Hilton wrestles with the demons of love, ego and celebrity, all whilst saving Los Angeles from an imminent nuclear disaster, with a pop music backing.
