By Matt Allen, news correspondent
NU Stage Musical Theatre Company will perform Green Day’s two-time Tony Award-winning rock opera “American Idiot” this weekend, while the Northeastern Shakespeare Society performs an adaptation of William Shakespeare’s “The Tempest.”
The musical features songs from Green Day’s “American Idiot” album as well as from the band’s 2009 album “21st Century Breakdown.” Northeastern Shakespeare Society’s “The Tempest,” to be performed in the same weekend, tells a story of magic and revenge.
Playing the role of Johnny in “American Idiot,” Lukas Kruegle, a sophomore computer engineering major, described the musical’s narrative as being one of fleeing the repression of small town life.
“This is a story of escaping suburbia to see the rest of the world,” Kruegle said.
Senior communication studies major Cassandra Middlemist, director of “American Idiot,” said the musical relates to many young anti-conformists’ desires to change society.
“The story follows Johnny, Will and Tunny, three disillusioned young men who desperately want to make a change in the world,” Middlemist said.
Anthony Giordano, junior mechanical engineering major playing Will in the show, said much of the rock ‘n’ roll genre focuses on everyday moral struggles, as is the case in “American Idiot.”
“This is a story derived from the internal struggles of the protagonists,” Giordano said. “They are all constantly faced with the struggle of what you should do, what you think you should do, and what you want to do.”
In a sharp thematic turn, “The Tempest” concerns the unlikely affairs of the members of the upper class in the play’s fictional world.
The story is set on a desert island and features the characters Prospero, Antonio and King Alonso of Naples. The Northeastern Shakespeare Society plans to put on a remastered version of the original work using puppets. The production team cast Prospero, originally written as a male role, as a woman. The student actors believe utilizing talented actresses and re-gendering certain roles adds a level of uniqueness to the performance.
Sophomore chemistry major Maddy Shay, who will play Prospero, said the performance is one of illusion, sibling rivalries and the restoring of legacies.
“We’re focusing on Prospera’s [sic] writing about all the people who wronged her, and all the people she wants to take revenge on, as she is stranded, periodically fading in and out of what reality is,” Shay said.
This is the last play Noah Pilchen, director of “The Tempest” and 2016 alum, will direct at Northeastern. He said more than directing the plays or interpreting Shakespeare, he will miss the relationships he built along the way.
“This was the single most rewarding thing I did at Northeastern,” Pilchen said. “The crew and I have jokingly, and not so jokingly, talked about getting tattoos of our logo. This club, and the club members, will always hold a special place in my heart.”
The NU Stage Musical Theatre Company will perform “American Idiot” in Blackman Auditorium on April 15 and 16. Tickets are available through the myNEU portal and cost $6 for Northeastern students and $8 for non-students. Admission for the “The Tempest” is free, and the show will be held on April 16 and 17 on Centennial Common.
Correction: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that the character Prospero’s name was changed to Prospera.
