arts & entertainment

Scott J. Campbell as Tunny, Van Hughes as

Johnny and Jake Epstein as Will in American Idiot

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Boulevard Of Broken Dreams

Punk band Green Day's concept album American Idiot is a
tuneful soundtrack to life at the dawn of the Iraq War.

Suzanne Chessler
Contributing Writer

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wo Canadian-based musical
theater performers — both born
in Toronto — will be part of the
cast of the punk pop-opera American Idiot
when it is staged Jan. 17-22 at the Detroit
Opera House.
Entering into the story of three lifelong
buddies searching for meaning in a post-
9-11 world are Jake Epstein, 24, in Detroit
nearly two years ago in SpringAwakening
(as lead character Melchior), and Talia
Aaron, 25, in her American tour debut.
The play, a 2010 Tony Award-nominated
Best Musical and 2010 Grammy Award
winner for Best Musical Show Album,
features the music of the band Green
Day with lyrics of lead singer Billie Joe
Armstrong, who co-wrote the script with
director Michael Mayer. The production is
based on the multi-platinum 2004 concept
album of the same title.
Mayer, who is Jewish, won the 2008
Tony Award for Spring Awakening, another
musical filled with youthful angst.
"The project's conceit was that I would
take the record and basically write story
onto it and from inside it:' Mayer told
Time Out New York. "The amount of free-
dom I had to dream and imagine was
unprecedented for me. And the range and
the love in equal measure throughout the
album I just found incredibly complicated
and dazzling — and tuneful."
"This show is, I think, the closest thing
there is to a live concert:' says Epstein,
who has been back in Toronto doing TV

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January 12 • 2012

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appearances and accepting stage roles in
Beauty and the Beast and Billy Elliot.
"What's really special about this show for
me is that the very first concert I ever went
to was with Green Day when I was 12. That
was sort of what made me want to start a
band, write music and get in front of audi-
ences. It's really cool for me to get to sing
and perform this music in this show"
Epstein plays Will, one of three sub-
urban guys seeking city adventures as
America faces the dawn of the war in Iraq.
Before the three are about to leave, Will
finds out that his girlfriend is pregnant
and so stays behind, spending the play
immobilized on his couch.
"I'm the only character who never
leaves the stage Epstein explains. "The
audience watches Will crumble. All of his
demons take over so he never can amount
to anything.
"I sing 'Give Me Novocain, which makes
me think of my going to Los Angeles for
a few months earlier in the year to audi-
tion for TV shows. It was exciting, but
there was the reality of going to a new city,
spending a lot of time on my own and
waiting for phone calls.
"That was when I had my American
Idiot audition for an isolated character like
Will, and I related to his feelings:'
Epstein, whose Jewish experiences have
to do with celebrating holidays with fam-
ily, was sent on his first professional stage
tryout at age 9 by a drama teacher and
kept winning roles after that.
The actor studied at the National
Theatre School of Canada, worked on
the TV show Degrassi for six years and

appeared in productions of Our Town,
Oliver! and Dangerous Liaisons.
"The music in American Idiot grabs the
audience, making people wake up and lis-
ten:' says the actor, who met his girlfriend,
a singer, through a Billy Elliot castmate.
"It's hunk music:'
Aaron, who defines the production as
emotionally energetic, understudies the
role of Heather, the character who is the
girlfriend of Epstein's character. A member
of the ensemble, she also understudies
Whatsername, girlfriend of the lead charac-
ter, Johnny (Van Hughes), who with Tunny
(Scott J. Campbell), flees suburbia.
"The show is highly political and asks
us to take a look at what's going on today,
the history that we're creating:' Aaron says.
"While there's nothing outwardly Jewish
about the play, I think the importance of
taking our own history into our hands and
not accepting the status quo is always an
important Jewish issue
Aaron sings "Too Much Too Soon:' a
breakup song full of spite, anger and love.
She believes everybody has the kind of
experience that evokes those feelings.
"Performanv has been very important
to me since I was 10," she says. "I started
doing community theater, and the woman
running the troupe began representing
me while I continued to train with singing
and dance classes."
Aaron's first break came at 14, when she
was cast in Grease, part of a company with
peer characters played by actors in their
20s. As she was chosen for more roles,
Aaron kept working on a broadcasting
career at Toronto's Ryerson University as

Talia Aaron

well as solo music projects.
"I have one year left in my four-year
degree says the single actress, who
appeared in three seasons of the TV show
Strange Days at Blake Holsey High (NBC/
Discovery Kids) in the role of Madison.
"The university is supportive of my
career, and they've allowed me to come
and go to work on contracte
Aaron traveled to Israel with a
Birthright tour this past summer. She
speaks Hebrew fluently.
Heritage is important to her.
"I took my father's mom's maiden name
as my stage name," Aaron says. "She was
my best friend and biggest fan, and she
always wanted to be an actress. I want to
carry her grace, charm and spirit with me
in my career. She was a really prominent
force in my life."

❑

American Idiot runs Jan.17-22
at the Detroit Opera House, 1526
Broadway. Performances are at 8
p.m. Tuesday-Saturday, 7:30 p.m.
Sunday and 2 p.m. Saturday and
Sunday. $25-$75. (313) 872-1000;
www.BroadwayinDetroit.com .

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