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Wharton hosts Green Day musical

April 9, 2013
	<p>Alyssa DiPalma and Alex Nee perform in the musical &#8220;American Idiot,&#8221; which will be at Wharton Center April 9-11. Photo Courtesy of Wharton Center </p>

Alyssa DiPalma and Alex Nee perform in the musical “American Idiot,” which will be at Wharton Center April 9-11. Photo Courtesy of Wharton Center

Despite their success during the years, music education sophomore Caleb Crouch has his doubts about Green Day.

“They sold out,” Crouch said. “In the old days, they embraced true punk music. Then ‘American Idiot’ came out, and it’s like they said: ‘Let’s make a pop-punk album!’ They made music to sell and please the masses.”

The band recently has returned from a hiatus, during which time frontman Billie Joe Armstrong had the chance to write a musical adaptation of the band’s seventh-studio album, “American Idiot.”

The Broadway musical, which premiered at Wharton Center Tuesday, follows the coming-of-age story of three young men trying to reach their own success in the big city. It features some of the band’s biggest hits, such as “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” and “Holiday,” and will be performed daily at Wharton until Thursday.

Throughout the one-act play, each character faces their own hardships, such as unexpected parenthood. Kennedy Caughell, who plays Will’s girlfriend Heather, said her character’s life changes before the eyes of the audience.

“(Heather is) kind of the pop-punk princess, and all of a sudden her life gets turned upside down,” Caughell said. “She tells her boyfriend (she is pregnant), hoping he stays with her, and he does. You see her change and grow and mature into a woman.”

To keep the material relatable on both sides, Caughell said casting directors kept the age of the actors in mind through the auditioning process.

“It’s the youngest cast we’ve ever had for the show,” she said. “They (cast) is around the ages the characters are supposed to be … Everyone in college is going to relate to this.”

Although she was a fan of Green Day growing up, music performance freshman Kaylee Whitfield said she’d be reluctant to see the show.

“I used to really like them, but not so much anymore,” Whitfield said. “I went through a pop-punk phase in terms of music.”

Caughell admits she didn’t go out of her way to listen to Green Day’s music before scoring the role. But as she began preparing to tour with the musical, she found a familiar place within the songs.

“I knew Green Day’s music, but I didn’t really listen to them,” she said. “I realized how much I knew, and punk rock kinda found me, and I love it.”

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