There is a saying in artists’ circles “Where we are wounded, we are gifted.” And nowhere is this more apparent than in the currently playing American Idiot. Green Day’s successful Broadway musical is now on an international tour, and Nashville is one of the lucky stops. For all of America’s trials and tribulations, out of these wounds come our most endearing and authentic qualities.

Intelligent, passionate and relevant to now, American Idiot tells the story of post-911 American youth culture. The show opens with a barrage of Fox news and television soundbite nightmares illustrating the schizophrenia that America truly has become on the heels of 911.

Don’t wanna be an American idiot.
Don’t want a nation under the new media
And can you hear the sound of hysteria?

A fragmented culture where apple pie or High School Musical have no place, this is the America of dissonance. An America where television provides the programming, whether its legal or illegal drugs, getting into or out of debt, and the smorgasbord is stifling and disillusioning.

Here in this illusory world, the stage is set to tell the story of three American boys. Johnny, Will and Tunny. Johnny, played by the dynamic Alex Nee, is the linchpin of the trio. He is also a sort of young Billie Joe Armstrong portraying the creative, conflicted youth of “broken homes” with a stepfather who thinks he’ll never amount to anything. As the three teenagers awake to their adult selves, the lyrics of “Jesus of Suburbia” take on spectacular meaning. “I’m the son of rage and love, the Jesus of Suburbia.”

As they ponder what in the world to do with their lives, they “Get my television fix, sitting on my crucifix, the living room on my private womb while the moms and brats are away.” All three boys eventually “fall in love, fall in debt” and they all three come round to see in the end that “there’s nothing wrong with me, that’s how I’m supposed to be, in a land of make-believe that don’t believe in me.”

The second character, Will, played by Casey O’Farrell, represents the youth who stays at home when his girlfriend becomes pregnant, while his friends go out and travel the world. He becomes temporarily depressed and his girlfriend leaves him. O’Farrell is a Nashville thespian and currently considers Goodlettsville home.

The third of the trio is Tunny, played by Thomas Hettrick. Tunny joins the military; a particularly revving scene is when he decides to get out of bed and be all that he can be, he wants to be a hero in the army. Instead, he goes to Iraq, becomes wounded and returns disabled.

Other stand-out performances include St. Jimmy, played by the scintillating Trent Saunders. As the dandied up drug dealer with charisma and personality, St. Jimmy teaches Johnny a thing or two about the world, including how to leave it too young. “Too Much Too Soon” is another beauty when Will’s girlfriend decides to leave him, sung by Carson Higgins and the incendiary Aurie Ceylon.

Every song and dance is special and fundamentally poignant. From the passionate to the delicate and reflective, Green Day and this stellar cast have the bases covered. This kind of musical creates true pride in America . . . pride in its ability to create relevant theater and honest self-examination. Don’t miss the finale when the whole cast picks up a guitar and renders a delightful version of Green Day’s anthemic “Time of Your Life.”

Casey O’Farrell. Photo by John Daughtry.

Actor and Tennessee native Casey O’Farrell took a moment to speak with the Pulse about his return to Music City.

The Murfreesboro Pulse: How does it feel to be back in Nashville performing such a great show as American Idiot? Will you get to see your old friends/haunts or mostly work? What kinds of things do you notice have changed, appeared or just gone away?
Casey O’Farrell: It’s absolutely amazing being back in Nashville performing at Jackson hall! Growing up going to that theater, it became a dream to perform there and the feeling on opening night was amazing! Most of my friends from the Nashville days are also out doing things around the U.S. The friends and family that are in town will definitely get some face time. I think Nashville has evolved a lot since I moved away, mostly in great ways! Downtown is wonderful with the new convention center. It’s really come a lot with the times to remain fresh and hip. I love Nashville. I do however miss going to see the Knights play at the Municipal Auditorium, but we have the Preds now!

MP: You’re getting to travel the world and do work you love. What other shows or ventures would you like to do next?
CO: I am so lucky to be able to travel and do what I love. In the future I would love to be part of some new theater like American Idiot; it’s new and challenges the audience to watch and accept, but that makes it so rewarding as a performer. I would love to continue to do new challenging pieces of art, and maybe some old favorites as well.

MP: In school, were you more of glee kid or a punk kid?
CO: I think I would put myself in the punk category, especially over Glee. I was definitely the weird theater kid who didn’t fit in in my school. Those were the interesting years of development.

MP: What about being from Nashville helps you as a performer? What about it ever holds you back?
CO: I think growing up in Nashville there is some music that is instilled in you. That being said, starting playing the guitar at an early age has definitely helped with that. I don’t think any part of being from Nashville has held me back. This city is rich in arts and encourages it.

MP: American Idiot is full of energy and imagination . . . the songs of Green Day are passionate. Were you a fan of Green Day as a kid in Bellevue?
CO: I was a fan of Green Day without really knowing it. Growing up here in the ’80s and ’90s we had a lot of continuous hours of music (on the radio), so you wouldn’t know who the bands were ’til the end of the hour. After signing on with American Idiot, I realized how much of their catalog actually knew. So with that (along with my brother owning a Green Day album), I just knew all their music.

American Idiot is at TPAC’s Jackson Theater through March 7. Get your theater fix, stop sitting on your your crucifix and see it. Find more information here