Billie Joe Armstrong

All The World's A Stage

While Rocktober signals the launch of end of the year tours, early fall is notoriously slow for Broadway productions. Fortunately the theatrics of rock ‘n’ roll and Broadway performance aren’t so divergent, so a handful of established artists have signed on to lend star power and name recognition, boosting atrophied ticket sales. In late September, Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong bumped ticket sales with a week-long run as St. Jimmy, the drug dealing antagonist from his band’s 2004 rock opera American Idiot. Similarly, The Who’s Pete Townshend invested his fame in promoting his opus, Tommy, which ran from 1993-1995 and ultimately earned him a Tony Award. Dee Snider, front man for the 80s hair-metal band Twisted Sister and current reality TV star, will begin an 11-week run in Rock of Ages, and Patti LaBelle is currently appearing in Fela!, the story of Fela Kuti and the Afrobeat music he pioneered. While some stars prefer the limelight, others invest in their name brand as producers. Jay-Z and actors Will and Jada Smith produced Fela!, and U2’s Bono and The Edge have set the stage for augmented success with production credits in addition to an original tune for the upcoming Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark musical.