Melissa Etheridge to step into 'American Idiot'

[January 19, 2011]  NEW YORK (AP) -- Melissa Etheridge is about to get in touch with her punk side.

The Grammy- and Oscar-winning singer will temporarily step in for Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong while he takes a break from performing in his Broadway musical, "American Idiot."

Etheridge, best known for her song "Come to My Window," will play drug dealer "St. Jimmy" from Feb. 1 to 6. Armstrong, the composer and co-author of the musical, returns Feb. 10.

The high-octane show follows three working-class characters as they wrestle with modern life. One joins the Army, one becomes a father and one descends into a drug-fueled life -- thanks to St. Jimmy.

Says director Michael Mayer: "This character is seductive, thrilling and dangerous. Melissa Etheridge is all that and so much more."

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Online:

http://www.melissaetheridge.com/

[Associated Press]

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