But the missing revelation is the point. "American Idiot" is certainly audacious, but it's more about desperation than it is about hope, which is appropriate for this decade and for a generation that saw the tragedy of 9/11, the birth of two wars and the current economic crisis. This is topical, glitzy theater, an immersive experience blown up to ridiculous proportions, and it's so involving that any qualms you feel will have to come after the performance. "American Idiot" might be a circle, but it manages to make going nowhere a thrill of its own.