AMERICAN PSYCHO Previews

[BroadwayConcierge]

Preview performances for American Psycho begin this Thursday, March 24 at the Schoenfeld Theatre. Opening night is scheduled for April 21.

I know I'm a couple days early starting this, but there seems to already be a good amount of dialogue and potential consternation about this production, so I figured I'd get the conversation started now!

Also, anybody already set, tickets bought, and going to the first performance on Thursday?

[n2nbaby]

I'm going to the first preview. Very excited!

[AnarchyinthePreK]

Yes! I will be there Thursday - planned a trip to see a week worth of shows around this. AP is my favorite book and i love the film - I have avoided almost all spoilers about the production and am sure curious what they do with it. 

[BorisIgor]

I've heard great things about the London production.  I will be there on Thursday as well.

[Golenboybway]

I'm very excited for this show, I will also be there on thursday!

[theatregoer3]

I'll be there on Thursday. Can't wait!

[Johnnywhatwhat2]

Was planning to go this weekend but might switch to first preview (don't want any spoilers out there). It's one of my favorite films, and I love the music I've heard so far - very British New Wave. But I have NO idea how they're going to stage some of the famous scenes, like Paul Allen's murder and the threesome with the prostitutes. Very untypical Broadway fare, but that's kind of interesting.

[RippedMan]

I'm gonna try for Thursdsy if there's a rush! 

[Alex M]

Ill be there first preview!

[Dave13]

I really hope this turns out well, but everything I have read and seen makes me think otherwise. 

[AnarchyinthePreK]

including the positive notices from the London production?

[Dave13]

AnarchyinthePreK said: "including the positive notices from the London production?

 

"

That's what is giving me some hope. 

[songanddanceman2]

Have you listened to the cast recording? It's thrilling, simply stunning.

[RW3]

So jealous of everyone who is going to first preview. I've been following the show ever since London and hopefully people will like it.

[CATSNYrevival]

The cast album is giving me life. Duncan completely understood what kind of score this show needed and in my opinion delivered an even better score than he did for Spring Awakening. 

[qolbinau]

I'm worried about this show. Without any stars, I'm not sure who the mass market is. The movie is somewhat well known but by no means a blockbuster (and we've seen properties far more successful such as BRIDGES attract little interest), and it's incredibly dark. I'm guessing this would be the darkest musical ever to be on a Broadway stage (much more than say Sweeney Todd). It's hard to see how it would appeal to many women or older audiences (the bulk of the Broadway market). One measure of interest from women might be looking at imdb ratings of American Psycho. Women make up just 17% of people rating the movie. This is as high as 33% for say Bridges of Madison County or Finding Neverland. To put it in perspective, a recent comic book movie Deadpool has approximately 16% female raters - a similar amount as American Psycho. 


I've listened to the cast recording and I agree it is stylistically appropriate. But to me this sounds like a score that would play in an experimental off-broadway theatre for those that are really interested in how composers can explore interesting and new ways to forward the musical art form. Not one that will be picked up by a mass market audience as something to enjoy listening to. It's seems rather emotionally flat, which suits its dramatic purpose - but does not make for a particularly engaging listen in my opinion (acknowledge I've only listened a couple of times, so could be wrong). 


Despite the stylistically appropriate score, despite the 'darkness', I also wonder whether all this choreography will make the show a camp classic. 


There is very little chance this show could win Best Musical (that would certainly be the biggest upset in Tony history). I just can't see how it can succeed financially. 

 
Hate to be a nay-sayer, my favourite shows are often this type of thing. But I just can't see what is going to draw people in. I guess time will tell. It's obviously too early to forecast the demise of a show that hasn't even started previews.

[BOM]

I'm looking forward to this show, more so than Hamilton.  I'm not expecting it to be the next great thing, but I am expecting to have fun. The music is great and I'm hoping the choreography is just as good. I really wish they got Matt Smith to reprise his role. He is just so charismatic on the album. Seeing this, She loves me, and Dear Evan Hansen the weekend of April 2nd and 3rd. Not expecting it to be the next Book of Mormon, but the movie is one of my favorites and I'm sure it will be a blast, though I don't think it will be able to find its audience. 

[Mr. Nowack]

I agree with qolbinau that it seems like a show that would be much more at home off-Broadway.

[nathangeorge]

Hey friends - I saw the show in London (and really liked it) and remember it quite well so if anyone has any staging questions I'd be happy to answer. Here's a few spoiler-y memories:

 

Click Here To Toggle Spoiler Content

• There's plenty of photos of set out there, I would emphasise show is VERY projection-based. The two revolves aren't particularly necessary except to move people and props and are a bit inelegant.  

 

• Act one was very strong, act two meandered.

 

• The start of the show is a sudden total blackout (no fade of houselights or announcement etc), with a very loud sound-effect. Made a few audience members yelp in surprise when I saw it!

 

• Generally the show has an aggressive volume level which strengthens the force of the synthesiser-heavy score. 

 

• Deaths are EXTREMELY loud (amplified/'heightened' stabbing noises and screams), which mask the fact they're actually pretty bloodless. The most violent part of the show is the 'Killing Spree' song - the recording obviously lacks screams + chainsaw/nail-gun noises etc etc. Other big violent moments are the first homeless man Patrick kills, and the end of act one (famous 'Hip to be Square' scene). None are very gory. 

 

• There was no curtain at intermission and the chair from the previous murder scene continued to 'bleed' autonomously lol. 

 

• I sat next to the composer Thomas Ades when I saw it - he seemed to love and laughed the entire the time!

 

[sodja1]

I have to say I found this to be one of the worst musicals I've ever experienced. As per the above post - I'm probably the target audience...male, fan of the film/book and also someone who supports try out shows and experimental musical theatre. At the Almeida it was just god awful, I really can't find words to redeem it. No one I knew enjoyed it, and that is quite a wide cross section of people who were so excited to see to casual theatre fans, Matt Smith fans etc. Half of the audience in the intimate auditorium were Dr Who fans (wearing scarves etc) and they were supporting it for that reason. It was lost on an Almeida audience - two Americans in front of me left mid way through, and people around me were baffled at the whole thing. It was Emperor's New Clothes on many levels, and people were quick to call BS on it. The music was offensively bad, and just didn't work dramatically in any way. I struggle to remember a beat of it. Some nifty staging ideas and interesting to watch/look at in many ways. But as a commercial Broadway musical? I'd echo the above worries. It didn't transfer to commercial West End, and I think it was a very very wise move. Hopefully some things have been re looked at for B'way, as London was very much a try out - but as a huge supporter of new work I just can't find anything positive to say about it.   

[songanddanceman2]

' No one I knew enjoyed it, and that is quite a wide cross section of people who were so excited to see to casual theatre fans'

 

i hate when people put stupid things like this, how many did you know who went.....1000s? Everybody I knew who went loved it, the critics gave it positive reviews, so who's right, you, me, critics etc? Everybody because it's all opinions.

 

qolbinau I don't think this score sounds experimental at all.....and I love it. It's simply an electronica score. I do agree that Off Broadway felt like a smart move but that's a producers decision for ya. Maybe it won't catch on, however if it gets rave reviews then it will have a good future life, maybe transfer off Broadway. At the same time it would be nice if a musical aimed at adults that had this dark edge and dark comedy going on couid have a life on Broadway, so damn bored of family musicals and revivals. 

[Scarywarhol]

I could not get through the cast album, but I may go depending on the reports here and from friends. I'm a fan of the book and film, I get what it's trying to do, but those lyrics are just so offensively illiterate. The bar for wordcraft still feels like a race to the bottom on Broadway these days, despite clever and thrilling work like Hamilton and Matilda. The fact that the book is by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa has me nervous about the quality of that side of the adaptation, too. 

[songanddanceman2]

The lyrics are part of it's charm as the song lyrics (to me) reflect the shallow way they all talk.

[Scarywarhol]

Yes, these men are shallow and empty. You can convey that without so many desperate cliches and non-rhymes and a consistent drunk-in-the-early-AM-first-pass vibe. 

[LightsOut90]

i still think this could have used that try out at Second Stage which was originally planned but im still super excited to see the changes they have made over the last 2 years, several new songs have been written and the books apparently been revised.