'American Psycho' musical is reportedly coming to off-Broadway
A London production of the show, starring 'Doctor Who' actor Matt Smith, received mixed reviews.
'American Psycho' is by Bret Easton Ellis.
The musical version of Bret Easton Ellis’s novel “American Psycho” is heading to an off-Broadway theater.
Ellis’s novel was first published in 1991 and was later adapted into a 2000 film starring “American Hustle” actor Christian Bale. The musical version of the novel debuted in London this past December, starring “Doctor Who” actor Matt Smith. Music for the show is by “Spring Awakening” composer Duncan Sheik.
Now, according to Deadline, “American” is heading to New York’s Second Stage Theatre, with previews starting in February and the show officially opening in March. The theater has launched such shows as the musicals “Next to Normal” and “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” to Broadway and featured a 2013 revival of the musical “The Last Five Years.”
The Second Stage production of “American Psycho” will be its US. premiere. The London production received mixed reviews, with Guardian writer Michael Billington giving the show four stars out of five. “[The show] works superbly thanks to Rupert Goold's stylish production, Duncan Sheik's music and lyrics and Matt Smith’s beautifully defined performance as the deluded hero,” he wrote. “Credit also belongs to the book by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa which captures the satire at the heart of the dark, Dostoyevskian story…. Maybe the sleek staging undercuts some of the blackness of the original book. But the compensation lies in the heightening of the satire.”
However, Variety writer David Benedict was less impressed, writing that “helmer Rupert Goold and his design team certainly capture the high-veneer ’80s style that Bateman so worships. But beneath the highly polished surface there’s little drama or, crucially, danger…. The show’s oddest decision is its near-total refusal to depict the gore that defines the work … despite Matt Smith’s game effort … any fierceness he arouses is neutered by the score’s flippancy.”