AMERICAN PSYCHO - Duncan Sheik's new musical

I, for one, am VERY enticed by this concept. I am a HUGE Bret Easton Ellis fan, though I realize he does write pulp trash on occasion, and I find it interesting that this is actually happening in the cultural/economic climate these days. I also think that Paul Scott Goodman proved with his musicalization of Jay McInerney's equally hard-to-permeate BRIGHT LIGHTS BIG CITY that he is MUCH more appropriate for the project than Sheik seems to be, but we will see. Sheik doesn't have the true rocker edge I think this needs, I see it more as a Trent Reznor type project, I understand the desire to go with a more rock sound from an established theatre composer who comes from rock, but I really think this would have been the perfect opportunity for a more current rocker to try their hand at a musical score.

I wonder if they are basing this on the book or the movie, or both? They are quite different properties.

Also, I think LESS THAN ZERO and THE RULES OF ATTRACTION (and even LUNAR PARK) lend themselves to musicalization more than this does, but I am willing to keep an open mind.

I know this was first announced to be a jukebox show using 80s hits, but I'm glad they are going the original score route now.

Other thoughts?

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I think Duncan Sheik works well for this, compared to Trent Reznor. The yuppie edge of the book wouldn't work well with someone QUITE too edgy- remember, this is a killer whose idol is Phil Collins.

Yes, please.

If you're gonna quote, at least quote the full CLAUSE if not the whole sentence, gutter trash.

"...though I realize he does write pulp trash on occasion..."

Though why give a care about syntax or sentence structure when you can just be a bitter old crab and misquote whoever whenever?!

Zzzz. Try A LOT harder next time, Namo.

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Not everyone can be Yoko Ono. Or Patti Smith.

Or (insert literary equivalent here - probably Thomas Wolfe or John Irving).

SUCH a cliche... in every way...

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No one knows more about p*ss and sh*t than you, Namo.

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LOL! The cliche calling the credibility card?!

Now, THAT is funny!

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P.S. Let me know when Sheik writes a score half as good as THE FRAGILE.

"Moron"? "Apples and oranges"? "Sarah Palin"?! THAT's the best you've got?! What a sad day it is on BWW when even Namo has a toothless bite. Zzzzz.

More boring and tired than Yoko Ono and Patti Smith COMBINED!

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If they cut the shower scene, the tanning bed scene, the threesome scene or the scene where he runs around naked with a chainsaw then I'm not going.

Oh, and if Jonathan Groff isn't playing Patrick Bateman then they might as well just stop now.

TO be fair, you're both right and wrong here. Duncan Sheik begain his career later than Trent Reznor, but only Trent is still a current star, releasing successful albums with regularity in this past decade.

Against my better judgment, I'm excited for this. I hope it's bloody though. Like super bloody. Like you have to wear a raincoat in the first few rows like The Evil Dead musical.

Exactly.

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He's very much the "intellectual pop trash" author of his generation, like Chuck Palahniuk was for the next one. Either brilliant, worthless or brilliantly worthless, depending on perspectives.

And as far as Duncan only writing over-intellectualized pop songs, that's probably because he's an overly-itellectual pop songwriter. Pete Townshend's been turning out rock operas and concept albums for years of the same sort of thing, but no one ever said, "Write something different!" Just like no one would have said to Cole Porter "Write some bebop, man!"