AMERICAN PSYCHO Previews

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

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

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

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

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

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



"

That's what is giving me some hope.

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.

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.

Updated On: 3/22/16 at 02:30 AM

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

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.

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.

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.