AMERICAN PSYCHO Previews- Page 10

[neonlightsxo]

Posted: 3/29/16 at 3:41pm

WhizzerMarvin said: "I want to reaffirm that although I feel strongly about the importance of conveying completely the depths of Patrick's depravity, I did think many of the other aspects of the show were in good shape. I guess to make an analogy, if you are trying to make some cookies and you have basically the right amounts of flour, sugar, eggs, etc but forget to add that tsp of baking powder it might seem like an error you can live with until you pull the cookie sheet out of the oven and realize that little teaspoon was responsible for making the cookies rise and not remain flat. Right now I think American Psycho is a flat cookie. It's still more than edible, but a pinch of the needed ingredient could transform it into some amazing. "


Great analogy. Thanks Whizzer. I've gotten that same vibe from lots of people I've talked to.

 

[SweetLips]

Posted: 3/29/16 at 3:59pm

Re the violence could not each gory sadistic tortured killing be projected in quick flashes in black and white as the more 'basic' killing is shown?

It's not possible to copy Sweenys' brilliant one note 'siren' but that alone is enough to create shivvers---is there a musical equivelant in this piece during the murders [I hope he's not singing]?

Loud electronic music would drown out any embarassing laughter during the slaughter.

Updated On: 3/29/16 at 03:59 PM

[Laurapattifan]

Posted: 3/29/16 at 7:22pm

Is the cast taking pictures? 

[theatregoer3]

Posted: 3/29/16 at 9:42pm

For those of you who have read the book, I HIGHLY recommend you read Lunar Park. It's Ellis' faux autobiography. He discusses writing Psycho and talks about being haunted by Patrick Bateman for the rest of his life. He eventually starts to reveal who Bateman really is in regards to his life. Also, Christian Bale is a character.

 

It's maybe one of my favorite books and it actually ties together everything he's ever written and puts it all into the context of his life. Really fascinating and scary and weird and...just read it. I'm re-reading it now after seeing this show last week.

[uncageg]

Posted: 3/30/16 at 1:22am

I agree with a lot of Whizzer's thoughts on the show. Saw it last night (Tues.).  I feel like the show went for too many laughs. It should have started to turn, and stay, dark when he took the prostitutes home. Not sure how they would have done the chainsaw scene but I remember just cringing when it happened in the movie. Wish they had found a way to do it.  I also wish they had recreated the shower scene. I remember when the movie came out and people were talking about it. With all of the creative lighting this show has, I feel it could have been done without actually using real water.

 

Speaking of creative lighting, the lighting in this show is off the charts. As is the set design. Just mind blowing. Along with very good direction and fun choreography, that is what keeps you engaged, along with strong performances by the entire cast. But they had the chance to really shake us up, outside of those few jolting moments that almost had me jumping out of my seat, and they didn't go there. At intermission we should have been more shaken/stunned than we were.  For me, the ending had the same affect as the movie but I wish they had used the movie's ending. I don't remember what happens at the end of the show happening in the movie.

Loved the song "A Girl Before". I listened to the London Cast Recording the other night and got a bit bored with it halfway through. The music is great live and I plan to revisit it.That also may be thanks to the sound design. The music sounds great live. They need to work on the mixing a bit though. Some ensemble vocals were lost and even a few lead vocals.

 

I say that if you have any interest in seeing it, do so. If they don't win the Tony for lighting, or at least get nominated in my opinion, something is wrong. Just my random thoughts.

[binau]

Posted: 3/30/16 at 6:51am

I hope to god they write Alice Ripley a proper song. It's a bit sad that she has returned to Broadway in apparently what amounts to little more than an ensemble role after giving one of 'the great' leading female performances in a musical...

[dramamama611]

Posted: 3/30/16 at 7:41am

See, I don't get that.  She signed on knowing what the role was like....if it's ok with her, why are peeps here so irate?  (and I love to watch Ripley to perform).

[indytallguy]

Posted: 3/30/16 at 7:44am

qolbinau said: "I hope to god they write Alice Ripley a proper song. It's a bit sad that she has returned to Broadway in apparently what amounts to little more than an ensemble role after giving one of 'the great' leading female performances in a musical..."

And if another song doesn't suit the show's needs, you have to wonder about the casting thinking given that people here consistently say she isn't utilized much. Maybe the original vision for the part has changed.

[uncageg]

Posted: 3/30/16 at 7:52am

I was wondering when Ripley would have a song to herself or at least a lead vocal. The Playbill only lists the songs and not the characters that sing them. When Ripley does sing alone she sounds great and her voice brings a haunting mood into the scene. At least it did for me. It felt in total contrast to the voices around her so it really worked. JMO

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 3/30/16 at 8:44am

dramamama611 said: "See, I don't get that.  She signed on knowing what the role was like....if it's ok with her, why are peeps here so irate?  (and I love to watch Ripley to perform)."

 

Same here. I kind of forgot she was in the show until her second scene as Bateman's mother, but she's great to watch in all her scenes, so I didn't feel the outrage/incredulity that I guess others felt. And her Nancy Regan-like wig is fun.

[JM226]

Posted: 3/30/16 at 8:51am

count me in as one of those who do not understand the "outrage" surrounding the use (or lack thereof) of Alice's character.

i mean, you guys... isn't it possible that she needed a job and took what she was offered? amazing to me that fans of certain actors are upset when they disappear from Broadway but then remain just as upset if their return to Broadway isn't some starring, Tony Award worthy part.  maybe she needed the paycheck and this was her only offer. who knows? either way she is on stage and in this.  just enjoy and appreciate that. 

sheesh! 

[Scarywarhol]

Posted: 3/30/16 at 8:53am

I haven't seen any outrage, just disappointment (myself included) in not getting to see more of a performer we enjoy. I don't blame the show and wouldn't want them to shoehorn anything in to accommodate a star. 

[Southstreet]

Posted: 3/30/16 at 8:58am

Having seen the show a couple of times in London, the part of Bateman's mother was pretty much a non-entity at the Almeida. I am hoping to see the show in two weeks when I am in over NYC, so am only skimming this thread to avoid too many spoilers, but it looks like they haven't extended it, or if they have, not by much. Can't wait to see what they've done with the show, I loved it when it was on here.

 

Quick question regarding the Theatremania offers, can those be used in person at the box office as well? They don't seem to have a code on the box office part of the info. Do I just mention the same code to the box office attendant? Just being a cheapskate and trying to avoid booking fees.

[ArtMan]

Posted: 3/30/16 at 9:05am

Southstreet said: "Having seen the show a couple of times in London, the part of Bateman's mother was pretty much a non-entity at the Almeida. I am hoping to see the show in two weeks when I am in over NYC, so am only skimming this thread to avoid too many spoilers, but it looks like they haven't extended it, or if they have, not by much. Can't wait to see what they've done with the show, I loved it when it was on here.

 

Quick question regarding the Theatremania offers, can those be used in person at the box office as well? They don't seem to have a code on the box office part of the info. Do I just mention the same code to the box office attendant? Just being a cheapskate and trying to avoid booking fees.

 

"Yes, you would give them the online/phone code at box office.  Good for you, saving the fees.  If I had the opportunity I would do the same.  I just bought five tickets this week for my May trip.  The fees totaled more that $50.  For what?  Nothing.  Call me cheap also.

 

[ColorTheHours048]

Posted: 3/30/16 at 9:19am

I'm dying of anticipation for this. Kad and I just grabbed tickets to see it this coming Tuesday and I can't wait. It took me a little over 4 years to read the book. Those torture and murder scenes are just too damn much, in the best possible way for the novel. It should make you feel sick. It should alienate the audience. You're not paying to see a show about your friendly neighborhood serial killer. That's insane. You're paying to see a show about the American Dream gone rotten.

However, I can understand why the show - and even the movie - decided to scale back on the gore. Frankly, it's just more frightening to imagine the things being done to his victims than having it shown. I know this is probably more effective for audience members who've read the book, but it still remains that people would surely be let down by the gore that would have happened if they had gone more the book route. And having Patrick narrate those passages to us just isn't as affecting as reading the words in ink on a page. The novel, the film, and the musical all have to exist in an atmosphere that is appropriate to their medium.

 

I guess we'll see how I feel once I've seen it, but I'm personally looking forward to what sounds like a fresh interpretation of the material, instead of the self-serious, watered down, yet effective movie. 

[Southstreet]

Posted: 3/30/16 at 9:33am

ArtMan said: "Yes, you would give them the online/phone code at box office.  Good for you, saving the fees.  If I had the opportunity I would do the same.  I just bought five tickets this week for my May trip.  The fees totaled more that $50.  For what?  Nothing.  Call me cheap also.

 

 

"

Well, I am going to send a friend who lives in NYC to the box office and ask her to get the ticket for me. I won't get there til the 13th and want to go that Saturday night, so don't want to risk there not being any decent seats left. But here in London, whenever I can, I go to the box office to book tickets for anything that charges fees. They infuriate me, and considering that I go to the theatre a few times a week, this adds up to quite a lot of money over time.

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 3/30/16 at 9:37am

I don't think there's been "outrage" over Ripley's part either, but we are certainly allowed to be disappointed that a beloved Tony-winning star's return to Broadway isn't as substantial as we had hoped. I mean, I wasn't expecting Patrick's mother to somehow to take over the show and sing half the score, but one meaty scene and a juicy song couldn't have hurt.

 

In act two Mrs. Bateman comes into the city to meet Patrick for lunch. Patrick doesn't want to go and Jean suggests to Patrick that she will join them as a buffer. Patrick agrees, but we don't get to see any of the lunch (at Tavern on the Green). Instead it jumps to after lunch where Jean and Mrs. Bateman have a brief conversation on a Central Park bench and then sing a quick song. Maybe it would be indulgent for her fans, but perhaps show us the lunch scene and give Ripley some dialogue to chew on.

[gleek4114]

Posted: 3/30/16 at 9:59am

WhizzerMarvin said: "I don't think there's been "outrage" over Ripley's part either, but we are certainly allowed to be disappointed that a beloved Tony-winning star's return to Broadway isn't as substantial as we had hoped. I mean, I wasn't expecting Patrick's mother to somehow to take over the show and sing half the score, but one meaty scene and a juicy song couldn't have hurt.

 

In act two Mrs. Bateman comes into the city to meet Patrick for lunch. Patrick doesn't want to go and Jean suggests to Patrick that she will join them as a buffer. Patrick agrees, but we don't get to see any of the lunch (at Tavern on the Green). Instead it jumps to after lunch where Jean and Mrs. Bateman have a brief conversation on a Central Park bench and then sing a quick song. Maybe it would be indulgent for her fans, but perhaps show us the lunch scene and give Ripley some dialogue to chew on.

 

"

I agree! Anything more would be welcome at this point. I haven't seen the show, but I have listened to the mothers song, and while it's a great song, her part seems way too breif. How does "In the Air Tonight" fit into the plot? If it's not super important for a certain character to sing it, giving Alice lead vocals on that would be amazing. As Whizzer said, we aren't complaining, but just disappointed that she isn't showcased in a better way. Obviously it's not that characters story, but some shining moment for her would have been very satisfying. 

[JM226]

Posted: 3/30/16 at 10:05am

and the writers of this piece should change what they're doing or how they're doing it simply to accommodate Alice Ripley fans??? hogwash. if there is a dramatic necessity to feature Alice in another scene or her own song, it will be added during previews. if not, then so be it. 

not saying you cannot complain or be disappointed that she isn't featured more. just hilarious to me that someone of your artistic and intellectual capacity would even suggest the writers should add in or change something simply to feature Ripley for the sake of featuring her. haha! 

[CindersGolightly]

Posted: 3/30/16 at 10:14am

Perhaps she'll appear more on a bonus track to the OBC. I don't know. Alice loves the show, and she signed on knowing, so it doesn't really matter a lot to me! If they add something new, great. If they don't, that'll suck for fans of her, because she's got second billing, but such is life. 

[songanddanceman2]

Posted: 3/30/16 at 10:16am

This Alice Ripley thing is so damn stupid, she took the role, she clearly wanted it, maybe she just wanted to be a part of this show. The song she sings on is one of the standouts in the show.

 

Wanting more gore and violence is also odd to me, AP has always been a funny satire with a deprived person at the centre, of course the musical was gonna go for more satire. 

[JM226]

Posted: 3/30/16 at 10:16am

because she's got second billing,

 

.... but also a steady paycheck 

[Kad]

Posted: 3/30/16 at 10:20am

....Has anyone actually looked at Ripley's body of work since her Tony win?

[CindersGolightly]

Posted: 3/30/16 at 10:30am

The second billing comment was a positive thing, not a negative one. To have second billing in a show where you're essentially a featured ensemble role is amazing. Her paycheck has gotta be big.

[JM226]

Posted: 3/30/16 at 11:09am

This Alice Ripley thing is so damn stupid, she took the role, she clearly wanted it, maybe she just wanted to be a part of this show. The song she sings on is one of the standouts in the show.

 

exactly. well said. it's really a non-issue... unless you're a crazy Alice Ripley fan, apparently.