AMERICAN PSYCHO Previews- Page 16

[RW3]

Posted: 4/3/16 at 12:46am

I still can't get over how good Benjamin Walker looked in their performance at Colbert.

[ajh]

Posted: 4/3/16 at 11:35pm

Having seen and enjoyed the London version twice I was very excited by the B'way casting choices and encouraged by the fact that the original creative team were still on board, and I can honestly say that what I saw today at the Schoenfeld did not disappoint.

i agree with other posters that the second half needs tightening up but the first act is a complete knockout. I went into the intermission feeling exhilarated and a little disorientated, which I think is probably exactly what was the creative team's intention. Act 2 does drag a bit, although in "Killing Spree" it features one of the most thrillingly nasty 'big' numbers since Sweeney. The ambiguous ending really works for me. It's chilling and the the closing number itself has the doom laden yet enthralling quality that a lot of pop numbers during this period had.

Full disclosure: I was a teenager in the 80s so the combination of classic songs of that decade plus Sheik's seamlessly integrated "new" numbers really does work for me, although it would also have been glaringly obvious had Sheilk got hIs contributions wrong. As it stands, this is the OBCR that I most want to own (I already have Hamilton, and the London CR of AP is quite different). 

Benjamin Walker is sensational: he is more melancholic and ostensibly likeable than Matt Smith in London but weirdly his more "accessible" stage persona makes him rather scarier. I understood more readily here why people would fall for this Patrick. It's exactly the star performance this show needs, but around him there is some amazing talent. Much has been made of Alice Ripley's lack of stage time and I see how that's disappointing for the fans but she really shines in the cameos she has, and makes something rather fine and  oddly touching out of Patrick's screwed up Mom. Jennifer Damiano is sexier and edgier than her UK counterpart as Patrick's devoted secretary, which automatically makes her more interesting...then there's her voice!! Helene Yorke is brilliant as Bateman's desperately shallow girlfriend....you find yourself loving her even as you wish she would just SFU. As her harder edged best chum Morgan Weed is all leonine attitude and major sex appeal. Another gem of a performance. To be shallow for a moment, the entire ensemble is jawdroppingly beautiful. And talented as hell.

Visually the show is stunning: beautiful, cool, elegant, sinister, and apart from a few over-choreographed moments, immaculately staged. The new after-opening number Selling Out is a wonderul addition to the show, setting the tone of rollicking darkness entirely successfully. The piece is often viciously funny. This won't be to everybody's taste but those of us who "get it" will be in love with it for quite some time. The tunes are real ear worms. I really can't wait to go again.

Updated On: 4/3/16 at 11:35 PM

[BOM]

Posted: 4/3/16 at 11:40pm

Saw yesterday's matinee. Loved the entire first act. Got bored in the second act. I really like killing time on the London album but it sounded completely different in the show. Benjamin walker commanded the stage for the first act, things got weird and confusing in the second act. Visually this show is amazing. I honestly don't think it will be successful though. For us theater goers, it's something unique and different. I don't think most audience goers will find it too pleasing.

[missthemountains]

Posted: 4/4/16 at 2:59am

Saw it on Saturday night. My thoughts are this: it's not perfect, but it's one of the most entertaining and engaging pieces I've seen on Broadway in a while. "Selling Out" is brilliant (reminded me a lot of the "Trader's Song" from Enron, but better) and so is "This Is Not An Exit". I thought the mix of original score / 80's songs would bother me but it works really nicely. Unfortunately, the score isn't very memorable here, give or take a few numbers. But the direction, design and performances are extremely memorable. I have a major boner for period pieces that really commit to the period in which they're set in -- which this does. 

Ben Walker is incredible (and very sexy), and while I felt that Jenn Damiano's part was underwritten, she did really well. I'm going to say something very controversial here and say that I think Alice is miscast here. Her voice is one that stands very well on its own, but doesn't blend well with others. I found it to sound really jarring in comparison with the ensemble. Her vibrato is way too heavy at times. As someone who has seen her in the OBC N2N, Carrie in Seattle and this, I can say with certainty that this is far from her best role. Granted, she's not given much to work with -- but she doesn't even work well with what she's got. You can sharpen your pitchforks now for this opinion, but that's my take on it. Furthermore, Patrick's Mom isn't even in the book nor movie so the fact that she's in her at all, along with Patrick's brother Sean--is generous. 

The only downside is that I wish it were bloodier and gorier. It's definitely the bloodiest I've ever seen a commercial theatre venture besides Hand To God, much less in a musical. That being said, I still think they could've done more. I also wish it were a little less tongue in cheek, but I suppose it was smart of the creative time to embrace some moments of camp and have the audience laugh with it rather than unintentional laughter (see: Misery and Blackbird). There was a fair amount of gasps from when I saw it, so it's not to say the only way to do horror is with a ton of blood--but it certainly couldn't hurt. After all, the book was so overtly gratuitous. But I still can't help but think they could've done more.

Overall, a solid B+ I'm curious to see what will change on the way to opening.

[BOM]

Posted: 4/4/16 at 4:33am

^ I'd give it a B+ too. Not the greatest show ever but it definitely had it's moment. I'll be back to see it soon. 

Posted: 4/4/16 at 9:06am

that opening number reminded me of "More" from GHOST.... ugh

[smoonyc]

Posted: 4/4/16 at 1:43pm

I saw this twice in London and absolutely loved it - the music, the staging and use of projections and thought Matt Smith was great (though I was a little distracted listening to everyone try to get an American accent right). I went a few nights ago to this one and definitely think the second act needs tightening up - it was lagging a bit to say the least. But Benjamin Walker is phenomenal!

[Skimbleshanks2]

Posted: 4/4/16 at 2:09pm

Hoo boy ... Suffice to say it's been a rough few months for me (hence my being MIA) ... Thinking about seeing this ... Worth the risk? I need to see a good show to cure my mood ...

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 4/4/16 at 3:06pm

I wouldn't recommend this show as a pick-me-up, no.

[Tag]

Posted: 4/4/16 at 9:01pm

Oy, take a look at the Youtube comments on the Colbert performance.  

[sundaymourning6am]

Posted: 4/5/16 at 1:13pm

Question: Someone said that Patrick's disdain for his mother is huge. I'm almost done with the book and I don't remember him mentioning his mother even once. So I'm assuming the musical is closer to the movie than the book?

[uncageg]

Posted: 4/5/16 at 1:36pm

I don't remember his mother being in the movie. Maybe mentioned? It has been a while since I saw it.

[fan1bsb97]

Posted: 4/5/16 at 2:24pm

Hi, I quickly looked but didn't see any answer. Does anyone know the runtime/what time it gets out? I'm seeing it Saturday night. The only thing I found was "TBA" lol

[uncageg]

Posted: 4/5/16 at 3:14pm

fan1bsb97 said: "Hi, I quickly looked but didn't see any answer. Does anyone know the runtime/what time it gets out? I'm seeing it Saturday night. The only thing I found was "TBA" lol

 

See page 13 of this thread.

 

"

 

[mpkie]

Posted: 4/5/16 at 10:00pm

RW3 said: "I still can't get over how good Benjamin Walker looked in their performance at Colbert."

Daaang, you are right. He does look good. Looks like his intro monologue delivery has improved as well. The rest is ..... gahh.

I watched his interview with Colbert and was surprised to find him so charming. So I went a little bit down the YouTube rabbit hole of Benjamin Walker videos (not too far), and boy, he's got charm in spades! And quite the voice, too. Never would've guessed from American Psycho.

[jbird5]

Posted: 4/5/16 at 10:37pm

fan1bsb97 said: "Hi, I quickly looked but didn't see any answer. Does anyone know the runtime/what time it gets out? I'm seeing it Saturday night. The only thing I found was "TBA" lol

It ran about 3 hours last night. I noticed a few small cuts from the first previews. Also it looked like someone in the cast was hurt or got sick since I noticed a standby in the 2nd act. It's a physical show.

"

 

[Trish2]

Posted: 4/5/16 at 10:38pm

Man, that piece on Colbert was underwhelming. I'll hold anymore expectations until I see it, but there's nothing like bad choreography, period piece or not. That was god awful stuff. Never hire musical theatre dancers to do MTV vintage style dancing, as it never works. Liked Walker though, even if the song was bland.

[ColorTheHours048]

Posted: 4/5/16 at 11:53pm

Just got home from tonight's preview. I think it's a mess and it could definitely have benefitted from that 2ST run prior to a Broadway bow, but dammit if I didn't love it. I loved how sleek and surfacey the design and direction were, how the music went back and forth between character-driven and mood-driven, how the characters other than Patrick and Jean were broad caricatures. I even loved the weird, jerky choreography. It's like what Carrie wishes it was.

 

There are definitely things that need to be fixed. I'm in the minority here in that I thought act 2 was actually better than the first. Act 1 needs more pathos leading up to Paul's murder (which itself needs some TLC from the effects crew). And I'll join the chorus saying there just had to be more murder. As it is, Patrick is clearly imagining everything, but there should really be doubt in the audience's mind.

 

This is going to be extremely divisive among audiences and critics, but I hope people enjoy an outside-the-box adaptation of a novel that is proving to be impossible to perfectly adapt.

[actorsnonactors]

Posted: 4/6/16 at 12:29am

Saw it tonight. I hardly ever post. This was a long evening. 

I stayed through the end, because I had to see if it could pull into the station. So much effort, so little steam.

American Psycho is in trouble. It's not a lack of effort that brings this show down. It uses visual effects to its own downfall in the same way that Curious Incident did to make it the winner it was. At a few moments in the show, the visual effects really punch-out the mood or emotion they're bolstering. At other times, the visual effects ARE the mood. The performers (Walker does a respectable job, he will not ever replace Bale, nor will his performance ever be said to parallel the excellence of the novel's intense narrative) are trapped in a musical fun-house. It's flashy at times, it's a little weak-ass gory at times, it's even a little 80's at times...but NEVER nearly enough.

Ripley does literally nothing with what she's given, which is paltry scenework at best. Damiano is super-weak in a role that really has little reason to sing, seeing as she's given not a single sign by Walker's Bateman that he is in any way interested in joining humanity.  The ensemble executes what they're given cleanly. It's not fun to look at, save for some clever formations.

The band is four musicians poised in the mezz boxes, so if you bore easily, you can watch them. (AFM, get your torches...) The rest of the orchestration is some pretty thick and loud unce-unce-unce sequencing which doesn't really actually evoke an 80s feel. It's closer to Nine Inch Nails with tenth grade Creative Writing lyrics.

In this current treatment, it is just not a good show. The book is ham-handed whenever it drifts away from direct lifts from the novel. More laughs in my section coming from flubby, indicated line readings and actual textual cues rather than any sort of nervous "pressure cooker" reaction due to (non-existent) dramatic tension. Walker's attempts at coming unhinged toward the end of the show were not nearly filling the room, or really in any way convincing to me.  He's a handsome guy, with big range...but positively no vocal color or dynamic. His straight tonality does not add to the narrative or give his performance ANY sort of boost. It's just dull.

All in all, I'd say one of four stars. You can't get stuck in the world of "well, we used crazy projection fuzzy stuff the last time something wacky happened...now we're stuck doing that flash-and-trash **** every time something occurs." That does not make an edgy show. I agree with the other posters that feel this may just be an adaptation proving itself impossible to make well.

[perfectlymarvelous]

Posted: 4/6/16 at 1:07am

It's funny that someone upthread mentioned Enron, because Rupert Goold also directed that and some of the stylistic choices here reminded me very much of that show (which I found interesting, if bizarre).

I saw this tonight and overall really enjoyed it, but I think it's going to be a hard sell because it is definitely weird. The tone is very irreverent, much like the film, and given the subject matter I think that's just always something that is going to throw people. Ben Walker is giving an incredible, magnetic performance; he's very sexy and charming, but turns on a dime when Patrick is committing the murders and throughout the second act when he's slowly breaking down. My initial response to the preview videos was definitely more along the lines of "what the f*ck," but I really did enjoy myself here. Sheik's score is really solid and works for the piece, and is quite different from his work on Spring Awakening. My main issues were the lack of gore and the utter misuse of Alice Ripley. I know she hasn't exactly been doing high profile work since her Tony win, but I was very surprised she chose to return to Broadway in what is essentially a featured ensemble role. 

It's very campy and strange, and it's probably going to end up being pretty divisive in terms of audience and critic response. There is also a moment toward the end of the show that calls to mind the white staircase descending from the ceiling at the end of the RSC production of Carrie, if that's something that makes any difference to anyone (because it made me laugh inappropriately).

[mamaleh]

Posted: 4/6/16 at 1:43am

I was at tonight's performance as well.  I've never read the novel but have seen the movie several times. Bale never really changed his demeanor, while Walker's Bateman seems to bounce back and forth to/from different personalities in Act II, making Act I seem much stronger by comparison. The first act also has more upbeat songs and funnier dialogue.  Walker, Yorke and Damiano are all fine, but the story faults in Act II do them ill. 

SPOILER:

It's fairly obvious, even to those unfamiliar with the source material, that Bateman is imagining or hallucinating--otherwise, why wouldn't secretary Jean remark about his walking around in blood-stained underwear?

Nonetheless, I found much to enjoy in AMERICAN PSYCHO.  The staging is exciting and kinetic for hte most part. I hope the second act can be tightened to turn it into a bona fide hit, even with less than  memorable songs.

Updated On: 4/6/16 at 01:43 AM

[AvaE2]

Posted: 4/6/16 at 7:40am

I saw last night's performance.  Admittedly, I am old enough to have lived in NYC during that time, understood the references and also had very low expectations.  I was very pleasantly surprised.  It was like a trip back to the 80s.  Act I was certainly stronger than Act 2, but I still very much enjoyed it.  I had seen the press performance and (to quote the show) thought, "uh-oh".  This is a show that really needs the design elements to pull everything together.  The choreography really served the piece well, too.  I do recommend seeing this.  I do not think this is a show that will be well-served by TV performances out of context of the show.  This has been a great year for Broadway and this is a good, if not great addition to the season.

[AvaE2]

Posted: 4/6/16 at 7:40am

I saw last night's performance.  Admittedly, I am old enough to have lived in NYC during that time, understood the references and also had very low expectations.  I was very pleasantly surprised.  It was like a trip back to the 80s.  Act I was certainly stronger than Act 2, but I still very much enjoyed it.  I had seen the press performance and (to quote the show) thought, "uh-oh".  This is a show that really needs the design elements to pull everything together.  The choreography really served the piece well, too.  I do recommend seeing this.  I do not think this is a show that will be well-served by TV performances out of context of the show.  This has been a great year for Broadway and this is a good, if not great addition to the season.

[joeyv2]

Posted: 4/6/16 at 7:49am

Saw this last night. Overall, a B-.

 

Staging-wise, it's exciting and sleek and fun. Captures the movie's spirit well. Benjamin Walker does a fantastic job. He's perfectly cast. Morgan Weed is strong as Courteney but everyone else kind of blends in. Alice Ripley's role is sadly very small and her single duet with whoever plays Jean (I forget) isn't very good. I'm not really sure what she was doing in the show. Her storyline with Patrick was totally undeveloped. 

 

The first act has a ton of energy and is exciting, even if the tone is inconsistent. The second act, however, was simply one of the WORST I have ever seen. It's as if they used all their good staging ideas up in Act 1 and didn't even try with Act 2. It's strangely dull, very talky, and tries to go very avant garde in a bad way. It loses all the neon-luster of the first act entirely. There's a detour to the Hamptons that's about 10 minutes long and feels like an hour. Totally pointless. 

 

Finally, the music just isn't very good. It's all thin and repetitive and the only real depth comes from film/book dialogue. The music just sort of acts as a shallow soundtrack to text that's already been written. Perhaps that's the point, I don't know, but it's not satisfying. The best musical moments were the excerpts of well-known 80's songs and even that felt like a total cheat. 

 

I say, go for the experience, the fun first act, and Walker's performance (he's nearly naked for more than 1/2 the show if that sweetens the pot), but grab some discounted tickets. Full price for half a decent show is not a worthwhile investment in my view. 

[joe5]

Posted: 4/6/16 at 8:44am

Looking forward to seeing on the 17th . From what I've been reading about the show . It brings to mind 'Passing Strange' . And how it's different in many ways . I find it ironic , PS was the same season as ITH . And now AP and Ham . Another great season !

Updated On: 4/6/16 at 08:44 AM