AMERICAN PSYCHO Previews- Page 8
AMERICAN PSYCHO Previews
#175AMERICAN PSYCHO Previews
Posted: 3/29/16 at 12:34am
Bettyboy72 said: "How is the front row for this show? Is the stage high?
"
The deck itself is raised a little bit, I was a little ways back but I think it will be fine, but it was very loud, even from where I was sitting in row J
HBBrock
Broadway Legend Joined: 6/11/07
#176AMERICAN PSYCHO Previews
Posted: 3/29/16 at 12:41am
American Psycho preview tonight....
Pretty, pretty great! The tone was set from the moment the show starts. The late 80s, the Wall Street satire, the amazing one liners. It was a great audience from what I could see in the mezzanine. Packed house...people were attentive, and the crowd was definitely not a typical theatre crowd. More times than not, Monday is the best night of the week to go to a show.
This one will need word of mouth - it's certainly not one for the little kiddies. It's dark, it's bloody, it's sexual, it's vulgar. It's exciting to see something like this on the Great White Way.
The first act is, no doubt, the stronger of the two acts. It has most of the best moments of the show. Benjamin Walker was excellent as Patrick Bateman. I thought he did amazing work, and was on stage for the entire show. Helene Yorke followed Bullets Over Broadway with another fantastic performance.
It won't be one for the critics, it won't be one for many Tony nominations, but there really is some excellent music, lighting, and just overall visuals on stage. Very glad we saw it.
#177AMERICAN PSYCHO Previews
Posted: 3/29/16 at 12:57am
Lizzie -- as a fellow lady who survived the 80s -- I loved reading your thoughts. As you sit with it for a day or so, let us know if you have any more feeling about the show.
HBBrock -- I have a little more faith in critics and the Tony nominating committee than you do. If the show is indeed excellent, I think most will respond favorably. Critics certainly aren't usually turned off by edgy or unconventional. I definitely understand your sentiment though that the production won't appeal to all audiences.
“I knew who I was this morning, but I've changed a few times since then.”
Updated On: 3/29/16 at 12:57 AM
#178AMERICAN PSYCHO Previews
Posted: 3/29/16 at 1:30am
Bettyboy72 said: "How is the front row for this show? Is the stage high?"
I think the view from the front row (row A) is good. The stage is mildly high, not severely so. I sat in the third row, the view was fantastic. They removed the front row, row AA for this production so there is more room than normal between the stage and the front row. At one point in the show, two actors actually jump down in front of the right side of the front row orchestra center, which gives you an idea of how much room is there.
The front row also has a concave curve in the center, so the distance to the stage is even greater in the middle of the front row. So I think the center of the front row has a better view (as far as stage height) than the aisle seats in the front row.
TerrenceIsTheMann
Broadway Star Joined: 9/28/15
#179AMERICAN PSYCHO Previews
Posted: 3/29/16 at 1:33am
I agree with QueenAlice, that the show will probably have a good shot at noms. regardless of material. I genuinely think Walker has a decent shot at best actor as well.
#180AMERICAN PSYCHO Previews
Posted: 3/29/16 at 2:26am
So, is Heléne Yorke the female lead? For whatever reason, I thought Damiano was the lead. But I agree with QueenAlice and TerrenceIsTheMann. Especially because this show is loaded with people who have been nominated or won Tonys before. On the acting side, does anyone think Damiano or Yorke have shots at being nominated? It's a pretty loaded season for females.
They/them.
"Get up the nerve to be all you deserve to be."
Addendum
Chorus Member Joined: 4/3/14
#181AMERICAN PSYCHO Previews
Posted: 3/29/16 at 2:39am
I sat in the front row last Saturday night, only drawback was getting covered in smashed fake red blood in act 2! House manager seemed shocked after the show to see what happened to myself and those around me. Hopefully they correct this ASAP!
TerrenceIsTheMann
Broadway Star Joined: 9/28/15
#182AMERICAN PSYCHO Previews
Posted: 3/29/16 at 3:28am
Cinders, I think they would both be considered supporting. Bateman is by far the lead role, the show sort of just follows him. Idk if I'd necessarily nominate either of them, but Damiano probably has a better chance of the two for getting one. I'd say at this point, RE Goldsberry, Jane Krakowski, Danielle Brooks and Jennifer Hudson are all locks and there are some other contenders such as Jen Simard in Disaster, so I don't see it happening.
mailhandler777
Broadway Legend Joined: 8/15/15
#183AMERICAN PSYCHO Previews
Posted: 3/29/16 at 3:53am
Addendum said: "I sat in the front row last Saturday night, only drawback was getting covered in smashed fake red blood in act 2! House manager seemed shocked after the show to see what happened to myself and those around me. Hopefully they correct this ASAP!"
People had "blood" on them during the matinee too. It's just sugar water.
Hi, I'm Val. Formerly DefyGravity777(I believe)
dramamama611
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/4/07
#184AMERICAN PSYCHO Previews
Posted: 3/29/16 at 5:53am
Regardless, doesn't mean people want to be a mess when they leave the theater.
If we're not having fun, then why are we doing it?
These are DISCUSSION boards, not mutual admiration boards. Discussion only occurs when we are willing to hear what others are thinking, regardless of whether it is alignment to our own thoughts.
#185AMERICAN PSYCHO Previews
Posted: 3/29/16 at 6:20am
It's a Broadway show, not Seaworld, but perhaps splash zone warnings are in order for the first few rows? :-p
Seriously though, a lot of people go out someplace nice after they see a show. It might just be sugar water, but who wants to walk into a nice restaurant after a show looking like they have blood on them?
ChiTheaterFan
Broadway Legend Joined: 6/9/15
#186AMERICAN PSYCHO Previews
Posted: 3/29/16 at 7:12am
ArtMan said: "ChiTheaterFan, thank you for posting that. Because of you I was able to get that discount and found my Waitress code. However i did discover there was a Color Purple code after I purchased my tickets. The price was the same, but i would have been three rows closer. Originally, I was going to rush these shows and now i have purchased 5 of 6 shows. Again, thank you.
"
Glad it helped! I've found several good discount codes through that site. Enjoy your trip!!
#187AMERICAN PSYCHO Previews
Posted: 3/29/16 at 8:10am
I was there last night and have mixed thoughts about the show. On the one hand American Psycho has a lot going for it. Benjamin Walker, sounding eerily like Christian Bale at times, is fantastic, as are his fellow cast mates and a helluva hard working ensemble. There are two turntables on each side of the stage, with only half of each circle visible before turning into the curtained wings. The ensemble spins out on them in sharp poses and kinetic dance movements that I enjoyed a lot. The music is pretty great too, expertly catching the era and very appropriate for this piece.
I think the two biggest problems with American Psycho lie in the material itself. Patrick, although a wonderful character, is a static one; by his own admission he only has two emotions: greed and disgust. It's hard to build a musical around a man who has no feelings. The other problem is also something the movie struggled with in that there are no scares or sickening gore. The book caused a huge controversy when it was published, and indeed Ellis' own publisher refused to print the book because of the content. You would never know that from what's on stage at the Schoenfeld or from watching Harron's film. The creators of the musical have done a great job adapting the satire of the 80s and all the dark humor from the novel, but where they have failed is capturing that truly disgusting, stomach-turning violence that fills about 1/3 of the novel and and eventually 100% of Patrick Bateman's mind. American Psycho contains some of the truest horror you can imagine and the stage show never really goes there. When Patrick does muse about wondering how Evelyn will taste on a grill it's played for a laugh and not a scare.
As it stands the show plays more like Rocky Horror, in that it is a love letter to the cult fans of the novel and film that allows them to applaud at all the memorable lines and images. The first act is infinitely stronger than the second, although my favorite song was The Killing Spree near the top of act two. After his return from The Hamptons I really wanted the violence to start and let Walker go for broke with some of the nasty things he did. They wouldn't even have to show us anything too graphic, but maybe as he attacked each ensemble member he could describe some of the horrible things he did. If the audience can make it through these sequences without throwing up then there's a problem.
Yorke is excellent as Evelyn and Damiano does a good job with Jean too. The crime most unforgivable is how wasted Alice Ripley is in this show. I know the role was written long before they knew a star of magnitude would be performing it, but now that they have her they MUST give her something more to do.
The creators also seem to skip over Patrick's descent into madness that prompts his phone call to the detective (changed from his lawyer in the movie). I think the second act could really use the shot in the arm that this sequence could have provided.
The design elements are all first-rate. The lighting, costumes, wigs, make-up, set, projections are all winners. It's visually very interesting too watch.
I feel like there's a lot of work to be done, which sort of surprised me given the London run and all the time in between. At least the cast is already there and the score is quite winning. It will be interesting to go back in late previews and see what they've accomplished.
Marie: Don't be in such a hurry about that pretty little chippy in Frisco.
Tony: Eh, she's a no chip!
nolanativeny
Stand-by Joined: 3/29/16
#188AMERICAN PSYCHO Previews
Posted: 3/29/16 at 9:18am
Hey all, this is my first post!
Anyways, I have tickets for Friday, 4/1, but I read that the cast will be performing on Colbert that evening. Does anyone know if this will affect the cast for that evenings performance? I would just hate to make the trip and not see some of the names I was looking forward to seeing.
neonlightsxo
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/29/08
#189AMERICAN PSYCHO Previews
Posted: 3/29/16 at 9:20am
No, Colbert tapes earlier in the day than 8 PM.
#190AMERICAN PSYCHO Previews
Posted: 3/29/16 at 9:38am
Whizzer I adore all your reviews but this one has me confused. Regarding the lack of violence, it was never ever going to be so over the top violent like the book or film, this is a stage show, it still has to appeal to an audience of theatre fans. To focus more on the disgusting consumerism etc was the perfect way to go with this show, greed is good etc, after all it's scenes like the card scene that is most remembered from the film, not the violence.
Namo i love u but we get it already....you don't like Madonna
dramamama611
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/4/07
#191AMERICAN PSYCHO Previews
Posted: 3/29/16 at 9:41am
WhizzerMarvin said: "They wouldn't even have to show us anything too graphic, but maybe as he attacked each ensemble member he could describe some of the horrible things he did. If the audience can make it through these sequences without throwing up then there's a problem.
"
This confuses me...do you want people vomiting in the theater? I'm pretty sure that would be a negative for me as an audience member! 
If we're not having fun, then why are we doing it?
These are DISCUSSION boards, not mutual admiration boards. Discussion only occurs when we are willing to hear what others are thinking, regardless of whether it is alignment to our own thoughts.
theatregoer3
Broadway Star Joined: 3/8/13
#192AMERICAN PSYCHO Previews
Posted: 3/29/16 at 9:54am
Yeah, Whizzer, I'm also not on the same page with your reviews lately.
I'm an avid fan of the book but I never expected to see it all on stage. This was like a Kubrik film in that the violence was highly theatrical and gave enough of a suggestion. For example, I know what Patrick does with those rats. It terrified me when I read it and still freaks me out. Just the reference in the show was enough for me and I think it confused the audience in a good way. They could imagine where that was going (though they would NEVER guess!).
#193AMERICAN PSYCHO Previews
Posted: 3/29/16 at 10:09am
Addendum said: "I sat in the front row last Saturday night, only drawback was getting covered in smashed fake red blood in act 2! House manager seemed shocked after the show to see what happened to myself and those around me. Hopefully they correct this ASAP!"
Oh no. I was wondering about this. I was mid-mezz and had a really great view except for the very lip of the stage (and around the top of someone's head directly in front of me). Was it in the scene where he covers himself with blood? I'm trying to remember when any of the fake blood would fly that far.
"This thread reads like a series of White House memos." — Mister Matt
#194AMERICAN PSYCHO Previews
Posted: 3/29/16 at 10:14am
I'm largely with Whizzer. It could use more scares, even if not graphic ones. Or more of an escalation. As it is, it is basically a campy tribute show. Not necessarily a bad thing, but the show seems to think it's more. Likewise, the smug cultural satire stays on the same note you get in the first ten seconds for the entire evening. I was surprised that this turned out to be a semi-jukebox show, with the most effective musical moments coming from 80s pop hits, but I mostly enjoyed Sheik's music. The lyrics are largely embarrassing, but they are drowned out. The cast is fabulous, but what a waste of Alice Ripley.
#195AMERICAN PSYCHO Previews
Posted: 3/29/16 at 10:16am
I didn't mind the "lack" of gore since my unfamiliarity with the source material meant I didn't really have expectations as far as liters of blood. :) But I do think the symbolic blood, the blood already seen on the sets, and the constant presence of it on Patrick for much of the end of act 2 was enough to get the message across.
"This thread reads like a series of White House memos." — Mister Matt
#196AMERICAN PSYCHO Previews
Posted: 3/29/16 at 10:31am
Let me explain better where I was coming from with wanting more explicit violence in the musical.
I would argue that there is very little over the top violence (or violence at all) in the film. It's pretty tame compared to most horror flicks like Scream which came out four years earlier and had much more gore. When Christie starts running through Paul's apartment and starts finding all those dead bodies I thought, "Why didn't we get to see all these murders?!" I know they had to work with censors to get the film an R rating as opposed to NC-17 and I personally think the rating board had it out for the film because of all the controversy surrounding the violence in the novel.
I guess I used a little hyperbole saying the audience members should all be vomiting, but I do think they should have their stomachs turned a bit. Put us through a little true discomfort, even if for 2-3 minutes. Like I said, they don't need to show us the violence; I actually think it would be more chilling to hear Walker matter or factly narrate what he is doing to his victims during one of the sprees rather than to attempt to enact the violence on stage.
Walker is very sexy (as is the ensemble) and the show is highly erotic. I think this is a good thing, but I think it's easy to start to be seduced by Patrick and even start admiring and rooting for him. I don't think Patrick is an anti-hero- he's not exactly killing with a purpose (vengeance) like Sweeney Todd. Patrick is just bored and disgusted with everyone around him. He is a psychopath after all, as the title suggests. I think it would be wise to snap the audience back to reality by truly illuminating his actions late in the show, whether you feel like they're actually happening or merely taking place in his imagination. The scene with the rat is depravity at its lowest depths, but it shows us what Patrick's mind is truly capable of. I'm not arguing that the rat scene in particular needs to be narrated, but something along its line should be to give us an insight into what a monstrous, sick mind he has.
Marie: Don't be in such a hurry about that pretty little chippy in Frisco.
Tony: Eh, she's a no chip!
#197AMERICAN PSYCHO Previews
Posted: 3/29/16 at 10:40am
Perhaps what Whizzer is suggesting is that the production needs more old fashioned "Grand Guignol" -- which in its day was about the theatrical equivalent to the events described in the novel. Whether this kind of violence would actually play in a large theatre, I'm not sure. The closest thing we have to this in musical theatre, is of course SWEENEY TODD, but I'm not sure any of those bloody moments are really stomach crawling. But perhaps there is a way to build more suspense.
I think the argument that for a musical theatre piece the main character may need more catharsis is an interesting one. That's a departure from the original material, but perhaps necessary for the material to connect in a musical, in which, the very nature of singing to express a range of emotions is the entire conceit of the genre.
“I knew who I was this morning, but I've changed a few times since then.”
Updated On: 3/29/16 at 10:40 AM
#198AMERICAN PSYCHO Previews
Posted: 3/29/16 at 10:41am
But adding in more violence or even disturbing tales of violence is going to start alienating theatre goers. Even the book was not about the violence but the disgust for greed is good of the 80s. It would be like ALW doing the original Phantom on stage with all the murder and mayhem, it wouldn't have run. American Psycho had to find the right balance to satisfy fans of the book and film and theatre goers
Namo i love u but we get it already....you don't like Madonna
#199AMERICAN PSYCHO Previews
Posted: 3/29/16 at 10:44am
My friend and I saw the show last night too and we walked out expecting a little more gore. Neither of us has read the book or watched the movie, so we legit walked in only knowing it was about killing. As a whole, I think the musical played more on the black comedy side and didn't really go to the gore. I mean we didn't want like every single murder to be constant bloody murder or anything, but I feel like some parts just needed a bit more, since it would have shown more of Patrick's sadistic qualities, I think.
On the plus side, Benjamin Walker is fantastic. He plays the soulless psychopath perfectly. Also, super easy on the eyes, as is the rest of the ensemble. BIG shout out, to Alex Michael Stoll, who I pretty much gawked at throughout the entire show.
I just had one question for WizzerMarvin or anyone. My friend and I did not really get the ending, could someone explain what happened. He did kill all those people right?
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