AMERICAN PSYCHO Reviews- Page 4

[bjh2114]

Posted: 4/21/16 at 11:25pm

I actually agree Whizzer.  I think Brantley's take was actually more on target than Green's this time.

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 4/21/16 at 11:30pm

Isn't Alice Ripley in the show anymore?

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 4/21/16 at 11:32pm

Yes, Ripley plays a few small roles. 

[bjh2114]

Posted: 4/21/16 at 11:49pm

Time Out (Feldman) is super short and is mixed:

"Rupert Goold’s production looks terrific; the attractive cast is the meat in Es Devlin’s set, the world’s hippest minimalist abattoir. Fans of Bret Easton Ellis’s gruesome 1991 novel, and especially of Mary Harron’s less explicit 2000 film version, will scream with delighted recognition, and there are sharp performances: Heléne Yorke as Patrick’s girlfriend, Jennifer Damiano as his secretary, Theo Stockman as a nasty friend. Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa’s adaptation emphasizes (perforce) humor over gore and tries to hint at a sensitive soul behind Patrick’s sleek facade. But numbness sets in. American Psychois about an idea of a person doing an idea of very bad things, as seen from a safely stylish and ironic remove. Neither the violence nor the satire can cut very deep when its targets are so thin. For all its splatter, the show feels bloodless."

http://www.timeout.com/newyork/theater/american-psycho

[nolanativeny]

Posted: 4/21/16 at 11:56pm

I'm not surprised about the complaints regarding tone. I mean Glee was one of the most unfocused tone-wise shows I've ever seen. I don't know, maybe I'm wrong, but I feel like the uneven tone just works for whatever reason. 

 

Oh well. Critics were mixed. Doesn't stop me from loving it and going back 1 or 5 more times. 

[Jeffrey Karasarides]

Posted: 4/21/16 at 11:57pm

WhizzerMarvin said: "Yeah, I don't think the Tony nominators give a fig about reviews. They're going to nominate what they liked plain and simple. 

The Visit didn't get particularly nice reviews last season, save for Chita, and the box office was dead-still the committee as a whole must have loved/respected it because it got quite a few nominations including Best Musical."

I think we all knew that unless The Visit was panned by the critics, there was still gonna be a lot of respect for it because it was the final Kander & Ebb musical to have made it to Broadway as well as the long journey it took to get there.

 

[massofmen]

Posted: 4/21/16 at 11:58pm

jesse Green is a horrible reviewer. Its like he takes musicals personally when they aren't up to his lofty standards. He is pretentious and his reviews are mainly about him and not the show. 

I think Matt Windham from AMNY is one of the best reviewers we have today. I wish he was with a bigger paper. even when he dislikes something he always seems to try to find something positive about it. 
actually this gives me an idea for a post:

[CindersGolightly]

Posted: 4/22/16 at 12:05am

ethan231h said: "I wonder what will happen with the tonys.... the reviews haven't really said anything about Helene York in which i really hope get at least a nomination..."

 

Actually, almost every time she was mentioned, it was along with good things.

"Eye-rollingly entertaining."

"Vivid."

"Hilarious."

"There are sharp performances: Heléne Yorke as Patrick’s girlfriend."

I say she has a fighting chance. She really deserves it. She's incredible in this show.

[Wilmingtom]

Posted: 4/22/16 at 12:14am

The Tony nominating committee and voters take pride in having their own, often very strong thoughts about the shows they see and are not influenced by the reviews.

[Jeffrey Karasarides]

Posted: 4/22/16 at 12:16am

^Though they sometimes do agree with each other.

[SweetLips]

Posted: 4/22/16 at 12:56am

Best pull quote-----'Gives you a killer buzz'.

[Wilmingtom]

Posted: 4/22/16 at 1:09am

Yes Jeffrey, they do sometimes agree with each other just as we all sometimes agree with certain critics on certain shows. 

[gypsy101]

Posted: 4/22/16 at 1:39am

ethan231h said: "It's almost like the critiques didn't understand the show, but then there is the regular theatre people that go often to show that totally understood what the show was trying to do. Such a shame that the reviews are what they are. the show is really a masterpiece"

 

Couldn't it be that they understood the show and none of them thought it was a masterpiece?

[MusicAndPassion]

Posted: 4/22/16 at 1:54am

I was there tonight for opening night. The show was good. Not amazing, but good. And after following Brantley's reviews this season (and meeting him in person) I think he need to retire. 

[songanddanceman2]

Posted: 4/22/16 at 4:49am

Positive http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/la-et-cm-american-psycho-review-20160423-column.html

 

[SmoothLover]

Posted: 4/22/16 at 4:58am

Ben Brantley is hot!

[songanddanceman2]

Posted: 4/22/16 at 4:58am

Mixed to negative http://www.northjersey.com/arts-and-entertainment/theater/making-a-killing-in-the-self-absorbed-1980s-1.1550873

 

i have to say that the oddest thing is to hear things like 'it's not scary' or 'why the need for this show' and 'he's not sympathetic'.....are they kidding?

its like they are trying to push it in to a traditional theatre mould that they would want to see and clearly that's not what it is, it's the total reverse. As for the 'why?' Well why does any musical exist? 

Very odd night though, I don't think I've seen such a mixed set of reviews in a long time. 

[devonian.t]

Posted: 4/22/16 at 5:08am

songanddanceman2 said: "But did they really think a musical would do that kind of gore and sex? And if it's a heavily stylised piece and that's something they like then how else would they possibly do the violence?
 

SADM2 I'm sure you've read the original book, (I really hated its misogyny), but the thing is, if you use that source material, you ought to be true to it.

This adaptation (in London) was a Disnification of the book and the time- which is why I found it so bloodless.

I expect you can recall that production of Titus Andronicus at the Globe a couple of years ago where people were fainting in droves.  American Psycho- if you're really going to do American Psycho- ought to have them heaving into buckets.  This show- not its subject matter- is too superficial.

[songanddanceman2]

Posted: 4/22/16 at 5:35am

Of course I've read the book and I think this is very true to it, more so than the film. The book was hilarious and every other moment was a ridiculous dig at the 80s Regan Greed is good. It would appear that some think the book is this dark thing so the musical fails where as others think it's a satire that drips with comedy so think the musical nailed it. In reality I don't think most the critics read the book. This adaptation to me is a perfect way to take on this material, it's glossy, flashy, fun and oozes style, just like it should be. It's not about heart, it's not about love, it's not about redemption like so many other musicals, it's mean spirited and a satirical look at shallow. 

Lets be honest if they had made this darker, sicker and more disturbing as some as the critics seem to want then those same critics would have complained about that as well. 

I didn't hate the misogyny in the book, that was these guys world, just like the constant using of the word f****t, it's part of that culture 

[Eliva1]

Posted: 4/22/16 at 5:37am

Everyone made this musical to be best thing since sliced bread. It is not. You made me thing this might even be the best musical ever it is not. Its far far from anything good

[devonian.t]

Posted: 4/22/16 at 5:48am

I'm sure you're right that critics would have been uncomfortable if the musical was as graphic as the book (I'm thinking coat hangers and rodents) but my reaction to the show is that it falls into the trap of glorifying/ revelling in the thing it was meant to hate- rather like the way the novel's satirical use of Les Mis as a commodity has turned this show into... a commodity.

I feel the same way about Tarantino's alleged "ironic" use of extreme violence.

[songanddanceman2]

Posted: 4/22/16 at 5:56am

The best review they have that they should use on the marquee is that Mr Ellis liked it when he watched it the other night, if he thinks it's done right and he wrote the book then that's the main thing.

[devonian.t]

Posted: 4/22/16 at 6:12am

Oh come on!  That's a press release and a writer talking on the record.  It's no indication of what he really thinks at all.  He is receiving money from this production after all.

[songanddanceman2]

Posted: 4/22/16 at 6:17am

He skipped the London production because he had no interest, he was seen at the theatre looking nervous about the show and overheard talking before the show that he was not sure if it would work. Ellis has NEVER said a 'line' producers want him to say, he openly said he didn't like the end of the show because they softened it, I'm pretty sure producers had zero to do with that. He enjoyed the show so much that he accepted their invitation to last nights show (one he ignored in London). 

[devonian.t]

Posted: 4/22/16 at 6:20am

"Showbiz.  It's all showbiz"