American Psycho Preview Video- Page 3

[lovebwy]

Posted: 2/19/16 at 12:40pm

Yeah, not great.

 

Patrick Bateman needs to be a hot, sleek, sexy sociopath. This guy is totes fugly.

 

 

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 2/19/16 at 1:16pm

They'll fix it in post.

[UrNotAMachine]

Posted: 2/19/16 at 1:19pm

I'd probably compare the lyrics here to Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson (coincidentally also starring Benjamin walker) a lot of the lyrics are really bad on paper but that's because most of them are ironically bad. In BBAJ it's because it's emulating bad emo lyrics and in this it's because it's emulating shallow 80s synth pop. There are moments with great lyrics in both but they're purposefully only in certain spots. Once the amazing sets are put in and more rehearsals happen, I'm sure everything will click into place. 

Updated On: 2/19/16 at 01:19 PM

[Mr. Nowack]

Posted: 2/19/16 at 1:22pm

I saw these the other day and was sad to confess I hated them.

 

Granted I've never been a fan of the film or electronic music so I'm not really a fair judge, but the choreography especially jumped out as bafflingly dumb.

 

Like "ooh we stylized! yeah!"

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 2/19/16 at 1:28pm

We've all got our junk.

[songanddanceman2]

Posted: 2/19/16 at 1:29pm

devonian.t said: "SADM2, it's me who said it!  Surely you remember me?

 

How couid I forget you? Xx

it will be interesting to see what people on here think when the show opens. 

"

 

[BroadwayConcierge]

Posted: 2/19/16 at 1:30pm

Mr. Nowack said: "...but the choreography especially jumped out as bafflingly dumb. Like "ooh we stylized! yeah!""

 

Exactly. The choreography gave me a Finding Neverland-y sense.

[Charley Kringas Inc]

Posted: 2/19/16 at 1:54pm

MrsSallyAdams said: "Folks who saw this in London: How would you describe the tone of the book?

 

Reviews suggest that it's not aiming for the gross-out horror of the 2000 movie, or a tragic tone like Sweeney Todd. Rather it's going for social satire. Is it sort of like a bloody How to Succeed in Business...?"

 

I've only heard it via audio recording, but it was grimly funny in a kind of nauseating way. They did a great job keeping the momentum up, which made it kind of overwhelming, like you've been high for an hour too long and you want to come down, but it's just not letting up and you're getting anxious. What I actually liked about the "broad" 80s humor was how it fit with the heightened gloom, so when contrasted against really brutal moments like Bateman (spoilers, I guess) killing the homeless guy it became kind of screamingly dark. You get the sense that these people are really dancing on the edge of oblivion, and it's only in that no-zone that Bateman can exist, because nothing matters and nobody hears what anyone else is saying. By surrounding his gutteral, human insanity with a vivid representation of vapidity, the show underlined how Bateman was both totally free and completely imprisoned.

[neonlightsxo]

Posted: 2/19/16 at 2:12pm

I just watched "Selling Out" and am very very unimpressed. Those lyrics are awful.

[neonlightsxo]

Posted: 2/19/16 at 2:18pm

Scarywarhol said: "I promise that the satire of the story is understood in America, where it comes from. I don't think that satire is an excuse for what appears to be really poor craftsmanship in the writing, which is what has people concerned about the musical here. "

 

This is exactly what I was going to say, so I just want to agree with this. There's no craft here.

 

[RippedMan]

Posted: 2/19/16 at 3:05pm

How much work can they possibly do to the show? I mean it has a London cast album already. 

[CindersGolightly]

Posted: 2/19/16 at 3:11pm

I hope this show succeeds just so we get an OBC. I adore Jenn Damiano's voice.

[ethan231h]

Posted: 2/19/16 at 3:19pm

I may be in the minority here, but I actually really like the music and movement. So excited to see this!!

[Scarlet Leigh]

Posted: 2/19/16 at 4:12pm

Ok. GOOD. I watched the videos on youtube and was thinking to myself how god AWFUL they all were. Then I started thinking, "Am I just not getting it? What's wrong with me? What am I missing?!" How relieved I am to come here and see that others reacted the same way!

 

I didn't so much get a Spiderman vibe at first (though now that it's been mentioned I DO get it. That song about clothes DOES kinda make me think about the infamous shoes show). To me it's very VERY reminisant of what they tried to do with Ghost only... not as genuine an attempt. Especially in the chorography which to me is the biggest mess here. I can't tell if it's trying to by a satire or if it's trying to be too damn serious for it's own good. And I also think it's in a way disappointing because this show was so hyped up and it's just not what a lot of us expected when we finally got to see some hint of it. First impressions are important. This was NOT a good first impression.

 

I fear that just like Ghost, this might be a case of a show that just doesn't transfer across the Atlantic well.

Updated On: 2/19/16 at 04:12 PM

[Dolly80]

Posted: 2/19/16 at 4:20pm

Guys give it a chance!,

 

dont judgw it by this video  with no lighting, set or costumes, I saw it in London and it was Brilliant. 

 

The sometimes trite lyrics make total sense when you watch the show. It's intentionally mocking these vacant shallow characters. 

The staging is witty and stylish and the cast you have in NYC is going to really sell it.

Updated On: 2/19/16 at 04:20 PM

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 2/19/16 at 4:25pm

Even in the video the material itself is so similar to the movie I don't understand what was being expected that wasn't met. It's exactly what I would expect an American Psycho musical to be like.

[Charley Kringas Inc]

Posted: 2/19/16 at 4:31pm

It's a little bit like judging the book based entirely on the parts where Bateman talks at length about his appreciation of various albums and performers.

[ajh]

Posted: 2/20/16 at 8:53am

In what universe could Benjamin Walker be described as "fugly"?!!! I think he has the perfect combination of swagger, arrogance, playfulness and underlying menace for Bateman. And he is damn sexy.

I really enjoyed these clips and think it looks like they've got the Broadway casting bang on....with Jen Damiano being sweet but not sappy as Jean, Helene Yorke hilariously vacuous as the fiancée and Morgan Weed suitably fierce as her sidekick. 

I saw the London production several times and loved it. I do wonder however if  releasing this rehearsal footage might be a slight misstep as taken out of context and at face value some of the material comes across as trite and inane, which is exactly what the creators are aiming at, since the book, the film and now the musical are very much critiques of the shallowness of Bateman, his peers and lifestyle. It isn't going to be everybody's cup of tea admittedly.

As somebody who grew up listening to 80s electronica, I think Sheik has captured perfectly the musical tone of the period.......and some of those tunes are real ear worms. Also Lynne Page's opening number  choreography references quite a few moves that were around in 80s pop videos/films, not just "Thriller". 

All in all, I am really excited to see this again.

Updated On: 2/20/16 at 08:53 AM

[devonian.t]

Posted: 2/20/16 at 9:43am

Charley Kringas Inc said: "It's a little bit like judging the book based entirely on the parts where Bateman talks at length about his appreciation of various albums and performers."

But you wouldn't use them to advertize it, surely?

[songanddanceman2]

Posted: 2/20/16 at 9:51am

I just find it odd that so many smart musical lovers seem to be missing the point when it comes to the lyrics, choreography and music, if you understand the shallow, selfish, over stylised world of Patrick Bateman then surely you can see that this is the only way this couid have been done?

[Scarywarhol]

Posted: 2/20/16 at 9:54am

I think you could do it with rhymes that don't actually make me cringe.

-Somebody who has read the novel three times.

[theatreguy12]

Posted: 2/20/16 at 10:10am

AJH, when are you seeing it?  Or do you have tickets yet?  Would be interested to hear your take on this production and how it compares to the one you saw in London.

I was on the fence about this musical but took the leap and grabbed a ticket to see it….the third preview.

It does seem a bit out there,  but based on the London reviews, and input such as yours, I'm eager to see what they've done with this.  Especially as an 80s kid myself who lived through the decade as a teenager and young adult.

 

[ajh]

Posted: 2/20/16 at 10:57am

Hi theatreguy12! Am seeing this at the beginning of July.

"out there" is a pretty apt description actually. As an 80s kid I think you'll really enjoy the score. It conjures up the sounds of the 1980s in much the way that, say, Hairspray did for the '60s. I thought the book and staging, at least in London, perfectly captured the sardonic, queasy nature of the book.

it was in such good shape in London that I would hope that it is completely stunning by the time they've finished polishing it up for NYC. Plus the Broadway casting looks to be wonderful.

  I will look forward to hearing what you think of it if you get there before me!

[theatreguy12]

Posted: 2/20/16 at 2:01pm

ajh said: "Hi theatreguy12! Am seeing this at the beginning of July.

 

"out there" is a pretty apt description actually. As an 80s kid I think you'll really enjoy the score. It conjures up the sounds of the 1980s in much the way that, say, Hairspray did for the '60s. I thought the book and staging, at least in London, perfectly captured the sardonic, queasy nature of the book.

 

it was in such good shape in London that I would hope that it is completely stunning by the time they've finished polishing it up for NYC. Plus the Broadway casting looks to be wonderful.

 

  I will look forward to hearing what you think of it if you get there before me!

 

"

Will do, AJH.  I'm not going to let the video form an opinion yet.  I'm thinking with the whole staging surrounding it, it could be pretty good.  If not at least interesting.  :)   Will let you know.  I've almost passed on musicals in the past, not based on video so much, but actual word of mouth from those who saw it.  And glad I didn't in the end.  Bullets Over Broadway is an example.  Had heard the mixed, to not so great, reviews from some.  But my friend and I really liked it.  We'll see with American Psycho.

Going a little crazy here with theater fix, but living in LA I have to get the job done while I'm there visiting my family over spring break.  The Color Purple, She Loves Me, Fiddler, King and I, Shuffle Along and Hamilton. Along with Psycho.  Breaking the bank, but sometimes you have to do what you have to do.  Will have to retire a year later, I guess.

Thanks for the insight!

[devonian.t]

Posted: 2/20/16 at 3:48pm

songanddanceman2 said: "I just find it odd that so many smart musical lovers seem to be missing the point when it comes to the lyrics, choreography and music, if you understand the shallow, selfish, over stylised world of Patrick Bateman then surely you can see that this is the only way this couid have been done?

"

I understand the intention- I just think it has been done with wit or surprise.  Its approach is obvious.