American Psycho - closing week audiences- Page 2

[Jane2]

Posted: 6/4/16 at 12:38pm

thanks! If I have to, I always buy a huge size and wear it as a nightshirt.

[groucho797]

Posted: 6/4/16 at 8:29pm

Jane2 said: "thanks! If I have to, I always buy a huge size and wear it as a nightshirt."

Charming! And you're certainly not the first person to sleep with a psycho.

 

[schubox]

Posted: 6/4/16 at 8:54pm

Really bummed I'm going to miss this. From what I've seen on talk shows and the like I'd love it. And I'm a big fan of the book and movie. Is there any chance of a cast recording? Really sucks it closed so soon 

[RW3]

Posted: 6/5/16 at 12:26am

Saw the matinee today. Everyone was giving 100%. Benjamin walker was stellar. Helene Yorke was comedic gold. Walker, Ripley, and Yorke all got entrance applauses. After waiting 3 years to see the show, it definitely exceeded my expectations and more. And just to get a little superficial, but their bodies are freaking unreal in person. Lastly, I need a cast recording!!!!

[RW3]

Posted: 6/5/16 at 12:42am

Also, two women came late to sit in the front row and Benjamin shook his head at them and it was so funny.

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 6/5/16 at 1:23am

Stage doored tonight. Mob scene.  No Alice or Helene. They definitely tried to thin the herd by taking down barricades at 11:15. Jenn came out to a decent sized crowd after the barricades were down-felt bad they had no barricades for her. She got mobbed. They shut down the entire theatre, including turning all the outside lights off but 4 of us waited. Ben came out about 12:30am. He was so nice to us. Very funny and kind. Signed and took photos. 

Lea Salonga was going backstage and it was so crowded they had her stand outside by the door. I felt bad for her. She just had to stand there with fans staring at her. Awkward. They should have take her in and let people's families stand outside. 

[Phillytheatreguy10]

Posted: 6/5/16 at 1:58am

Any word on merch besides shirts? 

[benmangini]

Posted: 6/5/16 at 8:40am

Bettyboy72 said: "Stage doored tonight. Mob scene.  No Alice or Helene. They definitely tried to thin the herd by taking down barricades at 11:15. Jenn came out to a decent sized crowd after the barricades were down-felt bad they had no barricades for her. She got mobbed. They shut down the entire theatre, including turning all the outside lights off but 4 of us waited. Ben came out about 12:30am. He was so nice to us. Very funny and kind. Signed and took photos. 

Lea Salonga was going backstage and it was so crowded they had her stand outside by the door. I felt bad for her. She just had to stand there with fans staring at her. Awkward. They should have take her in and let people's families stand outside. 

 

"

Mat

[benmangini]

Posted: 6/5/16 at 8:42am

Bettyboy72 said: "Stage doored tonight. Mob scene.  No Alice or Helene. They definitely tried to thin the herd by taking down barricades at 11:15. Jenn came out to a decent sized crowd after the barricades were down-felt bad they had no barricades for her. She got mobbed. They shut down the entire theatre, including turning all the outside lights off but 4 of us waited. Ben came out about 12:30am. He was so nice to us. Very funny and kind. Signed and took photos. 

Lea Salonga was going backstage and it was so crowded they had her stand outside by the door. I felt bad for her. She just had to stand there with fans staring at her. Awkward. They should have take her in and let people's families stand outside. 

 

"

Matinee stage door was also a mob scene. 

[RW3]

Posted: 6/5/16 at 8:56am

Phillytheatreguy10 said: "Any word on merch besides shirts? 

From what I could tell yesterday, there were still magnets, the London cast recording, and windowcards available. 

 

[Jane2]

Posted: 6/5/16 at 10:01am

My experience at yesterday's matinee:

First- I bought one of the tank tops. There were t shirts,  magnets and other things available. 

My seat was orch. G 11. Not a bad seat, but next to me was a very large woman who was partly in my seat but worst of all, she was drenched in perfume and I could hardly breathe. I spent most of act 1 with my top pulled up over my nose. Also, the girl on my left kept whooping and hollering in my ear and it began to hurt.

As for the show - I noticed there were multiple-viewers in the audience who cheered at the dimming of the lights, each joke, etc. The songs had extended applause. I'm sure that if the show kept running, there would  be a large cult following.

At intermission, I wasn't sure I'd stay for Act 2, since I was so uncomfortable during Act 1. I saw the HM, who put me in a different seat. It was orch. row P 106. I could see the entire stage much better now. However, sitting right behind me was a very large male whose laugh bellowed from deep down in his soul and could shake the rafters. It was so piercing, that it hurt my spine. Luckily, people on both sides of me left at intermission and I was able to move away and still have several empty seats on both sides. HEAVEN!

Ok, my review. I loved the score, choreography, sets and cast, but I can understand why the critics didn't like the show. If you weren't a  person who enjoys synthesized dance music, the downtown scene, pop art,etc. I don't think the story line was enough to sustain you throughout the entire show. Thin plot. I can see why so many people left.

I myself enjoyed hearing so many things that I related to, like the Tunnel, Danceteria, (places I frequented) and some inside jokes about the scene in NY at the time.

I thought the show was just OK. Loved the film. Didn't read the book.

p.s. Walker was very good, but not a Tony worthy performance IMO, I didn't think Alice Ripley was so marvelous as the mother, nothing remarkable there. Standout for  me was Helene Yorke.

Updated On: 6/5/16 at 10:01 AM

[RW3]

Posted: 6/5/16 at 10:31am

Don't mean to threadjack but hopefully this hopeful news will make today's closing a lot easier.

https://twitter.com/rolandscahill/status/739236546902118400

[mfaye9]

Posted: 6/5/16 at 11:01am

That tweet is now down. What did it say?

[RW3]

Posted: 6/5/16 at 11:23am

Damn. Basically it said that hopefully in 2 weeks we should get confirmation if the show is getting a cast recording or not.

[theatreguy12]

Posted: 6/5/16 at 11:32am

That's a shame that so many people left during intermission at the show you were at.  Seems to contrast with what most people on here are saying about the audiences at the shows they've seen.  The show I saw included.

Jane2 said: "My experience at yesterday's matinee:

First- I bought one of the tank tops. There were t shirts,  magnets and other things available. 

My seat was orch. G 11. Not a bad seat, but next to me was a very large woman who was partly in my seat but worst of all, she was drenched in perfume and I could hardly breathe. I spent most of act 1 with my top pulled up over my nose. Also, the girl on my left kept whooping and hollering in my ear and it began to hurt.

As for the show - I noticed there were multiple-viewers in the audience who cheered at the dimming of the lights, each joke, etc. The songs had extended applause. I'm sure that if the show kept running, there would  be a large cult following.

At intermission, I wasn't sure I'd stay for Act 2, since I was so uncomfortable during Act 1. I saw the HM, who put me in a different seat. It was orch. row P 106. I could see the entire stage much better now. However, sitting right behind me was a very large male whose laugh bellowed from deep down in his soul and could shake the rafters. It was so piercing, that it hurt my spine. Luckily, people on both sides of me left at intermission and I was able to move away and still have several empty seats on both sides. HEAVEN!

Ok, my review. I loved the score, choreography, sets and cast, but I can understand why the critics didn't like the show. If you weren't a  person who enjoys synthesized dance music, the downtown scene, pop art,etc. I don't think the story line was enough to sustain you throughout the entire show. Thin plot. I can see why so many people left.

I myself enjoyed hearing so many things that I related to, like the Tunnel, Danceteria, (places I frequented) and some inside jokes about the scene in NY at the time.

I thought the show was just OK. Loved the film. Didn't read the book.

p.s. Walker was very good, but not a Tony worthy performance IMO, I didn't think Alice Ripley was so marvelous as the mother, nothing remarkable there. Standout for  me was Helene Yorke.

 

"

 

[amandaelevator]

Posted: 6/5/16 at 11:47am

Saw the show three times last week and the audiences definitely got more enthusiast as it got closer to the closing date.

Also really bummed they were sold out of the shot glasses by the time I got there. They were so cool, I would of loved to have one.

[IdinaBellFoster]

Posted: 6/5/16 at 11:54am

Really sad to see this show go so soon. Caught it in early May and while the material wasn't my favorite, I found the production mesmerizing. I'm still thinking about the show. I hope they record an album because I can't listen to the London recording anymore...the changes they made/the new cast are worlds better.

 

Really wish Benjamin Walker & Helene Yorke would've been included in the Tony nominations this year. 

[Jane2]

Posted: 6/5/16 at 1:04pm

"That's a shame that so many people left during intermission at the show you were at.  Seems to contrast with what most people on here are saying about the audiences at the shows they've seen.  The show I saw included."

What can I tell ya, vive la contrast? 

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 6/5/16 at 1:28pm

Just picked up my closing night ticket. Theatre is insane. Will call line is huge. People are standing at the stage door with posters trying to get to cast members. Lots of emotional fans. 

This is my favorite show this season. Sadly, I think critics may have missed some things. This is a story of trauma and disconnection and the way Patrick sinks into madness trying to be perfect. 

I cried during his mothers song. It's in that moment you realize Patrick was happy and carefree at one point but something killed that. It's a cost that many men pay in society. 

Also, the subtext of Patrick being covered in blood (his trauma) and finding himself unable to connect with someone who cares deeply for him (Jean). It tore my heart out. 

So many many suffer this in today's society. 

Also, as a psychotherapist I am aware that many many people have violent fantasies and revenge fantasies that they never  have any intention of acting on. 

Patrick is a little boy lost in an opulent world where gender roles, expectations and unhealthy coping swallowed him. Ben Walker communicates this brilliantly and was very deserving of a nomination.  

[E. riley]

Posted: 6/5/16 at 1:38pm

Bettyboy72 said:

"So many many suffer this in today's society. 

Also, as a psychotherapist I am aware that many many people have violent fantasies and revenge fantasies that they never  have any intention of acting on. 

Patrick is a little boy lost in an opulent world where gender roles, expectations and unhealthy coping swallowed him. Ben Walker communicates this brilliantly and was very deserving of a nomination."

 

I love your comment. Beautifully stated. I feel the same way. Emotional about this show in a way I didn't expect. Walker was brilliant and the lack of nomination and the untimely closing feels very wrong! 

 



 

Updated On: 6/5/16 at 01:38 PM

[songanddanceman2]

Posted: 6/5/16 at 1:59pm

Surprised you didn't love it more Jane, have to disagree about Ben's performance, it's flawless. 

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 6/5/16 at 2:00pm

Ripely is very effective in that scene. She wants her son to be happy again and sees Jean as a chance for that. She just wants to see her boy smile again. Again, breaks my heart. 

[desperateAndee]

Posted: 6/5/16 at 2:06pm

Bettyboy72, your assessment is exactly the reason I'm so upset that this is closing. 

The show is a dark meditation on the deterioration of a young mind and it is more relevant today than it was back when BEE released his terrifying novel onto the world. We are living in a society completely void of any form of real communication these days (social media is literally killing us) and there is a distinct lack of empathy, especially within my younger age group. Patrick is the monster that lies within all of us and this particular production really highlights that. I read an interview with Alice Ripley where she stated that, while she loves the book & the movie, the musical showcases the true 'emotional' core of the story. I completely agree; it's heartbreaking.

I also feel so much sadness during Nice Thought, as you can imagine that Patrick wasn't always this way. It's bittersweet because it is a nice fantasy to think of Patrick as a little boy but, sadly, it's not the reality. That number really illustrates Jean's internal dilemma, too. I also get chills every time we are introduced to her character through Sheik's haunting remix of Everybody Wants to Rule the World.

I will be there tonight cheering on the cast of this bacchanal trip into Hell. I'm honored to have been apart of this journey and am glad that it will leave a bloody legacy. As someone so aptly put, Broadway just wasn't ready for it yet. Art isn't supposed to be perfect, it's supposed to provoke. And this show certainly did. 

Ps. There is nothing more thrilling/terrifying than Patrick's first kill on stage with the pulsating beginning of HARDBODY in the distance...

 

Updated On: 6/5/16 at 02:06 PM

[LLJ3]

Posted: 6/5/16 at 2:30pm

Alice Ripley tweeted a link to an interview she gave with Stage Door Dish: http://stagedoordish.com/alice-ripley-opens-up-about-her-experience-in-american-psycho-her-hopes-for-the-musicals-legacy-and-working-on-unattached-with-emily-skinner/

It's an interesting read. Quoting a (lengthy, sorry!) portion below. I understand where she's coming from when she said the producers could have exploited her track record and Tony to get more people to watch the show but I have to disagree. I don't think the show could have been improved if she had her own song (wouldn't really have fit into the show. Unless they added a flashback with a younger Patrick, maybe?) and while I'm a fan of hers, I don't think her name would be a draw to tourists who aren't exactly musical theater nerds. 

That said, it's a shame that the show is closing so early. Like most of you, I hope it gets a cast recording -- the London recording is so different from the show I saw. 

 

I could not agree more. When I went to see it, it was a full house. It’s also what I would consider the most talked about show of the season. People really want to discuss it. It genuinely surprises me that you are closing.

I’ve enjoyed this experience from the beginning. Even before it started, I enjoyed my audition. I think my favorite part of it so far is how the audience is behind us right now. It feels so good because, honestly, we all do it for whoever’s in the audience. It’s all been great. I think there are a lot of pressures for a Broadway house these days and a lot of them involve money. Sometimes there’s nothing they can do, and you just have to cut your losses and pull out. It was also a very competitive season. In a different season, this show would have ruled. In all fairness, it would have been nice to have my own song. I have definitely earned that. I don’t feel slighted at all because I don’t have it but it would have only made it better.

I agree. One of the critiques I hear most frequently from people is, ‘Alice Ripley is so underutilized in this production.’ 

We’re here to be candid, so I’ll be that way with you. Let’s be honest, this is a job in my hometown. I’ve been on the road for a number of years. Not only is it a Broadway show, but of course I want to be involved in something new with people that I know and respect. Why wouldn’t you say yes? If there was a promise that they would develop the role, that makes it even better. In this case, there was actually a promise, and it wasn’t really developed. To be in their court for a minute, this is the London production. That sets the tone for everything afterward and that’s what you fall back on. It’s not really 100% brand new but to me it is.

Again, I love being part of the ensemble. I love not having to sing 38 songs and carry the show. It’s a nice break, and I know how to be in the ensemble. It’s just, to be candid, it would have benefited everybody if they had given me my own song. It doesn’t take rocket scientists to figure that out. I’m not saying the show would have run any longer or anything would have been different, but the fans would have enjoyed it. I’ve seen some of the other shows in town. You can see when a song was written for a singer. It can still be there to tell the story. First of all, with any musical, it’s absolutely imperative. There’s no time to linger and show off. If you want to show off, you have to tell the story at the same time. When you can hit that at the right moments in the course of the arc of the show, then you’ve got it, if you do it earnestly and in a way that doesn’t insult the audience’s intelligence. I would never want them to do anything like that. Don’t you agree?

I definitely do.

I never would have mentioned it if you hadn’t brought it up. I’ve been perfectly happy, and I mean that, but when you look at it from a business perspective on how to get people into the theatre, I do have a track record and a Tony award. They should have exploited that. I haven’t said this to anybody yet. This is pretty personal, but since we’re closing, I might as well be honest.

[theatreguy12]

Posted: 6/5/16 at 2:32pm

Interesting, Betty and Andee.  I felt much the same, though at first I couldn't put my finger on what it was that resonated so much with me.  I had heard a few of the songs before going in and really liked the rather experimental, unorthodox sounds the show brought forth.  Something was there though as I sat amidst this intoxication of the senses that had me transfixed.  I was so overwhelmed, in a powerful way, that while it was happening it was a lot to take in.  Again, this was a good thing.

The dialogue and songs, in all their vapidness, were gradually taking me to that place throughout the show where the superficiality and the underlying needs of these characters were something I found provocative.  It really held my interest.  It was the song, "This Is Not An Exit," that really hit me as it wrapped up everything you had just witnessed in such a beautiful, yet still disturbing way.

Throughout the show you are surrounded by these characters who lead superficial, banal existences.  They really do just exist.  

And then you have this deep and meaningful song, sung by a very disconnected and not so sympathetic character. In fact, you almost find yourself wondering how you can be sympathizing with this guy.  It was powerful.  Every time I listen to it, I hear something new.  Or I glean something more from it.  It's like riding one of those classic attractions at Disneyland where every time you experience it you see something new.

I was a double major in university, English and Psychology, and I think my lines of interests are why I find theater so compelling.  Psychology plays a major role in what drives human experience, and it's the stories that come from books, plays, and literature that share those stories and experiences. They go hand in hand.

This musical was one of both depth and vapidness.  I found it a conflicting, while equally mesmerizing experience.

I understand it will not be a show or story that resonates with everyone.  Some won't see it beyond the surface of its story; others will consider any analysis of the deeper aspects of its dimensions pretentious or flat out uninteresting.  

Other theatergoers will find it a captivating study.  And I'm one of those who loved the experience.

At the end of the day, critics can't be more than who they are.  And they speak for themselves as they give their take on things.  Some of us will agree with them; some of us won't.  

In this particular show, it's possible the characters and their experiences were not sympathetic enough to be examined deeply by some of the critics. Or maybe they just considered it to be too pretentious to be taken there. And I think it was tossed aside.  It almost became like, 'You guys thought the controversial nature of the story cloaked in stylish presentation would hook us, but we showed you….it didn't.' 

But IMO, there is something deeper.  Something below the surface of the blatant superficiality that can very much be examined in this play.

Again, my opinion.  And not shared by the majority apparently.

I'm very glad I saw it, and I can attest to the fact that having the window card displayed on the wall of my den, amidst the likes of such classics as Oklahoma, She Loves Me, Fiddler on the Roof, Jelly's Last Jam, Crazy For You and many others, it garners many a comment from my friends and visitors.  

And yes, almost as many comments as the Hamilton window card does.  People are intrigued by it.

Best of luck to all involved in this show on their future endeavors.

 

 

Updated On: 6/5/16 at 02:32 PM