Broadway Theater Review: American Psycho

Benjamin Walker and the cast. Photo: Jeremy Daniel

The Ink Blots Aren’t What You Think They Are in This Psychological Thriller

By Lauren Yarger
Duncan Sheik’s new Broadway musical American Psycho is sort of a two-hour, 45 minute Rorschach test that you fail. No matter what you think you might be seeing in front of you, reality turns out to be something else.

Take the opening number with the electrifying pulses of the composer’s score set against Es Devlin’s mind-stimulating, metallic-grey set, lightning-strobed with expertise by Lighting Designer Justin Townsend while cast members forebodingly sing  “Uh, oh” while stomping out Choreographer Lynne Page’s dynamic dance steps. I sat back and thought, Wow! Director Rupert Goold has put something together here that might give traditional Broadway musicals a lobotomy even more so than Spring Awakening, Sheik’s musical that changed the personality of musicals forever.

Pretty quickly, however, the musical sinks into a flat line where, thanks to the book by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, based on the novel by Bret Easton Ellis, we’re never really sure why anything is happening -- especially why we need to see the star in his underwear a lot --  or for whom we are supposed to be rooting. We find ourselves longing for our brain waves to be stimulated again by music like the opening number. (Sheik also supplies the lyrics and orchestrates). A number of the musical numbers build to sudden, loud crescendo finishes, but seem over done given the preceding melody.

It’s kind of like seeing a dazzling image of a blood-dripping challenge (thanks to costumes by Katrina Lindsay and Wig and Hair Design by Campbell Young Associates) to blockbuster Hamilton’s stronghold on the Tony Awards this season only to discover that we’re looking instead at an ordinary ink blot.

I was not familiar with Ellis’ novel or on the movie (starring Christian Bale) which has a large cult following and probably led to the thought that such a story could be a Broadway musical, so I can’t tell you how it holds up on comparison.

This version of the psychological thriller features Benjamin Walker (who delighted in Bloody, Bloody Andrew Jackson) as Patrick Bateman, an investment banker who enjoys wealth and an active social life, but who in secret, is a serial murderer.

His fiancée, Evelyn Williams (Helene Yorke), is oblivious as the couple attends countless, boring events with friends and co-workers like Patrick’s brother, Sean (Jason Hite), David Van Patten (Dave Thomas Brown ), Timothy Price (Theo Stockman), closeted homosexual Luis Carruthers (Jordan Dean) and rival Paul Owen (Drew Moerlein), who is always one step ahead, it seems, even when it comes to designing a business card (there is a humorous song devoted to this called, well, “Cards.”)

Patrick’s meek secretary, Jean (Jennifer Damiano), has feelings for Patrick (though why, we’re not sure, since he treats her pretty rudely). He criticizes what she wears, sends her on menial errands and she grows ever fonder as our worst fears come true – Damiano and vocal powerhouse Alice Ripley, who plays a few characters including Patrick’s mother, are not going to sing anything that even begins to challenge their vocal talents. 

The two dynamic voices last appeared on Broadway together in Next to Normal – probably the first musical to deal with mental illness, but in a way that might be familiar to us in dealing with loved ones who are bi-polar or depressed. As for Psycho, sorry, I don’t know anyone who is killing people and animals with knives, chain saws and axes or having sexual orgies because the killing excites them (one scene is particularly vulgar with sexual images flooding the stage – video Design by Finn Ross). Or at least I hope I don’t.

And that seems to be the take-away from this story – that we don’t really know anyone very well, that everyone has a dark side. And in a puzzling twist, we’re not sure whether anything is really happening or just the quiet desperation in someone’s mind. I think I determined that I am sane by not caring. I went as far as being disappointed, however, by feeling that what might have been an intriguing thriller wasn’t developed fully enough here.  That especially goes for the female characters who seem to be afterthoughts, including Courtney Lawrence (Morgan Weed), Luis’ fiancé having an affair with Patrick , or just there for the taking or killing…. Alex Michael Stoll gets a fun few seconds as Patrick’s apartment neighbor Tom Cruise, however.

The band is housed in the house boxes either side of the stage and plays some pop hits from the 1980s which factor into the story. The transition is distracting. Music Direction is by Jason Hart; Music Supervision and Vocal Arrangements are by David Shrubsole.

American Psycho bloodies up the stage at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre, 236 W 45^th St., NYC through Sept. 25. Performances are Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday at 7 pm; Friday and Saturday at 8 pm; Sunday, 2 and 7:30 pm. Tickets are $ 69-$148: 212- 239-6200; americanpsychothemusical.com.

FAMILY-FRIENDLY FACTORS:

-- MATURE**

-- Mature dialogue

-- Language

-- Sexual activity

-- God's name taken in vain

-- Homosexuality

-- Homosexual activity

-- Scantily-clad actors

-- Sexual images