Almeida Artistic Director Rupert Goold’s production of American Psycho, based on the novel by Bret Easton Ellis just celebrate dits opening night. The book is by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, with music and lyrics by Duncan Sheik, based on the novel by Bret Easton Ellis, and directed by Rupert Goold.
Patrick Bateman has it all – looks, money, style and status. Engaged to the beautiful Evelyn Williams, he is about to win the prestigious Fischer account for his investment bank and celebrate by dining at Dorsia. But there’s another side to his life that Patrick keeps secret. And people – including those closest to him – keep disappearing…
Let’s see what the London critics had to say…
Cindy Marcolina, BroadwayWorld: Arty Froushan is exquisite as Bateman. A psychotic glint in his eye and steely arrogance make him the quintessential finance bro. He makes his inability to get a table at the exclusive Dorsia restaurant the driving force of his homicidal streak, filling his nights with violent sex and murderous escapades. The musical spells out Bateman’s contradictions, and Froushan revels in them.
Arifa Akbar, The Guardian: The seeds of corruption in our world are all to be found here: Trump is Bateman’s hero and makes a brief appearance. Epstein is name-checked. The unspoken analogy between bankers and psychopaths bears resonance. Bateman deals in mergers and acquisitions (or is it “murders and executions”?) and although he is a product of the 1980s, the greed of his peers lays the ground for the economic crashes to come, their nihilistic, coke-snorting hedonism prefiguring the drama of Industry. The unreliable narration of the book which renders Bateman a fantasist gives way to metaphor more clearly here: he is an abstraction, he tells us himself. He may not be out there, cutting up women, but his darkness, his abandoning of hope, sits within all of us.
Claire Allfree, The Telegraph: As a fun pastiche of pumped-up yuppie pomp, the musical certainly plays to Goold’s strengths as a director. Set pieces are driven by a synth-pop soundtrack and drenched in late-1980s neon; the vibe is MTV raunch mixed with the gloss of a Calvin Klein perfume ad.
Ailce Saville, The Independent: Still, if this show’s message is uncertain, its impact is undeniable. It doesn’t look or sound like any other musical you’ll see in London, and there’s something entrancing about this icy injection of nihilism into a remorselessly peppy genre.
Clive Davis, The Times: Lynne Page’s choreography, delivered on Es Devlin’s icy thrust stage set, evokes some of the swagger of those blank-faced sirens in Robert Palmer’s Eighties video Addicted to Love. But watching this show is an oddly bloodless exercise in nostalgia, like being forced to sit through a re-run of 9½ Weeks.
Andrzej Lukowski, Time Out London: Does this all make for a good musical? I mean, it makes for a good cult musical. But for all the demonic razzle dazzle that Goold and his top-notch creative team bring to bear – disturbingly twitchy choreography, infernal monochrome elegance, a lot of indoor sunglass wearing – American Psycho is a deadpan show with a downbeat story that sometimes feels in conflict with the maximalist nature of musical theatre. And in humanising Bateman and stressing his anxieties, his collapse into full-blown paranoia at the end feels less momentous than in book and film.
Nick Curtis, The Standard: Froushan’s performance is charismatic and physical, and he lets us see the cracks in Bateman’s handsome façade early on, particularly in comparison to the vacuous confidence of his wingman Timothy Price (Oli Higginson). Most of the characters are stereotypes or archetypes, but Kim Ismay and Tanisha Spring have fun with the sketchy roles of Patrick’s mom and Evelyn’s frenemy.
Steve Dinneen, CityAM: But the cultural context can be saved for the walk home: in the moment, this is a thrilling production, whether Bateman is murdering prostitutes with a nail gun to a pulsing electro soundtrack or having an existential crisis in a New York City nightclub. It’s a neon cartoon, a dizzy dreamscape, strangely uplifting despite the darkness at its core.
Tom Ambrose, West End Best Friend: If ever there were a true ensemble musical, American Psycho is it. Standout contributions come from Asha Parker Wallace and Millie Mayhew, but a special mention must go to Hannah Yun Chamberlain, who is utterly captivating throughout. Striking a balance between violent drama, dark humour, and commentary on the state of a nation, American Psycho remains boldly unconventional. While the ending may feel somewhat unsatisfying, this revival ultimately stands as a production for the ages.
Alex Wood, WhatsonStage: It’s not a perfect show, and its true impact is perhaps left that bit too late in the final scenes. That said, it’s still a hypnotic, bloody good time – one that perhaps says more about the macabre dimensions of modern masculinity than anything else on a UK stage right now.
Holly O’Mahony, London Theatre: Perhaps it would be an easier watch if there were fewer bad men like Patrick in the world? But though two-plus hours in the company of someone this outwardly entitled and inwardly empty leaves a bad taste, it’s sort of grippingly grotesque, and a second chance to catch a collector’s item in Goold’s canon as he continues in his ascent.
Chris Omaweng, LondonTheatre1: The cast work hard, and the balance between the music and the cast’s vocals is perfectly fine. It’s also not a show that’s ear-splittingly loud. The central character, who veers between ‘mergers and acquisitions’ and ‘murders and executions’, comes across as much of a victim of circumstances as those who find themselves with his trusty knife thrust into them. All things considered, this horror story wasn’t horrifying enough to be wowed by.
Owen Thomas James, Everything Theatre: In a way, the production feels too sleek for its own good. The minimalism and emptiness are thematic, but it lends the production an unfortunate evanescence. The satire lacks bite, and there aren’t any standout moments of terrifying horror. The impressive, if a little frantic, choreography can’t make up for the other-worldly score which struggles to impress. Still, the packed, notably young audience suggests the show’s cult appeal remains undiminished, and for devoted fans, the aesthetic thrill and cultural cachet may well outweigh its dramatic shortcomings.
Liam O’Dell: And while patrons look into that aspect of the production, established, mainstream theatre critics will no doubt be able to dissect Goold’s directorial development over more than a decade with the original American Psycho and other shows in between (Albion, Ink and Patriots, to name but three). Even as a ‘latecomer’, shall we say, I could spot nods to past works in this production. The elevated staging was immediately reminiscent of Patriots; the vibrant video and lighting design akin to Dear England and Tammy Faye; and the monochrome fitting comfortably alongside the likes of Spring Awakening and Cold War. In what is an excellent milestone production for Goold, American Psycho sees his direction at its most slick, stylish and striking.
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