Tuesday, October 8, 2013

The Moments I Expect to See in the 'American Psycho' Musical


I kind of knew that an American Psycho musical was being created.  I hadn't thought much about it to be perfectly honest.  It was announced yesterday that Matt Smith (from Dr. Who fandom) would be taking on the role of banker/psycho/anti-hero Patrick Bateman, a role that was immortalized by Christian Bale in Mary Harron's 2000 film.  A Kickstarter campaign has raised over $150,000 towards the project with music by Spring Awakening's Duncan Sheik and a book by Robert Aguirre-Sacasa.  The video sold me even more on the project.

I remember when my dad and I went to see Psycho, and there were plenty of people that walked out.  It's a movie that actually freaked me out when I first saw it, but I've grown to like it more.  There are a few moments that I hope Aguirre-Sacasa puts on the stage.




Bateman's grooming regimen could be both spectacular and appropriate.  It echoes the superficiality of the 80's setting, and it gives us a great excuse to see Bateman almost naked.  Perhaps the first image we see of him is him emerging from a tanning bed?  Just throwing that out there.  Smith is going to have to seriously bulk up.  It could culminate in that creepy ass image of him peeling off his face mask.  That image freaked me out even as a 17 year old. 



The business card scene might be my favorite in the entire movie.  The absurdity of it all.  The measuring contest between businessmen makes me laugh. 


Act one production number?  You were thinking it too!  It could have the energy of How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying's "Coffee Break" with murderous solos.


I am curious as to how they are going to put this on stage.

Bateman's sexual habits are quite prevalent in Harron's film, and that got a lot of people talking.  He clearly is a misogynist.  I am wondering if they are going to include the hooker threesome turned bloodbath scene for the stage adaptation.  The images of Bale gleefully running around with a chainsaw freak me out.  It's the scariest moment in the movie for me. 




Maybe they can have Smith running naked through the aisles of the audience.  The sound of a chainsaw freaks people out at haunted house attractions every year, so why not put the audience right in the middle of it?


The part I don't want them to include is when Bateman picks up a stray cat and tries to shove it into an ATM.  I am mainly conflicted because the stray cat looks kind of like my own feline, Nermal.  It gives clues to the ending of the film, so maybe it will be on stage.  I just don't like it.  No, sir.


I want Bateman's phone confesstion to his lawyer to be the eleven o'clock number.  Perhaps some tapping?  It's not that long in the film, but I have confidence that Sheik could stretch that mother out into a full-blown musical extravaganza. 


It's obvious that Sheik is using some serious synthesizers in his music.  You can't get around music in the 80's and not have it.  Since Bateman is such a music enthusiast, maybe some homages to Huey Lewis or Whitney Houston will also be included.  We can only hope...



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