I originally published this on another blog, and as I enjoyed this show so much I thought I'd reblog it again here. American Psycho is currently showing in the West End, so this review refers to it's original run at the Almeida Theatre in London, with Matt Smith in the lead as Patrick Bateman. American Psycho was a highly controversial book when it was first released (and to a certain extent it still is). The plot follows the life of Patrick Bateman, a young professional on Wall Street who is also a psychopath. Without wishing to spoil too much, the story follows his descent into complete insanity, and his disassociation from the world around him. It's set in the 1980s, and follows the themes of consumerism, alienation, depersonalisation and psychopathy.
The show is a musical, and had been planned for several years before it's release in 2013. I was lucky enough to see one of the early showings in the Almeida, which is a small but beautiful theatre based in Islington, London.
Although American Psycho has since moved on to the West End, I would highly recommend a theatre night (or matinee) here - the tickets aren't usually too expensive, and very cheap if you're a student. I remember paying roughly £16 for my ticket, and about £34 for my partner's. Can't really go wrong with that, as far as I'm concerned!
Enjoy the review.
(Repost from 16/12/2013)
The show is a musical, and had been planned for several years before it's release in 2013. I was lucky enough to see one of the early showings in the Almeida, which is a small but beautiful theatre based in Islington, London.
Although American Psycho has since moved on to the West End, I would highly recommend a theatre night (or matinee) here - the tickets aren't usually too expensive, and very cheap if you're a student. I remember paying roughly £16 for my ticket, and about £34 for my partner's. Can't really go wrong with that, as far as I'm concerned!
Enjoy the review.
(Repost from 16/12/2013)
I'm ashamed to admit this, but in all the time I lived in London as a student (four years), I never went to the theatre. That all changed yesterday, and I was reminded why it's such an amazing experience.
I heard a long time ago that one of my favourite books, American Psycho, was going to be adapted into a musical. Now I have to admit, I'm not a huge musical theatre fan. I've never really visited any of the shows in the West End (although I have made a note to see Les Mis). I was really excited to hear about American Psycho going on stage, so I booked the tickets for myself and my theatre novice boyfriend.
I managed to get us seats in Row A, in the stalls - and this was our view of the stage:
Row A is behind the front row in the stalls - so the view was spectacular. The Almeida Theatre is a small venue, so everyone gets a good view of the stage. The ticket prices were £34 standard, but I got a reduced rate for mine due to my student status - so my ticket was £16 with the discount. For the seats we got, the price was very reasonable.
As for the show...well, it blew me away. It's engaging interpretation of a hugely controversial book kept me shocked and on the edge of my seat throughout, but there was still enough comic relief to make it a fun experience. The dark side of 1980s culture - rampant consumerism, drug abuse and narcissism was played out beautifully through the score, the stage design and the script. I was wondering how they would handle the more shocking elements of the book - whilst some of the moments were direct (such as the murders), others were more alluded to through the dialogue and stage direction. In doing this, the actual message of American Psycho came through perfectly - the destruction of self, sociopathy and the dark side of excessive consumerism. Patrick Bateman comes across as an extreme expression of the ugly side of an excessively hedonistic culture.
The standout performances for me were Matt Smith's leading role as Patrick Bateman, Ben Aldridge as Paul Owen, Susannah Fielding as Evelyn Williams and Cassandra Compton as Jean. Smith fits the different roles of Bateman perfectly: angry, pain-filled psychopath, charismatic businessman and narcissistic egomaniac. Compton stands out as the light in this murky world, and her moments with Smith stand out as some of the best in the show. Fielding plays the vacuous, vain and self-absorbed Evelyn with humour. And Aldridge acts beautifully as a foil for Bateman - successful, confident and well-liked - everything Bateman isn't. Their stage chemistry is fantastic, especially during the 'business card' scene. Although I've picked those as the stand out, the rest of the cast were fantastic also.
The Almeida Theatre is a gem of a place - an afternoon/night out here will not disappoint.
Tickets for American Psycho sold out incredibly fast, but other shows will probably be announced very soon - and I'd advise anyone to check them out. Highly recommended.
Overall, the whole show had the right amount of shock, the right amount of humour and worked as a critique of consumerism and a hyper-hedonistic culture. And for £50 for two tickets, it was worth every penny.
Anyone else a theatre fan? Any recommendations? Let me know!
Rosie
