American Psycho, the...Musical?

Written by Kyle Slagley

Certain movies fall into a group of “cult following staples,” if you will. Among this group you will find films like Boondock Saints, The Big Lebowski, almost any movie made by either Quentin Tarantino or Kevin Smith, and also American Psycho.

American Psycho started as a novel by Bret Easton Ellis that was published in 1991. It is a stream-of-consciousness novel, narrated by the main character Patrick Bateman. The film, released in 2000 and starring Christian Bale, follows the same formula. The plots are also largely the same. Bateman is a 27-year-old Wall Street protégé by day, and a sadistic serial killer by night. Both the novel and the film were intended to be satirical interpretations of the narcissistic, yuppie culture of the late ‘80s, and they both do a very good job of that…if you can get past just how disturbing the plots are.

I won’t ruin the ending for you, but suffice it to say it’s equally surreal.

Because the movie was, well, disturbing, imagine my surprise when I read about American Psycho: The Musical earlier this week. You read that correctly. American Psycho: The Musical is an actual thing, it’s currently in rehearsals, and stars Matt Smith, who has spent the last three years growing his fame playing the infamous Doctor Who. The show is set to run at the Almeida Theatre in London from December 3 of this year through January 25, 2014.

Of course American Psycho is not the first musical to hit Broadway or the West-End that deals primarily with murder in some way, shape, or form. Others include Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Assassins, Little Shop of Horrors, and Phantom of the Opera.

No word yet on if American Psycho will make its way across the pond to Broadway, but if you’re really curious, the show’s director Rupert Goold has been tweeting photos from rehearsals that you can check out on his feed.

Into the Woods Coming to the Silver Screen

Written by Kyle Slagley

There has long been a crossover between Hollywood and Broadway—whether it be actors like Neil Patrick Harris, Nathan Lane, Hugh Jackman, or most recently Tom Hanks jumping from the stage to the screen, or directors like Sam Mendes who flit from behind the curtain to behind the camera. Stories themselves also transcend mediums and anyone who knows anything about theatre can also rattle off a half a dozen shows that are also movies: Sound of Music, Lion King, Big Fish, Legally Blonde, Chicago, and yes, even Shrek.

Although it got very mixed reviews from critics and theatergoers—which are pretty much the same thing since theatre fans are some of the most critical people I know—the box office success of Les Miserables has more than likely opened the floodgates from a steady trickle to what will be a full-out tsunami of shows turned movies and movies turned shows.

One that I am looking forward to in particular is the Christmas 2014 release of Into the Woods, which looks to have a powerhouse Hollywood cast lined up. The show takes the storylines from Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk, Little Red Riding Hood, and Rapunzel and weaves them all together using original characters The Baker and his wife, who are pitted against a witch. I mean, you can’t have a good fairy tale without a witch, right?

So far, casting reports are that the following stars are in some stage of negotiation: Johnny Depp playing the Wolf, Chris Pine and Jake Gyllenhaal as the princes of Rapunzel and Cinderella, Emily Blunt as The Baker’s Wife, James Corden as The Baker, Meryl Streep as The Witch, and Anna Kendrick as Cinderella. Quite the lineup if you ask me! Also, Rob Marshall, who directed the Oscar-winning film Chicago, is slated to direct.

It seems to me that films like this—ones that take a very well-known musical with a hyper-devoted following and put it on screen—usually appeal to only one audience, either the film crowd or the theatre crowd, but rarely both. In order to make money at the box office, filmmakers are now padding the cast with Hollywood A-listers. It seems to me that this will further entice moviegoers to see it, but in the long run as the trend continues, it will alienate the theatre crowd. Though there is obviously a lot more money in getting movie buffs to the movies than getting theatre buffs to the movies.

It remains to be seen how much of the original Stephen Sondheim music from the stage production makes it into the film, or how much the actors will sing. Rest assured, though, that if the film makes money (and with a cast like that, it will), it’s only a matter of time before we see Russell Brand taking on the role of Rum Tum Tugger.

2013 Tony Award Talk

Written by Kyle Slagley

For your patrons who, like me, have affection for theatre, this is an exciting time of year. The Tony Award nominees are going to be announced on April 30 by Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Sutton Foster.

Ferguson currently stars on the ABC comedy Modern Family, but has his roots in theatre, having starred in On The Town, The 25^th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, and a variety of Shakespeare productions.

Foster is currently starring in the ABC Family series Bunheads. She has a long list of Broadway credits, but most notable among them are her Tony Award-winning roles in Thoroughly Modern Millie and Anything Goes. She was also nominated for Tony Awards for her roles in Little Women, The Drowsy Chaperone, and Shrek: The Musical.

I am by no means a Broadway authority, but here are some musicals to watch this year. Most of them also happen either to be based on a movie or have a movie adaptation.

Kinky Boots – based on the 2006 film that you didn’t even know existed, this musical tells the story of Charlie Price, a young man who inherits his father’s shoe factory that is nearly bankrupt. With the help of Lola, they revitalize the business by developing a fantastic line of shoes for a very niche market – drag queens. Despite the name, the show isn’t all that risqué and will likely be up for Best New Musical.

Jekyll and Hyde – You know the story, but did you know the original production starred Mr. Baywatch himself, David Hasselhoff? The original show ran for three and a half years with over 1,500 performances. The soundtrack and a DVD from the original cast are still available, and a rerecording with the revival cast wouldn’t surprise me since this show will be in the running for Best Revival of a Musical.

Breakfast at Tiffany’s – Who could forget the classic film with Audrey Hepburn? It’s arguably the first film people think of when someone says her name. Starring Emilia Clarke (Game of Thrones) as Miss Holly Golightly, this production will almost certainly be in the running for Best New Play.

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof – Although the play itself has gotten mediocre reviews, it’s likely that Scarlett Johansson will receive a nom for Best Actress; whether she’ll win is another story. The show itself is eligible for Best Revival of a Play, but with competitors like Alan Cumming’s creepy-awesome interpretation of MacBeth, Al Pacino’s Glengarry Glen Ross, and Jim Parsons’s Harvey, it may or may not make the initial cut.