#8 American Psycho - Original London Cast

American Psycho - Original London Cast

Released: March 25, 2016

Vocalists:

• Patrick Bateman - Matt Smith

• Jean - Cassandra Compton

• Evelyn Williams - Susannah Fielding

• Tim Price - Jonathan Bailey

• Paul Owen - Ben Aldridge

• Craig McDermott - Charlie Anson

• Courtney Lawrence - Katie Brayben

• Sabrina - Holly Dale Spencer

• Detective Kimball - Simon Gregor

• Christine - Holly James

• Victoria/Hardbody Bartender - Lucie Jones

• Sean Bateman - Tom Kay

• Patrick’s Mother/Mrs. Wolfe - Gillian Kirkpatrick

• David Van Patten - Eugene McCoy

• Luis Carruthers - Hugh Skinner

• “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” vocals - Jen Damiano

• “Selling Out” & “Killing Time 2.0” vocals - Duncan Sheik

Musicians:

• Duncan Sheik - all instrumentation

• Doug Yowell - additional drums

• Jason Hart - additional keyboards

• Steve Smith - additional electric and acoustic guitars

• Ed Morris - electric bass and minimoog

I can’t help but think about my initial thoughts about this show. I mean when it was first announced. 2010 I believe it was…American Psycho to be adapted into a musical…with music by Duncan Sheik. My first thought was just…”why?”

The book, to me, never really embraced the satire I believe it was going for. It just felt like a list of expensive stuff with some grotesque horror in-between. The Mary Harron film, however, nailed it. The film, while violent, is more of a comedy than anything else. That balance is so incredible and I just can’t imagine a stage version exaggerating it for the sake of playing to a large crowd.

It plays London…there’s no videos. Anywhere. Nothing. Just a barely audible audio bootleg. Doubly frustrating because it’s starring the 11th Doctor himself, Matt Smith. It leaves my mind quick enough until they announce a cast album. The cast album comes out just as they’re announcing an off-broadway run. I order the CD as soon as I possibly could. (signed by Duncan no less.)

I throw it on.

It’s…cool. Like really cool. Not like anything I’ve ever heard in musical theater. It’s synthetic without sounding fake. The synth work is purposeful and complex. And best of all…it has that edge of serious satire. The song “Cards” is sung about business cards with the same seriousness as “The Confrontation” from Les Miserables. The melodrama cranked up to 11 with the singing.

When I finally had the chance to see the show (after it skipped its off-broadway run and went straight to Broadway) I sat in awe. This show was funny. It was dark. It was surreal. It was perfect. Broadway wasn’t ready for it, unfortunately. It closed in a little over two months from 1st preview to closing.

So ok…this brings me back to my original thought. “Why?” This brings me to one of my favorite Kevin Smith quotes ever. I won’t quote the entire thing because it’s a long winded speech. (As is most of Kevin Smith’s rants.) But…

“The world is full of fucking ‘why,’ man. You tell people something they'll tell you, ‘why?’ Throw a rock and you'll hit somebody with, ‘why?’ Like, ‘hey man I want to make a movie.’ "‘Why? Why do you think you could do that? Why? Why? Nobody else is doing it. Why are you doing it?’ […] Go out and you find ‘why not.’ You surround yourself with ‘why not.’ […] It costs nothing to encourage an artist.” ~ Kevin Smith

The amount of times within the past few years that i’ve thrown an idea at someone and they’ve said, “why not” has proven to me that I am surrounded by the absolute right people. This blog is odd. And kind of all over the place. I have no intention making this any bit cohesive. Just scattered random thoughts…with a soundtrack to go with it. And nobody said it always has to be music…

Music and Lyrics by Duncan Sheik. Except “True Faith” (Peter Hook, Stephen Hague, Gillian Gilbert, Stephen Morris & Bernard Sumner), “In the Air Tonight” (Phil Collins), “Don’t You Want Me?” (John Callis, Philip Oakey, and Phillip Adrian Wright), “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” (Roland Orzabal, Chris Hughes and Ian Stanley),

Track listing:

1. Opening (Morning Routine)

2. Cards

3. You Are What You Wear

4. Oh Sri Lanka

5. True Faith

6. Killing Time

7. In the Air Tonight

8. Hardbody/Hardbody Luis

9. If We Get Married

10. Not a Common Man

11. Mistletoe Alert

12. Clean

13. Killing Spree

14. Nice Thought

15. At the End of an Island/Hardbody Hamptons

16. I am Back

17. A Girl Before

18. Don’t You Want Me?

19. This is Not an Exit

20. Selling Out (Fischer King Remix)

21. Everybody Wants to Rule the World (Duncan Sheik Remix)

22. Killing Time 2.0