The musical is based on the 1991 novel American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis.
In 2008, producers David Johnson, Jesse Singer, Nate Bolotin and Aaron Ray purchased the stage rights and were developing a musical adaptation of the novel to appear on Broadway.
In 2010, the project had rounded out the key elements. Duncan Sheik, who won a Grammy and two Tony Awards for writing the songs in the Broadway hit Spring Awakening, and playwright Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa had completed the first act.
A workshop took place in Manhattan in 2011, with Benjamin Walker playing the lead role of Patrick Bateman. In April 2012, London theatre company Headlong was set to stage the musical's world premiere at the Almeida Theatre during their 2012-13 season. At the same time a Kickstarter campaign was launched to raise $150,000, to allow them to have a live orchestra and extend the rehearsal period for the production to seven weeks.
Following its premiere production, a workshop of the musical was held in January 2015 in New York City. The same year, the musical was scheduled to open in Broadway in March 2016, following previews from February 19, at a yet unknown Shubert theater.
The Chicago premiere production opened at the Chopin Theatre on September 29, 2023, and played until December 10, after completely selling out the run of 9 previews and 45 regular performances. This production was directed by Derek Van Barham and starred Kyle Patrick as Patrick Bateman. The production received four Joseph Jefferson awards, including Best Musical, Best Director, and Best Principal Performer.
Sheik's music, as presented in London, was an entirely electronic score, with extracts from 1980s songs in-between. The London cast album was released in March 2016.
-Wikipedia
Premiere(s):
12 December 2013: Almeida Theatre
Productions:
2013 London
2016 Broadway
2019 Sydney
2023 Chicago
Genre(s):
Musical,
Soundtrack
Associated:
American Psycho