Back in July, it was reported that London’s musical stage version of American Psycho, which featured Doctor Who’s Matt Smith as Patrick Bateman, would finally be coming to America next year. The Second Stage Theatre was more than pleased to announce that it would host Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa’s adaptation of the Bret Easton Ellis novel, as the musical features, among many other wrongly wonderful things, a lot of over-the-top and hilariously bloody murder. Alas, it seems that Bateman’s story was not meant to be told on the off-Broadway stage, as the California company that holds the rights has pulled out over a disagreement of grandeur.
According to the New York Times, Act 4 had apparently reviewed its deal with Second Stage and wondered if the money wouldn’t be better spent by taking American Psycho straight to Broadway. With Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter star Benjamin Walker set to take the stage as Bateman in the off-Broadway version, negotiations were still underway to make sure he’d stay on board once the show eventually made the shift to Broadway. Typical Broadway politics and backstage shenanigans ensued.
Two Broadway executives said on Friday that the California-based Act 4 had been talking to New York producers recently about shifting gears and bypassing Second Stage in favor of a Broadway run, which has long been a goal of the Act 4 producers and the show’s director, Rupert Goold. The Second Stage production would have cost Act 4 Entertainment an undetermined amount of money in development costs. The two Broadway executives spoke on condition of anonymity because those talks were meant to be private.
According to the two Broadway executives, Mr. Walker’s deal with Second Stage was done, but the Act 4 producers and Mr. Walker’s team were still in negotiations about him starring in any Broadway transfer of the show after the Second Stage run. Mr. Walker’s agents did not respond to phone message on Friday. (Via the New York Times)
The saddest thing about this bad news? We may never get to experience the live performances of songs that were written by the legendary Duncan Sheik. I guess I’ll just have to settle for listening to “Barely Breathing” while watching YouTube clips of wild animals mauling each other. Or I guess we can just listen to the London version’s songs on YouTube, but that’s pretty boring.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=igrM6vxnOPE