"American Psycho," based on the 25 year old best seller by Bret Easton Ellis, and directed by Rubert Goold whose most recent works on Broadway were "King Charles III" and "Enron," is one of the most joyously campy Broadway productions I have ever seen. I last saw Benjamin Walker in "Bloody, Bloody Andrew Jackson" at The Public where his beefy physique matched Jackson's grab-life-by-tail persona. Here he has toned up and is all sharp edges. The psychotic Patrick Bateman is about as far removed from the lusty young bounder Andrew Jackson as one can get. Bateman is a serial killer disguised by day as a metrosexual Wall Street trader. He is directionless, unhappy and, ultimately, empty. The only way he can feel anything is in the act of killing. The music by Duncan Sheik relies heavily on 90's dance music and the sets by Es Devlin (thankfully there is no rotating set here, something she has a penchant for) have the antiseptic feel of a high end minimalist hotel. The play is bloody, of course, and there are several entertaining performances but really the show is all Benjamin Walker who we can't tear our eyes off of.
Gillian Anderson is "A Streetcar Names Desire." Apart from her performance everything else falls away. The production is not helped by the distracting slowly revolving stage which made me think that the set design was once again by Es Devlin who used this device in the recent "A Doll House" at BAM and "Machinal" on Broadway. But no, this time we have Magda Willi to thank. The Young Vic production is directed by Benedict Andrews who brought the stunning production of "The Maids" with Isabelle Huppert and Cate Blanchett to the Lincoln Center Festival last summer. Gillian Anderson certainly has the chops to play the doomed and tragic Blanche. This Blanche is beautiful and fierce, aware that she is self-deluding until the moment she loses everything. The other performances, which I found decent but workmanlike, faded into the revolving woodwork. Ben Foster's much touted literally apelike performance of Stanley hardly compares with Brando's memorable turn on screen (and on stage too, I expect). He lacks the sex-appeal that makes us understand why Stella is so drawn to him and there was little real chemistry between him and Vanessa Kirby as Stella who is missing the earthiness of Kim Hunter. Corey Johnson as Mitch was more effecting but I can never get Karl Malden out of my head. But "Stop the set! I want to get off."
The delightful new Anais Mitchell musical "Hadestown" at New York Theatre Workshop is a hot ticket. I can see it going on to a lengthier run and becoming a moneymaker for NYTW. "Hadestown" was originally an album by Ms. Mitchell. I was there on opening night and the audience was packed with beautiful young people, presumably actors, who seemed to know all the words. The direction by Rachel Chavkin ("Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812" and "Small Mouth Sounds") was precise and perfect. This tale of Orpheus and Eurydice could easily have been reduced to a sloppy "Godspell" wanna-be but it is tighter, deeper. I cannot single out a performance because they all were excellent. Damon Daunno as Orpheus has a voice so similar to the late Jeff Buckley's that it's chilling and the Brazilian actress Nabiyah Be as Eurydice may just be one of then most stunningly beautiful performers to grace the New York stage. The chorus of singer/musicians, Lulu Fall, Shaina Taub and Jessie Shelton, all of whom I have seen recently off-Broadway in different productions, form a wonderful musical coven, each unique in her own way. The voice of Patrick Page is a low rumble like the underworld Hades he is named for and it was delicious to see Amber Gray after her turn as the lead in Branden Jacob-Jenkins' "An Octoroon" here as Persephone. But Chris Sullivan's Hermes comes close to stealing the night as he prances around the stage, leading the unlucky lovers to their fate. He is the emcee to end all emcees. If you don't know the album, I suggest you get it as that will be easier than getting a ticket to the show. Watch out "Hamilton!"
