American Psycho

American Psycho is a musical with music and lyrics by Duncan Sheik and a book by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa. It is based on the controversial 1991 novel American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis, which also inspired a 2000 film of the same name, which starred Christian Bale. Set in Manhattan during the Wall Street boom of the late 1980s, American Psycho is about the daily life of Patrick Bateman, a wealthy young investment banker who is also a serial killer. The musical received its world premiere at London's Almeida Theatre in 2013, directed by Rupert Goold and starring Doctor Who actor Matt Smith. A Broadway production began preview performances on 24 March 2016, at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre, directed by Goold and starring Benjamin Walker as Patrick Bateman. Background 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. Plot From the 2016 Broadway production