Monumental presents ‘American Psycho’ at the Ainslie Arts Center

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Read the original review on MD Theatre Guide's website here.

Some folks just want to have their cake and kill it too. Based on the electrifying and controversial novel by Bret Easton Ellis, “American Psycho” is a thriller of a pop-rock musical by Duncan Sheik and Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa. The source material has captivated horror audiences ever since its 1991 release, inspiring a 2001 movie adaptation directed by Mary Harron and starring Christian Bale. The musical tells the story of Patrick Bateman, a young and handsome Wall Street banker with impeccable taste and unquenchable desires. The musical originally premiered in London in 2013 under the direction of Rupert Goold and starring Matt Smith. Now DC is getting its own brand new iteration. Monumental Theatre Company has produced an immersive experience of “American Psycho“ set in an 1980’s style Manhattan nightclub that is guaranteed to have you glued to the edge of your seat. 

A visual and aural feast, this intense and unique immersive experience is a triumph of design, performance, and innovation. Director Michael Windsor surmises that “American Psycho” is a “scathing satire of consumerism and the superficial values that often dominate our lives. Patrick Bateman’s obsession with appearance and status is a mirror held up to society, reflecting the emptiness that can accompany the relentless pursuit of wealth and perfection.” And indeed, the story does, referencing the height of the Reagonomics boom and satirizing horror tropes with “synthy” ballads and pop songs of the era. 

Having only recently seen the movie adaptation myself, I had a lot of assumptions about the plot. I am not usually one to engage with the horror genre, but the thing that this musical gets right is the humor. A satirical horror is the perfect lens at which to view the most hidden of vulnerabilities. The iconic, and now viral, sound bite of the men comparing business cards like they might compare body parts is heightened in intensity because of its ludicrousness. Chuckling along as Huey Lewis and the News plays while Bateman dons a raincoat to commit murder reminds us that humanity is a strange and untamed beast, with proclivities and squares edges alike.

Nothing is safe from examination, from the top fashion houses, summers at the Hamptons, to coke fueled night club binges, to the AIDs crisis, and closeted homoerotic tendencies. This echoing cacophony of perfectionistic propaganda of unearned opulence for a moral compass is the poison dripped in the slowly maddening ear of America’s darling—a young, white man. Unlike this fiction, we see the odious true life effects of narcissism and conformity all too commonly scrolling across our screens. What is truly the most terrifying part of this story is that the violence Patrick Bateman commits, and how he seemingly ends up being assuaged of it, is not too far off from the crime and punishment of real life abusers who can hide behind petty veneers of elitism. 

Windsor’s staging creatively filled all corners of the theatre and the overall concept was thoughtfully developed. The pacing was quick, employing lighting cues to alert audience members to vacate their bar tables in favor of Bateman and his crew jauntily discussing their conquests. Even the subtler moments were well utilized, like incorporating the Bartender (Isabella Galway) and DJ (Music Director Marika Countouris) as silent and watchful characters, along with the ensemble of women looking on when not engaged in a scene. The blocking was seamlessly interwoven with the energetic choreography of Ahmad Maaty, who balanced the retro vibe of 80s grooves and modern moves immensely well. The performers were sharply attuned to the choreography—no small feat as the phrases and combinations set by Maaty were demanding and complex—with the pay-off being a visually intriguing kaleidoscope of movement. 

All hats off to Fight and Intimacy Director Bess Kaye. The simulated intimacy and violence were both appropriate and real, appearing dangerous and unsafe, but not to the bodily harm of the performers. Being so closely immersed with these depictions elicited a need to intervene, but Kaye expertly arranged the action to relieve the audience of active bystanders to enraptured art viewers. 

Countouris (who was still considering DJ names, to which I submit for DJ BloodBath) and her team, Ableton Programer Tobi Osibodu, Sound Designer Alec Green with Sound Associate Elli Ransom, impressively innovated the score with live sound programming in lieu of a band. The team achieved fully customized STEMS (individual instrument tracks) for each number specifically tailored to the needs of the production. Their lush soundscape enhanced vocals, layered rhythms and melodies, and immersed the audience in a 360 degree soundscape that heightened every moment of action.

Co-Scenic Designers Laura Valenti and Michael Windsor astutely used plastic drop cloths to frame the playing space, evoking the saran-wrapped hellscape of a kill room from “Dexter,” and functioning as a screen for projection designs by Julian Kelley and Associate Projection Designer E. Lieu Wolhardt. Kelley and Wolhardt used a unique blend of found footage from the time period, acidified visuals, and live camera to lend a bird’s eye view to the gruesome goings on. These blended beautifully with Helen Garcia-Alton’s lighting design, which boasted a saturated palette of reds, blended with moody spotlights and thematic washes. Elizabeth Morton’s costume design had all the necessary trappings of the 80s power suits, softened by silk chemises and neutral colors. I do not envy the crew responsible for lifting the fake blood stains out of all the light and white colored fabric throughout this run!

The entire cast was a powerhouse of harmonies, graceful movement, and cathartic performance. Kyle Dalsimer as the leading man about town, Patrick Bateman, was harrowing and maniacal. Comporting a Jekyll and Hyde persona that tread the knife’s edge between charismatic elitist and misanthropic serial murderer. It is an unsettling experience to feel sympathy toward such a cruel protagonist, and yet Dalsimer keenly tapped into Bateman’s vulnerability, making his descent into madness a heart-wrenching experience. 

Bateman’s story is truly revealed through the women in his life. Jordyn Taylor, as Bateman’s socialite girlfriend Evelyn, was giving Elle Woods à la 80s with bubbly charisma, dulcet vocals, and sharp-witted humor. The clueless and sweet ingénue of Jean was played deftly by Kaeli Patchen. Her earnestness was a refreshing juxtaposition to the scathing, fashion forward and obsessed socialites. Indeed, it is only her love and honesty that touch Bateman’s deeply buried conscience, and Patchen’s vocals wonderfully lifted the character from her “beige-ness.” Though the rest of the cast is credited with one character, that does not adequately describe their relationship to the story. The complete ensemble, Sydne Lyons (Mrs. Bateman), Noah Mutterperl (Paul), Jeremy Allen Crawford (Luis), Carson Young (Van Patten), RJ Pavel (Tim Price), Stephen Russell Murray (McDermott), Sarah Stewart (Courtney), Jessica Barraclough (Sabrina/Dance Captain), Valerie Nagel (Christine), functioned in many roles—and as many victims—with each given depth and talent by their performers. They each showcased immense skill in movement, characterization, and vocal chops. A musical is only as good as its ensemble, and this one spilled their guts with gusto into our hearts and hands.

This show is not for the faint of heart. The dark and intense themes, use of strobe lights, gore, and particularly the depictions of violence against women stay heavy on the mind. However to ignore this kind of violence so clearly allegorized to the seeping weight of capitalism would be to commit to ignorance of their correlation. While it is not going to be everyone’s glass of Moët, I found Monumental Theatre’s production of “American Psycho” to be a bloody good time.