AMERICAN PSYCHO THE MUSICAL is coming to the Hobby Center for a two-week run starting on September 2nd. This piece has been in London’s West End and on Broadway, but this is a daring regional debut for Houston, and also a wild move by a young company to produce something quite unique. Houston Broadway Theatre is headed up by impresario, singer, actor, and Renaissance man Tyce Green.
Last year, the company produced an impeccably staged version of NEXT TO NORMAL with several Broadway stars alongside Houston talent. Tyce was a highlight of that production as both star and producer. When pressed on why he wanted to get away with murder in a musical, he responded with, “As a new theater company, we're really trying to bring titles to Houston that have not been here. What theater company in Houston is going to produce AMERICAN PSYCHO and do it at the Hobby Center? Not only has it never had a Houston debut, but our production is the first Union regional production, and ours is going to be the biggest production that the show has ever had!”
The play is a musical re-imagining of the infamous Bret Easton Ellis novel that skewered the zeitgeist of the ‘80s in America. The book hacked up consumerism. It took the empty quest for status and the ennui of the upper class, and turned it into literal bloodlust in the serial killer character of Patrick Bateman. Tyce emphasizes that, “Strip away the horror and the Patrick Bateman of it all, and it's ultimately a story about identity.
The whole show is really about the bastardization of the American dream. It's about glamour, money, who's got the best clothes, and who goes to the best restaurants. That is an interesting commentary to see in 2025, because we're seeing a really big gap, a big disparity between the classes. Depending on which side of the political spectrum you are on, the story impacts you in a different way. It’s going to be very interesting to see what the response is.”
AMERICAN PSYCHO THE MUSICAL brings an original score from Duncan Sheik, who is a pop star who also wrote the Broadway sensation SPRING AWAKENING. It also features iconic 80s songs that the audience will experience in jarring new ways. The composer is actually working with Houston Broadway Theatre to help hone this work for a pending resurrection on the West End, and perhaps another stab at Broadway if it clicks again.
The novel was relentlessly graphic, the movie adaptation with Christian Bale was lighter and more satirical, but Tyce states he is looking to keep this musical version grounded and let the songs become the satirical element. “The show accomplishes the crazy vulgarity of the novel and retains some of the groundedness. We're not playing super high satire. The musical elements in the show lend themselves to the satire. We're singing, so you can't take us too seriously!”
returns to direct AMERICAN PSYCHO THE MUSICAL, and he did Houston Broadway Theatre’s first production of NEXT TO NORMAL. Tyce explained his choice with, “The reason I wanted him on this project was that no matter what the subject matter is, he's always looking to strengthen the relationships between the characters. To me, as both an actor and an artistic creator, relationships are everything on stage, regardless of what the cadence is or the tone. Everything is about people interacting with each other, with each other, and what those relationships are about and what they want from each other, and what the conflicts are.”
Tyce went on to elaborate on his excitement for the show, saying, “There's an opportunity to let the satire come through, but really come through from a grounded place. I'm interested to see how people respond to that, because I think when it's played straightforward, the jokes are just funny because they're being played in a real way. One of the coolest parts of this whole story, whether it's the novel, the movie, or the musical, there are moments in the story where you go, ‘Is that really happening? Or is that in his mind?’ When you play it from a grounded place, it makes it harder for the audience to know that and allows for a lot more interpretation. That's one of my favorite parts about the whole story.”
No matter what, you won’t see a show like AMERICAN PSYCHO THE MUSICAL at any other theater in Houston. This is a unique chance to see a production that has a wild artistic vision, and see it performed by talent as diverse as “just off Broadway” to “fresh out of Sam Houston’s Theatre program.” It’s the show not to be missed this fall, and it runs for two weeks starting on September 2nd through the 14th.