NVAP Musical Matinee: American Psycho

American Psycho is a dark and sardonic musical thriller set in the 1980s that follows the story of a young Wall Street investment banker and part-time serial killer, Patrick Bateman. The invigorating production explores the yuppie disillusionment through violent masculine ideals and the dangers of hyper-materialism, drawing striking parallels with the current state of consumerist culture and modern-day toxic masculinity. Music and lyrics by Duncan Sheik and book by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, based on the 1991 novel by Bret Easton Ellis. This production was directed by Rupert Goold at the Almeida Theatre, London, and recorded live by the V&A in January 2014.

This screening will be 2 hours and 40 minutes, including a 10-minute interval.

Established in 1992, through an agreement with the Federation of Entertainment Unions, NVAP was the first project of its kind in the UK. The archive now holds over 450 high-quality archival multi-camera recordings of live performance in Britain and continues to record and preserve productions for the national collection. The archive, launched with Richard Eyre’s production of Richard III starring Ian McKellen (National Theatre, 1992), features a vast range of stage performances with work by notable playwrights, directors, set designers, lighting designers and actors. It is an invaluable research tool to view and learn about significant British productions and captures and preserves moments of ephemeral performance history that otherwise would be lost. When V&A East opens in 2024 all the recordings will be available for the public to view in a brand-new facility.