February 2014 – whistling in the dark

American Psycho the musical

Related videos including an interview with Duncan Sheik and director Rupert Goold and the cast in rehearsals.

Went on a trip to London to see American Psycho the Musical at the Almeida. We booked these tickets in May of last year before Matt Smith was announced as the lead which led it to sell out completely. Picked the date based on when there was a talkback.

This was near as painless an experience as it could be dragging someone who hates London with me. He was willing to admit he would have graded it a great trip if it took place somewhere else.

Pleasant Grand Central train ride to London from Hartlepool with a nice amount of legroom. Booked the nearby Euston Premier Inn an easy walk from the station. The room was in a quiet wing and really was impressively quiet. It was also easy walking distance to and to everywhere we were going, the Almeida Theatre, The British Museum and The Cartoon Museum.

Duncan Sheik and me Some tips if you are going to the Almeida Theatre. It is small so book early if it is something you are desperate to see. The seats are not all separate from each other – this was cosy and comfy sitting next to someone I’m close with. May lead to some awkwardness next to someone you don’t know. (The studio theatre at Theatre Royal in Newcastle is similar with long benches instead of individual seats.)

There is an Ottolenghi across the street so if you’re a fan pre-book. Was gutted I didn’t notice until after eating dinner in the theatre, since I just got an Ottolenghi cookbook for Christmas/Hanukkah. The cafe/bistro inside the theatre was perfectly serviceable and delicious and we only had an hour to eat so I am not too bitter about the Ottolenghi thing and it just means I will have to go back.

I continue to be a Duncan Sheik fangirl, thoroughly enjoyed the show. Was a bit distracted to begin with as Matt Smith comes out in his y-fronts and a mask to sing. The story is set in NY of the 80s and though the cast did a great job but for the first few minutes I was distracted by the accents – Matt Smith sounded like he was imitating Kev’s American accent/John Wayne impression which was making me want to giggle.

The 80s music and the new stuff by Duncan Sheik worked really well together. The well known parts of the book/film feature here. Set design was great.

So glad we went!!

The first two paragraphs are so vivid and the evil rat made me gol – giggle out loud. Kev bought the book for himself and I read it super quickly. When we were just on holiday he started reading it on the train and I read it over his shoulder and remembered how much I enjoyed it.

Fun, seedy adventure exploring obscure fetishes across the USA not for the squeamish. Readers of BME modblog will be fine. For fans of noir, Elmore Leonard, Kinky Friedman and link surfing online.

First two paragraphs reprinted here with permission of the author. You can read the whole first chapter from his website.
Just order it now you won’t regret it.

I opened my eyes to see the rat taking a piss in my
coffee mug. It was a huge brown bastard; had a body like a
turd with legs and beady black eyes full of secret rat
knowledge. Making a smug huffing sound, it threw itself
from the table to the floor, and scuttled back into the
hole in the wall where it had spent the last three months
planning new ways to screw me around. I’d tried nailing
wood over the gap in the wainscot, but it gnawed through it
and spat the wet pieces into my shoes. After that, I spiked
bait with warfarin, but the poison seemed to somehow cause
it to evolve and become a super-rat. I nailed it across the
eyes once with a lucky shot with the butt of my gun, but it
got up again and shat in my telephone.

I dragged myself all the way awake, lurching forward
in my office chair. The stink of rat urine steaming and
festering in my mug stabbed me into unwelcome wakefulness,
but I’d rather have had coffee. I unstuck my backside from
the sweaty leatherette of the chair, fought my way upright,
and padded stiff-legged to the bathroom adjacent to my
office. I knew that one of these days someone was going to
burst into the office unannounced to find a naked private
investigator taking a piss with the bathroom door open.
There was a time where I cared about that sort of thing.
Some time before I started living in my own office, I
think.

Month: February 2014

American Psycho the Musical and this trip to London

Book recommendation: Warren Ellis – Crooked Little Vein