American Psycho has found its leading man, and he’s a Doctor! Former Doctor Who star Matt Smith will star as bloodthirsty investment banker Patrick Bateman in the forthcoming world premiere of American Psycho, a new musical thriller with music by Duncan Sheik and a book by Spider-Man Turn Off the Dark’s Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa. The show is set to premiere at London’s Almeida Theatre on December 3, 2013, with opening night on December 12 and an expected end date on January 25, 2014.
Based on the novel by Bret Easton Ellis (and famously the 2000 black comedy thriller starring Christian Bale), American Psycho follows a narcissistic young banker (Smith) who has a murderous, psychopathic alter ego that he hides from his friends and co-workers. The show will be directed by Almeida Theatre Artistic Director Ruper Goold.
Joining Smith in the premiere will be Ben Aldridge, Charlie Anson, Jonathan Bailey, Katie Brayben, Cassandra Compton, Holly Dale Spencer, Susannah Fielding, Simon Gregor, Holly James, Lucie Jones, Tom Kay, Gillian Kirkpatrick, Eugene McCoy and Hugh Skinner.
The creative team includes Es Devlin (set design), Katrina Lindsay (costume design), Lynne Page (choreography), Jon Clark (lighting), David Shrubsole (musical direction), Paul Arditti (sound design) and Finn Ross (video).
Smith will vacate his popular, BAFTA-nominated role as the Eleventh Doctor on the long-running British sci-fi classic Doctor Who this Christmas. The actor is a theater veteran with credits including That Face and Swimming with Sharks in the West End, as well as On the Shore of the Wide World, Burn, Citizenship, Chatroom and The History Boys at the National Theatre.