Discover Danbury and Candlewood Lake

The city of Danbury is about to get a thrilling taste of Broadway as Western Connecticut State University brings “American Psycho: The Musical” to its MainStage Theatre at the Visual and Performing Arts Center this October. This electrifying production, directed by Tim Howard, transforms Bret Easton Ellis’s controversial novel into a musical experience with a book by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and music and lyrics by Grammy and Tony Award-winner Duncan Sheik. The adaptation brings to life the disturbing yet fascinating world of Patrick Bateman, offering local audiences a rare opportunity to experience this provocative show in an intimate setting.

With performances running from October 10-19, the production promises to deliver the perfect blend of psychological thriller and dark satire that made both the original novel and subsequent film adaptation cultural phenomena. The musical version adds an innovative dimension with Sheik’s 1980s-inspired score that perfectly captures the era’s excess and superficiality. Theatre enthusiasts and newcomers alike will want to miss this boundary-pushing production that explores the darker side of the American dream through a unique theatrical lens.

“American Psycho: The Musical” will run for a limited engagement at WCSU’s Visual and Performing Arts Center from October 10-19, with multiple performance dates and times available. Under the direction of Tim Howard, this production brings together Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa’s book adaptation with Duncan Sheik’s innovative music and lyrics to create a theatrical experience that’s both entertaining and thought-provoking. The creative team has worked to faithfully translate the essence of Ellis’s controversial novel while adding the unique dimensions that only musical theater can provide, resulting in a production that stands on its own artistic merits.

Tickets are exceptionally affordable, with WCSU student tickets available for just $10.00 at the VPAC box office. For non-students and community members, the venue recommends purchasing tickets in advance through wcsuvpac.eventbrite.com to secure the best pricing, as tickets may be subject to higher prices at the box office. The production notes that all sales are final, with no refunds permitted. “American Psycho: The Musical” is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals, bringing a professional-caliber production to Danbury audiences at accessible price points for the community.

Based on Bret Easton Ellis’s controversial 1991 novel that later became a cult classic film starring Christian Bale, “American Psycho: The Musical” tells the story of Patrick Bateman, a wealthy, narcissistic Wall Street investment banker living in Manhattan during the height of the 1980s excess. The musical retains the novel’s satirical examination of materialism, consumerism, and the emptiness behind the glossy facade of Reagan-era America. Through Sheik’s musical numbers, which blend period-appropriate sounds with theatrical storytelling, audiences experience the contrast between Bateman’s outward success and his increasingly disturbed inner reality.

The production follows Bateman as he navigates his daytime world of status competition, designer labels, and exclusive restaurant reservations while concealing his nighttime activities that grow increasingly violent and disturbing. This dual existence creates the central tension of the show, as Bateman’s carefully constructed persona begins to crack under the pressure of his uncontrollable impulses. The WCSU production tackles these challenging themes through a theatrical lens that both entertains and provokes, inviting audiences to consider the masks we all wear and the cultural forces that shape identity. While the subject matter is decidedly adult, the musical format provides a unique framework that both heightens the satire and creates distance from the graphic elements of the source material.