Breaking News: Rising Star Arty Froushan Cast in Lead Role for London Production of 'American Psycho' Stage Musical

Arty Froushan, known for his role as the menacing Buck Cashman in Marvels Daredevil: Born Again, has been cast as the infamous serial killer Patrick Bateman in a refreshed production of the musical adaptation of Bret Easton Elliss darkly satirical novel American Psycho. The show is set to run at Londons Almeida Theatre from January 22 to March 14, 2026.

The original 2014 musical, with a book by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, music and lyrics by Duncan Sheik, and direction by Rupert Goold, also premiered at the Almeida Theatre. Matt Smith originally portrayed the impeccably dressed investment banker with a hidden appetite for violence, and Benjamin Walker starred in a short-lived Broadway production in 2016.

Froushan, who previously portrayed playwright Nel Coward in Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale, notes that playing complex, often dark characters has become a hallmark of his career. Ive always been drawn to sympathetic yet twisted roles, he says. In Daredevil: Born Again I play an assassin with sociopathic tendencies, and in Carnival Row I portrayed a vengeful young aristocrat. This role feels, in some ways, like a natural progression.

He adds that his recent stage work, including the Almeidas limited-run adaptation of Alan Hollinghursts The Line of Beauty, allowed him to explore intense, psychologically complex characters. Despite this, Froushan comes across as affable and cheerful in person, revealing a sense of excitement for the musical. He has prior singing experience from college productions of Stephen Sondheims Assassins and West Side Story at the London Academy of Music & Dramatic Art.

For his audition for Patrick Bateman, Froushan performed a segment of Duran Durans Ordinary World. At the time, he was balancing filming Daredevil: Born Again and Amazon MGMs romantic comedy The Love Hypothesis. Rehearsals for The Line of Beauty and collaboration with Goold further prepared him for the musical role.

Goold and the creative team are retaining the essence of the original 2014 production while introducing updates, including a new musical number and choreography adapted for a thrust stage. Froushan describes the experience as stepping into a production that already has its own established identity.

Living in New York during his work on Leopoldstadt and filming in Manhattan has helped Froushan connect with Batemans world. New York is almost a character in American Psycho, he observes. Seeing the Wall Street crowd and experiencing Midtown life has helped me inhabit Patrick Bateman.

Froushan is also balancing roles in film, including the Blumhouse project Soulm8te and The Love Hypothesis, where he plays characters with dark or morally ambiguous traits. Despite typecasting, he notes his versatility as an actor.

Reflecting on the plays contemporary relevance, Froushan says, American Psycho offers a biting critique of materialism and capitalism. In todays post-truth society, Patrick Bateman wrestles with questions of reality and authenticity, making the story resonate even more.

He describes the musical as a rich blend of genrescomedy, satire, horror, drama, erotica, and philosophyand expresses enthusiasm for exploring its layers.

The ensemble cast includes Emily Barber, Daniel Bravo, Jack Butterworth, Hannah Yun Chamberlain, Oli Higginson, Kim Ismay, Alex James-Hatton, Liz Kamille, Anastasia Martin, Millie Mayhew, Posi Morakinyo, Joseph Mydell, Asha Parker-Wallace, Tanisha Spring, Samuel J. Weir, and Zheng Xi Yong. Creative team members include Es Devlin (set designer), Katrina Lindsay (costume designer), Jon Clark (lighting designer), Dan Moses Schreier (sound designer), Finn Ross (video designer), David Shrubsole (music supervisor), Ellen Campbell (musical director), and Natalie Gallacher (casting director).

Author: Sophia Brooks