Bat Boy (2001 Original Off-Broadway Cast)

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Music reviews of Bat Boy (2001 Original Off-Broadway Cast)

Music Review: A Biting Satire . . . Really!
Rating: 4 Stars

"Bat Boy" is NOT one of these. The music is blaring, the singing is occasionally feverish, and the lyrics are way-out there. In other words, this is not your grandmother's musical-comedy.

I was one of the lucky people who got to see "Bat Boy" performed live onstage in NY's Off-Broadway circuit. The sad thing about any theatrical performance is that it's so ephemeral. It only exists for the moment between house lights dimming and stage lights fading out. A videotape of the event can't do it justice; if it's great, it will live on in memory for a time, but the nuances will fade.

"Bat Boy," the cast album, does a fabulous job of resurrecting the humor, the energy, and the outlandish plot line of this sci-fi/social commentary musical. Based on the tabloid sightings of a bat boy, this show is so much more than just an X-Files episode set to a dance beat. Composer/lyricist Laurence O'Keefe writes a score that doesn't just advance the storyline; his music and lyrics also parody (brilliantly) all the conventions that have come to trademark a Broadway musical.

The lovable underdog who is groomed for bigger and better things: that's the basis of "Gigi," "My Fair Lady," and even "Hairspray." Here the metamorphosis is lampooned and celebrated with the rapid-fire "Show You a Thing or Two," where the Bat Boy is taught a la Eliza Doolittle to enunciate, act more civilized, and even do a subtle soft-shoe dance routine.

It's a funny moment theatrically--it suffers a bit on the cast album because it's minus the visuals--but the whole show is filled with that wisdom of "Here's what audiences expect and this is what you'll get, but it'll be surprisingly renovated."

"Bat Boy" is the perfect title for this reworking of American musical theater. It hangs the conventions upside down, and the audience is smitten. The cloying sweetness of Disney is parodied in "Children, Children," and if you haven't seen the show, when you hear the album, picture the cast dressed in cheesy "Waiting for Guffman" style costumes with stuffed animals tied and stapled to their leotards. They attempt to "re-create" the multimillion-dollar special effects of "The Lion King" with a few plush pets picked up at Toys R Us.

Laughable, likeable, and lingering--that was my impression of the entire troupe of actors. I'm glad I have this album as a testament to their memorable night in the theater. I recently saw leading lady Kerry Butler in the Broadway hit "Hairspray." Her voice is as powerful as ever, but her role is quite small and subdued compared to her work here. I've not sighted Deven May, the Bat Boy, anywhere post this production. What a shame! Any theatrical producers out there, hire this fellow. He's got the energy of Robert Morse and the vocal prowess of Robert Plant. That's a lethal combination. One that would make theatergoers rabid for more.

Description of Bat Boy (2001 Original Off-Broadway Cast)

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