Bat Boy discovers acceptance with a touch from Shelley (actor, Erin Childs, left).

‘Bat Boy: The Musical’ flys at Great Lakes Theater Festival
By Art Thomas
Insights
Published April 28, 2010

Probably the most famous of the sensational headlines and stories in the “Weekly World News” is the photo and story about the strange “Bat Boy.” The image of the gaunt, pointy-eared teen with vampire-like incisors has continued to haunt us 18 years later.

At the Great Lakes Theater Festival, you can see the musical based on this icon from American pop culture history. The production does justice to the material, but sadly, there isn’t much here to start with.

“Weekly World News” stories were always set in rural locations that are impossible to locate. So, in Hope Falls, W.Va. (population 500), the world is turned upside down, figuratively speaking, when the amazing Bat Boy is discovered. There’s romance, conflict, revival-type religion intervention and, finally, resolution and understanding.

Bat Boy (actor Mitch McCarrell) asks for acceptance from the residents of his hometown when he sings “Let Me Walk Among You” in Great Lakes Theater Festival’s production of the outrageous off- Broadway hit “Bat Boy: The Musical.” (Photos courtesy of Roger Mastroianni)

Mitch McCarrell is the nimble Bat Boy who just seeks to be accepted in a world where cows are treated better than he is. Erin Childs gives support as Shelley Parker. Lynn Allison and Lynn Robert Berg are Dr. Thomas and Merideth Parker.

“Bat Boy” tries to elevate itself with shadowy structures of classic theater and themes of prejudice and racism. This production is best in the broader strokes. Dr. Parker’s fix for any situation is a baseball bat-sized hypodermic needle. So The Three Stooges triumph over Oedipus Rex. You’ll enjoy Aled Davies’ portly Sheriff Reynolds and Fabio Polance’s over-the-top Reverend Billy.

The performers in “Bat Boy: The Musical” are primarily actors rather than singers. Fortunately, the songs are not masterpieces, and the ensemble performs them with gusto. Matthew Webb’s musical direction and Martin Cespedes choreography are first rate. Victoria Bussert makes the most of the music and the performers.

Best of all, the renovated Hanna Theatre, which has been problematic for musicals, absorbs this production quite well. There may not be much substance to the book and music, but the audience can hear and comprehend every note clearly — an improvement over last season.

“Bat Boy: The Musical” is running in repertory with Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” through May 16.

On the Web:

• Great Lakes Theater Festival