BAT BOY: THE MUSICAL to be Presented at Open Fist Theatre Company

Open Fist Theatre Company will present Bat Boy: The Musical, the award-winning rock horror musical with a book by Keythe Farley and Brian Flemming and music and lyrics by Laurence O'Keefe. Pat Towne directs alongside music director Sean Paxton and choreographer Jennifer Maples for a six-week run, March 1 through April 6, at Atwater Village Theatre. Three pay-what-you will (starting at $10) previews take place on February 22, February 23 and February 28.

Part dark humor and part horror, Bat Boy: The Musical was inspired by a 1992 story in a supermarket tabloid, the Weekly World News, about a half boy/half bat found in a cave in West Virginia. Now, according to new headlines, Bat Boy (Ben Raanan) has been newly rediscovered living in a cave-like theater in Atwater Village.

“It’s rock ‘n roll and dark in theme, which always appeals to me,” says Towne, who previously directed productions of Joe’s Garage and A Froggy Becomes for Open Fist. “It’s about embracing, accepting and loving the ‘freak,’ those who are seen as other and outside the norm. If we can come to terms with the animal inside us, maybe people would stop doing terrible things in the name of being human.”

Bat Boy: The Musical premiered in 1997 at L.A.’s The Actors’ Gang. In 2001, it opened off-Broadway at the Union Square Theatre, where it ran for eight months, garnering Lucille Lortel, Richard Rodgers and Outer Critics Circle awards, as well as acclaim from The New York Times, which praised its “intelligent wit.” It has since been produced on London’s West End, at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and at venues across the U.S. and around the world.

In addition to Ranaan, the Open Fist ensemble cast includes Sandra Kate Burck, Isaac Council, Hutchins Foster, Carmella Jenkins, Bethany Koulias, Michael Lanahan, Rebecca Larsen, Amir Levi, Scott Mosensen, Ethan Remez-Cott, Ziare Rene, Beth Robbins, Chima Rok, Robyn Roth and Grace Soens.

The creative team features scenic designer Brad Bentz; lighting designer Brandon Baruch; sound designer Christopher Moscatiello and mixer Alex Hix; Costume Designer Michael Mullen; and graphic designer D Morris. Amanda Weier and Christian Lebano co-produce for Open Fist Theatre Company. The production stage manager is John Dimitri.

Open Fist Theatre Company is a collective, self-producing artistic enterprise with all facets of its operation run by its artist members under the leadership of artistic director Martha Demson. The company’s name combines the notion that an open spirit, embracing all people and all ideas, is essential, with the idea that determination, signified by a fist, is necessary if the theater is to remain a vital voice for social change and awareness.

Bat Boy: The Musical runs March 1 through April 6, with previews beginning February 22. Tickets to performances range from $26 to $45; admission to previews is pay-what-you-will starting at $10. Click here to view the performance schedule, which varies throughout the run.

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