Review: BAT BOY: THE MUSICAL at Open Fist Theatre Company

Based on a 1992 urban legend in the now-defunct tabloid Weekly World News, the story of a Bat Boy found in a cave in West Virginia was a lightning rod of humor, becoming a mascot for the paper and spawning a kooky musical. Premiering at the Actors’ Gang here in LA’s Culver City on Halloween in 1997, it opened off-Broadway in 2001, garnering two Richard Rodgers Awards, an Outer Critics Circle Award, and a Lucille Lortel Award, later hitting London’s West End and launching around the world.

Now, the Bat Boy has resurfaced in Atwater Village, and the rock musical about his life is a welcome jolt of whimsy and camp in a darker and darker world. Unearthed after three spelunkers discover his lair in Hope Falls, West Virginia, Bat Boy (Ben Ranaan) — later christened Edgar — is adopted by the town veterinarian’s family much to the disdain and suspicion of the townspeople. With streaks of slapstick and farce, the show speaks to issues rampant in our society, xenophobia, chief among them.

Director Pat Towne (A Froggy Becomes) keeps the show moving at a fair clip, the quips and quirks coming fast and thick, without it ever seeming frantic. The expansive multilevel wooden set by scenic designer Brad Bentz is creative yet never overpowers the actors or the story. Choreography by Jennifer Maples is energetic and inventively staged while the graphic design by D. Morris is clever and creative. If anything, the one drawback to the show would be the music — not the superb band that fortifies the action at the back of the stage led by music director Sean Paxton — but the music and lyrics by Laurence O’Keefe. While O’Keefe covers a lot of territory in terms of styles — rock, rap, old-school Broadway — most of the songs don’t really land, they don’t stick to your brain like classics like “Memory” from Cats or “Tomorrow” from Annie. They don’t dull the experience, but they don’t gild it either.

Ranaan is the heart and soul of the show. He gives a multifaceted performance as Bay Boy/Edgar, infused with a boy-next-door goofiness crossed with a steely sexiness. (One of the most amusing aspects of the show is how his Bat Boy sounds like Stewie from “Family Guy.”) His singing voice is strong and agile and he’s adept at balancing both the silliness and the pathos, sometimes merging the two. He is equally matched by Bethany Koulias as Shelley, the vet’s daughter, who starts off as a whiny, love-obsessed hormonal Veruca Salt and evolves into a formidable female lead. They’re bolstered by an ace supporting cast, especially Robyn Roth as a housewife with an independent streak. Each member of the ensemble of townspeople is distinct and each has their chance to shine without bogging down the story with superfluous storylines or songs. They get up to so much craziness, it would be spoilery to give the set pieces away but suffice to say there is an animal orgy. (Even its most adult aspects are suffused with such silliness, they should be appropriate for kids over 12.)

BAT BOY: THE MUSICAL is smart, silly, and full of heart. Its expansive and inclusive ideas are not preached, they are sown. And it is another home run from the ever-reliable Open Fist Theatre Company.

Photos by John Dlugolecki

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