One of the cool things about living in Lehigh Valley is the fact that we are home to so many colleges and universities with great theater departments. Friday night, Don and I had the opportunity to catch "Bat Boy - The Musical" at Muhlenberg College.
I knew nothing about this show other than the fact that it was a musical comedy. Sounds good to me, I love musicals where the cast suddenly breaks into spontaneous song and dance. It's so surreal. I sat down expecting "Oklahoma"...I walked out thinking "Rocky Horror."
This campy, cult-like show was very well executed by the cast, many of which deliberately change characters mid-scene, adding to the laughs. The bizarre plot had me wondering at first, but a short time into the story of the Parker family and the bat boy, I was hooked. The next day I found myself surfing the web to learn more.
Turns out, a 1992 story in the Weekly World News about a half-bat, half-boy found in a cave inspired the book. In spite of the absurdity of the premise, some serious topics are brought to light in a tongue-in-cheek, amusing manner.
As I mentioned, the entire cast did a phenomenal job, but I did have some favorites. Jeramie F. Mayes' opening scene as bat boy made me think the combination was possible. And, Gabriel Martinez as Mrs. Taylor/Roy/Rev. Billy Hightower/Institute Man ... what can I say? He stole the show!
This production only runs until November 1st, so get your tickets soon. I'd love to hear your thoughts on "Bat Boy - The Musical."
We noticed the ad for "Batboy" in our Civic Theatre program. We saw "Abe Lincoln in Illinois" on Saturday!
Posted by: Lehigh Valley Transplant | October 26, 2009 at 03:21 PM
I actually saw Adrian from Civic Theatre at Bat Boy. He enjoyed the show as well. As I said, we are lucky to live here...
Posted by: Nancy | October 26, 2009 at 04:49 PM