Weird and wonderful, one part Little Shop of Horrors, another part Deliverance, and cleverly crafted farce, Speakeasy Stage Company’s production of Bat Boy, The Musical is a bizarre and hilarious romp of a musical parody.
Though Bat Boy, which was inspired by a story that first appeared in the Weekly World News in 1992, takes a little while to get its feet off the ground, the show soon flaps its way well over the top, where it undoubtedly belongs. The success of the New England premiere of this award-winning off-Broadway hit, playing through Oct. 26 at the Boston Center for the Arts hangs (oft times upside-down) on its high-energy pace, refreshingly irreverent tone, and the strength of stellar performances.
The story is familiar enough: Three redneck siblings are inexplicably spelunking in their West Virginia town’s local cave when they are attacked by a creature that appears to be half-man, half-bat. Reluctant to kill the critter, the town’s sheriff instead delivers it to the house of the town’s veterinarian, Dr. Parker, whose long-suffering wife and whiny teenage daughter are so moved with compassion and curiosity that they decide to take him in, against the wishes of the doctor.
The responsibility of finding blood to keep the Bat Boy alive falls to Dr. Parker; this is a relatively minor plot point that seems like a nod to Little Shop, the show’s comically morbid musical predecessor. Meanwhile, Mrs. Parker attempts to civilize the Bat Boy, whom she names Edgar, and is met with incredible success: he manages to master English over the course of one musical number. The locals aren’t as embracing, though, and blame the town’s problematically skinny cows on Edgar’s bloodsucking habit.
The first half of the show splits its fair share of sides, but mostly acts as expository foundation. The show’s real creative payoff comes in Act II when Edgar engages in a heart-rending battle for love and acceptance in the small-minded, small-eared town. His struggle is exhibited in a series of intense, hilarious production numbers that become increasingly strange and brilliant as the town inevitably descends into torch wielding mob mode with unexpected consequences. The weird resolution and dark ending fit perfectly with the show’s spirit of humor, and even offer a tongue-in-cheek message of tolerance.
The talented cast takes full advantage of the show’s fresh and fun material. Miguel Cervantes, a 1999 Emerson College graduate, brings Bat Boy to life by means of an energetic and versatile performance. Cervantes’s considerable vocal talents seem all the more impressive considering the physically demanding nature of the role.
In the role of Shelley, the Parkers’ daughter, BU CFA junior Sara Chase brings her terrific voice and comic timing to an annoying yet likeable character.
Kerry A. Dowling is notable as a wonderfully melodramatic Mrs. Parker to Michael Mendiola’s Dr. Parker, whom he succeeds in making at once earnest and sadistic, to incredible comic effect.
Davidj Krinitt is also excellent as the town’s bumbling sheriff. The ensemble is one of the show’s ingenious elements, featuring five actors (Austin Lesch, Lisa Korak, Sarah O’Malley, Mary Callanan and Kevin Alan Ramsey) taking on the task of portraying the town’s entire population of unique and exaggerated crazy characters with hilarious slapstick results.
The music is an important aspect of what makes Bat Boy such a clever send-up. The show parodies its own genre by paring a dynamic, rock opera-style score and dramatic Stephen Sondheim-esque overlapping vocals with ridiculous lyrics.
The resulting production numbers are at the show’s comedic core: the potent mixture of the company’s powerhouse vocals and the irreverence of the songs is Bat Boy doing what it does best. The five-piece band provides rocking but sometimes overpowering accompaniment; minor volume competitions occur as the actors resort to on-key shouting to be heard over each other and the band. Every lost word and phrase, in a show where each line seems wittier than the next, results in frustration. This is a minor problem, though, in such an overwhelmingly well-acted, terrifically staged, conceptually hysterical production.