Is it an allegory? Is it a horror story? Is it a fable for modern times? Or is it simply a story about the human need to be loved?
Whatever Bat Boy: The Musical is, director Justin Crabtree and his fine cast and crew are working earnestly and successfully at Santa Maria Civic Theatre to make you feel . . . something.
Parts of Bat Boy are horrifying—there’s a lot of blood with both animals and humans involved—and parts are mesmerizing—the pop/rock musical score is catchy and enthralling and strangely upbeat.
Watching this odd story (“ripped from the tabloid headlines”) of a boy (half-human? half-bat? full-on monster?) discovered in a cave by townspeople (who literally at one point carry torches) is weirdly and in ways horrifyingly entertaining.
Maybe it’s the insightful book by Keythe Farley and Brian Flemming, which seems to hit all the emotions, one after another, that involve both loving and fearing our fellow humans.
Or maybe it’s the driving music and lyrics by Laurence O’Keefe (once you’ve heard “Hold Me, Bat Boy” you’ll have a tough time getting this earworm out of your head—even though I’m still a bit perplexed about the direction of the yearning in the lyrics).
Two of the characters and the actors who inhabit them create the center of the production, around which the other characters and the plot revolve.
James Henry II gives a masterful performance as the title character—he nails the evolution of a cave-dwelling boy with pointed ears and fangs into an educated but conflicted young man who still has the capacity for savagry.
Henry sings “I know I’m strange so help me change” (“Let Me Walk Among You”) with such courage that our hearts break for him, then again at the end of the show when he pleads “Give me one reason why I should live” (“I Imagine You’re Upset”).
Showing a mother’s love with the same heart-breaking presence is Lynda Mondragon as Meredith, who takes Bat Boy in, re-naming him Edgar and treating him like a son. Mondragon shines in “A Home for You” and in her comfortable but conflicted portrayal.
The plot gets a little complicated, and it’s a long show (two-and-a-half hours with one intermission), but there are many other good reasons to add it to your Halloween horror calendar this year.
One, if you’ve never seen it (I had not) you don’t know what you’re missing if you don’t see it in a great production such as this one. A caveat: if you avoid horror movies, don’t like blood everywhere, or shy away from the appearance of animals being harmed, this show may not be for you.
Two, the supporting cast is outstanding, especially the clear-voiced Avery Hawkins as Shelley, who falls in love with Edgar; the versatile Daniel Mariscal as the veterinarian Dr. Parker; and Nicole Sewell as the Rev. Billie Hightower, who can make “A Joyful Noise” and call up the Holy Ghost like no one else. Jose Vasquez plays two roles (as many in the cast do): one as a delightful Pan and another as one of many townsfolk who are never quite at ease with Edgar.
Three, it’s quite amazing how SMCT manages to pack such a scenic punch onto such a confined stage in such a small auditorium. In this case kudos to set designer Ian Peggs, working with two cast members giving us their best tech design too: Mariscal on lighting and Henry on sound. Among other settings they give us a cave (with dripping, spooky water sounds), a living room that includes a cage for the newly-discovered Bat Boy, and a melodramatic shadow play re-telling the story of his birth.
Finally, it’s a credit to Crabtree (and I suspect Paul Marszalcowski who is given a “Special Thanks” credit in the program) that the musical numbers are so engaging, given the range of genres represented. From ballads (“Children, Children”) to sing-talking (“Christian Charity”) to country (“Another Dead Cow”) to rap (“Whatch Wanna Do?”), we willingly go with the flow of this off-beat, surprising show.
If you’re looking for something strange, something not run-of-the-mill, something you may never have seen before, Bat Boy: The Musical is playing at Santa Maria Civic Theatre through October 25. It’s really something.
Editor’s Note: Bat Boy: The Musical is recommended for mature audiences 14+.