Spring Break
He lives!
Award-winning musical celebrates tabloid hero Bat Boy
Matthew Keil
Issue date: 3/2/06 Section: Showcase
Deep within a cave near a small West Virginian town lives a creature neither man nor bat, terrifying to behold and destined to be plastered on the pages of The Weekly World News for years!
Yes, the 'unholy' abomination of nature known to the world as Bat Boy will make his way to the stage of Kjer Theatre in "Bat Boy: The Musical." The production is set to open at 7:30 p.m. tonight. Additional performances will run at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and a matinee will be held at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday. The show will also run at 7:30 p.m. March 8 to 11.
The award-winning musical is adapted from the book by Keythe Farley and Brian Flemming. It took home the 2001 New York Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Off- Broadway Musical.
The story is based on an article originally published in 1992 by tabloid pioneers Weekly World News. The story claimed the discovery of a mutant boy in a West Virginia cave, and the public reaction to the "scientific find" sparked a Bat Boy craze, resulting in numerous articles devoted to the magazine's hybrid hero.
Junior Ben Seidman, who plays Sheriff Reynolds, said the production's unique background makes for an interesting work of rock 'n' roll theater.
"This is not your typical musical," Seidman said. "It's definitely an experience."
He said production began on Jan. 25, and the rehearsal schedule has been "brutal, very rigorous." The cast has been rehearsing five nights a week, moving into six to seven nights a week as they neared tonight's debut.
The production required a lot of work from both theater and music students, who combined to put together what Seidman called a very intricate musical.
"It was an interesting mix of people that haven't worked together before," he said. "It's been crazy because there is so much that goes into this."
But why Bat Boy? Director Richard Nimke said the character is represented in the musical as a working model of a victim of persecution.
"He becomes a symbol for anyone who has ever felt discrimination based on what they look like or who they are," Nimke said. "Ultimately, it's about how society reacts to what they don't find attractive."
Yes, the 'unholy' abomination of nature known to the world as Bat Boy will make his way to the stage of Kjer Theatre in "Bat Boy: The Musical." The production is set to open at 7:30 p.m. tonight. Additional performances will run at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and a matinee will be held at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday. The show will also run at 7:30 p.m. March 8 to 11.
The award-winning musical is adapted from the book by Keythe Farley and Brian Flemming. It took home the 2001 New York Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Off- Broadway Musical.
The story is based on an article originally published in 1992 by tabloid pioneers Weekly World News. The story claimed the discovery of a mutant boy in a West Virginia cave, and the public reaction to the "scientific find" sparked a Bat Boy craze, resulting in numerous articles devoted to the magazine's hybrid hero.
Junior Ben Seidman, who plays Sheriff Reynolds, said the production's unique background makes for an interesting work of rock 'n' roll theater.
"This is not your typical musical," Seidman said. "It's definitely an experience."
He said production began on Jan. 25, and the rehearsal schedule has been "brutal, very rigorous." The cast has been rehearsing five nights a week, moving into six to seven nights a week as they neared tonight's debut.
The production required a lot of work from both theater and music students, who combined to put together what Seidman called a very intricate musical.
"It was an interesting mix of people that haven't worked together before," he said. "It's been crazy because there is so much that goes into this."
But why Bat Boy? Director Richard Nimke said the character is represented in the musical as a working model of a victim of persecution.
"He becomes a symbol for anyone who has ever felt discrimination based on what they look like or who they are," Nimke said. "Ultimately, it's about how society reacts to what they don't find attractive."