Bat Boy

Book by KEYTHE FARLEY & BRIAN FLEMMING. Music & Lyrics by LAURENCE O'KEEFE

Presented by Bat Boy (UK) Ltd, Michael Alden Productions, West End International Ltd,
Kevin Schon and John Newman for Newpalm Productions in association with the West Yorkshire Playhouse, Njng Productions, Plus Entertainment and Matthew Spain

Director Mark Wing-Davey
Decor Madeline Herbert
Costumes Simon Kenny
Lighting Tony Simpson
Sound Mike Walker
Choreography Lynne Page
Orchestrations Laurence O'Keefe, Alex Lacamoire
Musical Director lain Vince-Gatt
Fights Terry King
Projection Mark Logue

Union Square Theatre, New York - 21 March, 2001

U.K. Premiere - West Yorkshire Playhouse.
Shaftesbury Theatre, London - 8 September, 2004: Closed 15 January, 2005

Cast

Deven May - Bat Boy
Rebecca Vere - Meredith Parker
John Barr - Dr Thomas Parker
Emma Williams - Shelley Parker
Andrew Bolton - Sheriff Reynolds
Gareth Richards - Rick Taylor/Lorraine/Mr Dillon
Julie Jupp - Ron Taylor/Maggie/Clem
Robyn Isaac - Ruthie Taylor/Ned
Maurey Richards - Mrs Taylor/Roy/ Rev Billy Hightower/ Institute Man
David Beckford - Bud/Daisy/Doctor/Pan

Ensemble

Robert Arhibald, Tim Driesen, Thomas Goodridge, Rachel Lynes, Wyn Moss, Amanda Villamayor

Synopsis

Based on events as chronicled in Weekly World News, when a group of teenagers discover a pointy-eared, bright-eyed child in a cave in the West Virginia Hills and brought into the sleepy town of Hope Falls, which both intrigues and shocks the inhabitants …

Story:

For lack of a better solution, the local sheriff brings Bat Boy to the home of the town veterinarian, Dr. Parker, where he is eventually accepted as a member of the family and taught to act like a "normal" boy by the veterinary surgeon's wife, Meredith, and teenage daughter, Shelley. Bat Boy is happy with his new life, but when he naively tries to fit in with the narrow-minded people of Hope Falls, they turn on him, prodded by the machinations of Dr. Parker, who secretly despises Bat Boy. Shelley and Bat Boy, who have fallen in love, run away together from the ignorant townsfolk and have a blissful coupling in the woods, but their happiness is shattered when Meredith arrives and reveals a secret. Soon the entire town arrives and hears the shocking story of Bat Boy's unholy origin.

Full Story (from Wikipaedia)

Act I

In the fictional town of Hope Falls, West Virginia three teenage spelunkers; Ron, Rick and Ruthie Taylor discover the Bat Boy, a deformed humanoid creature. Bat Boy attacks Ruthie and is taken captive by Rick and Ron (“Hold Me Bat Boy”).

Ruthie is taken to the hospital and the Bat Boy is placed in the care of Sheriff Reynolds who brings him to the home of local veterinarian Dr. Parker. Meredith, Parker’s wife, agrees to take him in (“Christian Charity”).

Shelley, the Parkers' teenage daughter, is repulsed by the Bat Boy and infuriated by his constant screaming but Meredith pities him and christens him with a new name; Edgar (“Ugly Boy”). Rick Taylor, Shelley’s boyfriend, arrives and, infuriated by Edgar’s presence, threatens to kill him with a knife (“Whatcha Wanna Do?”). This upsets Shelley and Meredith makes Rick leave. Meredith attempts to comfort Edgar (“A Home For You”).

Meanwhile, the Mayor of Hope Falls and the local ranchers are worried by their cattle which are dying inexplicably. The rumours of the discovery of a Bat Boy lead them to believe he must be preying on the cattle (“Another Dead Cow”).

Dr. Parker returns home and is about to euthanize Edgar when Meredith intervenes. Meredith begs Parker not to kill Edgar and he consents when she agrees to sleep with him. Parker celebrates what he sees as an upturn in his failing marriage and feeds Edgar animal blood (“Dance With Me Darling”).

At the hospital Ruthie is delirious from her injuries, but her mother promises the Sheriff will kill the Bat Boy or be fired (“Mrs. Taylor’s Lullaby”).

With the help of Meredith’s patient teaching and Dr. Parker’s secret feedings of blood Edgar learns speech, etiquette and how to dress and obtains a high-school equivalency diploma (“Show You A Thing or Two”).

The town council implore Dr. Parker to prevent the reviled Edgar from attending the upcoming revival meeting. Parker protests, insisting Edgar is not a threat to anyone, but is pressured into giving his word that Edgar will not attend the revival (“Christian Charity (Reprise)”)

Edgar begs the Parkers to let him go to the revival (“A Home For You (Reprise)”) and Meredith eventually relents. Incensed by Meredith undermining his word, Dr. Parker grabs her aggressively and Edgar instinctively attacks him. Meredith runs to comfort Edgar over her husband, leaving Parker humiliated and furious. Parker begins to devise a way to destroy Edgar and save his marriage to Meredith; he taunts a hungry Edgar with a live rabbit and Edgar struggles with his feral urges to kill. Just as it seems Edgar is overcoming his hunger, Parker draws blood from the rabbit and Edgar eats it. Parker gives Ruthie Taylor a lethal injection in her hospital room, intending to blame her death on Edgar (“Comfort and Joy”).

Act II

At the revival meeting Reverend Hightower offers a faith healing (“A Joyful Noise”). Meredith, Shelley and Edgar arrive and Edgar volunteers himself for the faith healing. The town are disgusted by his presence but Edgar implores them to accept him (“Let Me Walk Among You”). The townsfolk are won over by Edgar’s eloquence and civility and embrace him (“A Joyful Noise (Reprise)”).

Dr. Parker arrives at the revival and reveals Ruthie has died, blaming her death on Edgar. The townsfolk are furious and, once again, turn on Edgar. In the ensuing struggle Edgar attacks Rick Taylor; under the pretense of tending to his wounds Dr. Parker administers Rick with a lethal injection to serve as further proof that Edgar is dangerous. The townsfolk form a mob, led by Parker, and pursue Edgar into the woods.

In the woods Shelley and Meredith look for Edgar. Together they decide that they will run away from Hope Falls and Dr. Parker. Shelley tells Meredith she is falling in love with Edgar and Meredith’s horrified response causes Shelley to run away deeper into the woods (“Three Bedroom House”). There she meets Edgar and the two comfort each other and confess their love for each other. The Greek God of nature Pan arrives to preside over the union of Edgar and Shelley, with the help of the woodland creatures (“Children, Children”).

Ron Taylor, determined to get revenge for his brother and sister, searches the slaughterhouse for Edgar. The mob mistake the noise coming from the slaughterhouse as a sign of Edgar’s presence and Mrs. Taylor sets fire to the slaughterhouse, inadvertently burning her remaining child to death. The Sheriff asks Doctor Parker to placate the mob but, instead, he whips them into a bloodthirsty frenzy and the hunt for Edgar resumes (“More Blood/Kill The Bat Boy!”).

Back in the woods Edgar is hungry for blood and begs Shelley to leave him for her own safety. Instead Shelley offers her arm to Edgar for him to feed on (“Inside Your Heart”). Just as he is about to bite, Meredith arrives and reveals she is Edgar’s mother.

Overcome with grief and shame Edgar kills a cow and runs away to the cave where he was discovered. Incensed at Dr. Parker’s betrayal and Meredith’s deceit, Edgar pledges to kill the pair of them and embrace his inner beast (“Apology To A Cow”).

The mob arrives at the cave as do Parker and Meredith. Together they reveal to the town that Edgar was the result of an experiment gone wrong; a young Parker accidentally spilled a prototype pheromone on Meredith which caused him to go mad and sexually violate her. As Meredith ran home in tears, the pheromone also attracted a colony of bats that violated her as well. Nine months later she gave birth to Shelley and Edgar. Repulsed by the deformed Edgar, Meredith asked Parker to kill him, but he could not and instead left him at the mouth of the cave where the bats adopted him.

Edgar begs Parker to kill him, but he cannot; so Edgar reveals that he slept with Shelley. Furious and overcome with grief Parker slits his own throat causing Edgar to leap upon him and feed, whilst Parker stabs him in the back. Meredith tries to intervene but is stabbed as well and the three fall to the ground, dead (“Finale: I Imagine You’re Upset/I Am Not A Boy”).

In the aftermath Shelley and the townsfolk reflect on the tale and the lessons they have learned (“Hold Me Bat Boy (Reprise)”).

Musical Numbers

REVIEW SCORECARD
rave	-
favourable	1
mixed	2
unfavourable	5
pan	8

ACT ONE

Hold Me, Bat Boy - Full Company
Christian Charity - Sheriff, Meredith, Shelley
Ugly Boy - Shelley
Watcha Wanna Do? - Rick, Shelley
A Home For You - Meredith, Bat Boy
Another Dead Cow - Townsfolk
Dance With Me, Darling - Parker
Ruthie?s Lullaby - Mrs. Taylor
Show You a Thing or Two - Full Company
Christian Charity (Reprise) - Sheriff, Parker, Townsfolk
A Home for You (Reprise) - Bat Boy
Comfort and Joy - Full Company

ACT TWO

A Joyful Noise - Rev. Hightower, The Congregation
Let Me Walk Among You - Bat Boy
Three Bedroom House - Meredith, Shelley
Children, Children - King of the Forest, Company
More Blood - Parker
Inside Your Heart - Shelley, Bat Boy
Apology to a Cow - Bat Boy
Revelations - Meredith, Parker, Company
I Imagine You're Upset - Full Company
Hold Me, Bat Boy (Reprise) - Full Company

Instrumentation:

Keyboard 2 ; Guitar ; Bass Guitar : Drums

Original Off-Broadway Cast Recording