Portrayals aid flight of 'Bat Boy'

THEATER REVIEW
Wednesday, February 23, 2005

BY ALEXIS DOW
For The Patriot-News

A ridiculous headline from a 1992 edition of Weekly World News served as the inspiration for "Bat Boy: The Musical," written by Keythe Farley and Bryan Fleming, with music by Lawrence O'Keefe.

Several years ago, the tabloid ran a series on the capture, escape and subsequent nationwide sightings of a mysterious half-man, half-bat creature discovered by a group of teens in a West Virginia cave.

In the play, Meredith Parker, wife of the town veterinarian, and her teenage daughter, Shelly, transform the "bat boy" from a savage, screeching beast into a refined young man, complete with an uptight British accent (thanks to the tutelage of BBC language tapes, of course). Despite his polished demeanor, the townspeople are convinced that the Bat Boy is the cause of all the town's problems, and the melee that ensues is both heartfelt and hilarious.

Theatre Harrisburg has embraced the show's melodramatic overtones and, with some stand-out performances and some visually stunning technical elements, the audience is transported to the cartoonishly provincial town of Hope Falls, W.Va.

David M. Glasgow shines in the title role, with a powerful and expressive voice that is more than capable of rising to the vocal challenge that the role offers. His Bat Boy is pitifully adorable, which in turn evokes the audience's sympathy, a dynamic that is very important for the show's cathartic ending.

Tamara Heagy's portrayal of the benevolent Meredith Parker is tender and honest. She has a melodious speaking voice and her singing is generally good.

Wendi Stoltzfus captures the naive but passionate Shelly Parker well, and has a remarkably strong presence for her young age.

An interesting element of this particular play is the gender bending and doubling required by the script. This production handled it well. One performance that stood out was Landree Fleming's portrayal of both Ned, a rancher whose beloved cow, Gertie, falls victim to Bat Boy's blood lust, and Ruthie Taylor, a young girl bitten by Bat Boy in the play's opening scene. Her unique raspy voice lends itself well to these characters, and her physical and vocal transitions are impressive.

The Sunoco Performance Theatre lends itself well to "Bat Boy," and director Thomas Hostetter makes good use of the space. The production is staged well and the actors seem comfortable with their movement. Steven Flom's choreography is clean and campy.

The technical elements of the show are fairly solid, aside from a few odd microphone moments. Robert Klingelhoeffer designed a cavelike set, with an especially stunning forest scene. The blackouts during the scene changes disrupt the flow of the action at times, but, to the stage crew's credit, the scenery movement was done efficiently.

Nels Martin's lighting design was lovely, and the use of the scrim and projections, as well as the backlit shadow sequence, was innovative and well done.

This production is well worth seeing. Theatre Harrisburg is to be commended for just "going for it" with "Bat Boy," for embracing the charmingly campy story and making it real for the audience.