HoustonChronicle.com

Stages' musical 'Bat Boy' defies tradition

By EVERETTE EVANS
Copyright 2003 Houston Chronicle

"Bat child found in cave!"

Ben DeSoto / Chronicle Bat Boy (Scott Sowinski) finds himself the topic of tabloid newspapers in the Stages Repertory Theatre production of the unorthodox musical Bat Boy.

The headline that rocked supermarket tabloid racks on June 23, 1992, may have inspired fear, disgust or morbid curiosity in most readers of the Weekly World News.

For Keythe Farley, Brian Flemming and Laurence O'Keefe, however, the discovery of a half-boy/half-bat freak endowed with pointy ears, razor-sharp teeth and a thirst for blood generated sympathy and a desire to understand.

Their response ultimately resulted in Bat Boy, an unorthodox musical that opened off-Broadway in 2001 and had critics cheering its "imaginative mix of skewering humor and energetic glee" (New York Times).

Bat Boy makes its regional premiere this weekend at Stages Repertory Theatre.

DETAILS

Bat Boy previews tonight, then opens Friday, with regularly scheduled performances at 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays-Thursdays, 8 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays, 3 p.m. Sundays, through Jan. 11, at Stages Repertory Theatre, 3201 Allen Parkway. While there are no performances Dec. 24-25 and Jan.1, there are additional shows at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 23 and Dec. 30. Tickets are $25-$35. Call 713-527-0123.

Beyond his belief that its offbeat content would be a neat fit for his company, Stages artistic director Rob Bundy programmed Bat Boy as "a refreshing alternative for those who need a break from standard holiday fare."

New York-based writer/director Brian Jucha, who created and staged Last Rites and We Have Some Planes for Infernal Bridegroom Productions, returns to Houston to make his Stages debut directing Bat Boy.

"When Rob asked me to do the show," Jucha says, "I thought, 'Great, but why not open it at Halloween?' Then, the more I considered it, the more I realized it's a perfect choice for the holiday season because it's a show with a message of acceptance, humanity and love."

Although they were fascinated by reports of Bat Boy's exploits, the musical creators retained only the initial premise, inventing their own story. Farley and Flemming wrote the script, while O'Keefe penned the eclectic score, which ranges stylistically from rock to musical theater, country to the near-operatic (in the title character's "11 o'clock" aria).

In the musical, Bat Boy is brought to Hope Falls, W. Va., initially confined to a cage but gradually "civilized." Shelley, the town veterinarian's daughter, befriends him, and an unusual love story develops as Bat Boy gains a home and family only to have them taken away when the secret of his origin is discovered.

"The mystery of Bat Boy's origin is the big secret of the show," Jucha says.

Turning to a supermarket tabloid for inspiration, Bat Boy continues the recent trend of off-Broadway musicals based on the most unlikely sources from porn flicks (Debbie Does Dallas) to life cycles (Menopause, the Musical).

"I think people are striving for originality," Jucha says. The director likens Bat Boy to such pop-influenced hits as Little Shop of Horrors and The Rocky Horror Show. "It has the same kind of science-fiction, rock-opera funk. The difference is, it has a complement of pop and rock wedded with a sophisticated theater style. People who hear it are impressed with how intricate the score is."

In addition, he stresses, the show has substance.

For New York actor Scott Sowinski, the title role is a change of pace.

"I usually play the love interest," Sowinski says. "So it's a stretch to hang upside down in a cave and suck people's blood. Not to mention that the score covers two octaves. And my character grows in the course of the story. Basically, he changes from an animal with human tendencies to a human with animal tendencies."

Still, while the actor's credits include such human romantic leads as Tony in West Side Story and Anthony in Sweeney Todd, he also has played the protagonist in Honk!, the musical version of The Ugly Duckling so he has some past experience playing both an animal and an outcast.

To Sowinski, the show's point is basically the old adage about learning not to judge by appearances or first impressions.

"Bat Boy doesn't instigate any of the problems in the play," he says. "People letting their fear take hold of them is what creates the problems. The show is about realizing that every living creature has a soul. The show presents our fears to us, humorously. It lets us laugh about the fact that we really don't understand as much as we think we do."

But don't be scared off by all that substance and sympathy.

"I also want people to know," Jucha insists, "that this show is hilariously funny, seductively captivating, with an amazing score."

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