Tale from the tabloids
By Casey Gillis on Sep. 03, 2008
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Bat Boy: The Musical” is a tale of what would happen if a tabloid story came true.
Based on the 1992 “Weekly World News” Story about a half-boy, half-bat found in a cave, the rock musical imagines what would happen if a kindly veterinarian’s wife took Bat Boy in and raised him as a human.
“It’s about acceptance,” says Dustin Williams, who is directing a local production of it through his newly formed theater company, Wolfbane Productions.
“Bat Boy is what’s different in each of us. It’s saying, ‘Embrace yourself. Love yourself.’”
Performances are scheduled for 7 p.m. Sept. 10, 11, 12 and 13 at Heritage High School’s Pioneer Theatre (see box for more information).
“Bat Boy” is set in a small West Virginia town, right after the bat child is found in a cave. He is taken to Dr. Parker, a local veterinarian, who wants to put Bat Boy down. But the doctor’s wife, Meredith, stops him.
“His wife sees more than an animal in (Bat Boy),” says Williams, a graduate of Appomattox County High School and Lynchburg College.
Thanks to Meredith, Bat Boy soon acclimates to human life, learning to speak - with a British accent from watching BBC - and, eventually, falls in love with Shelley, the Parkers’ daughter.
Meanwhile, the town’s cattle have been dying mysteriously, and when nobody can find a reason, Bat Boy is blamed.
Williams says the play has some very funny, random moments early on, but ultimately is a tragedy.
“It kind of wins the audience by taking you along on this roller coaster,” he says. “It’s something that needs to be told.”
Heritage High School students are helping out with the effects-heavy show’s technical elements, and the cast of 12 professional actors comes from all over the country. Seven play multiple roles, and the other five are the show’s main characters: Bat Boy, the sheriff, Dr. Parker, Meredith and Shelley.
“Everyone is just perfect (for their roles), and they’re right on board,” Williams says. “Everyone is as gung-ho as I am. I think the audience will buy into that.”
IF YOU’RE GOING:
WHAT: ‘Bat Boy: The Musical’
WHEN: 7 p.m. Sept. 10, 11, 12 and 13
WHERE: Heritage High School’s Pioneer Theatre
TICKETS: $12 general admission; $10 for seniors and students. The show includes some violence and adult situations, and is recommended for teenaged audiences and older.
INFO: http://www.wolfbaneproductions.org/shows.htm
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