Review: BAT BOY THE MUSICAL at The Weekend Theater

Captivating! The entire performance of BAT BOY THE MUSICAL at The Weekend Theater, 1001 W 7th St., in Little Rock, will captivate you where you cannot look away in fear of missing something important. This cast provided the best kind of theatrical experience this past weekend.....you know...where you get so wrapped up in the story that when something exciting happens, you hit your friend and ask if they saw that?! Yes, it is that good, and you have only one more weekend to catch this amazing show!

I am of the generation who remembers standing in line at the grocery store flipping through the tabloids while waiting for my turn at the cash register. I did my share of perusing the satirical Weekly World News to see if Elvis is really dead, check out the latest UFO photos, and read about anomalies such as Bat Boy. With Book by Keythe Farley and Brian Flemming and Music and Lyrics by Laurence O'Keefe, BAT BOY THE MUSICAL is loosely based off the article written in 1992 about a half-bat, half-boy discovered in a cave in West Virginia. While spelunking, the Taylor kids- Rick (Tyler Mann), Ron (Krista Hancock) and Ruthie (Bee Golleher)- scare Bat Boy (Luke Ferguson), and when he bites Ruthie, they capture him, take him to Sheriff Reynolds (Sean Galloway) and Ruthie to the hospital. The Sheriff decides to bring Bat Boy to the local veterinarian, Dr. Thomas Parker (Ben Perry). Because he isn't home, his wife Meredith (Ren Gudino) and daughter Shelley (Izzy Hammonds) cage him until the doctor returns home. Once home, Dr. Parker wants to euthanize Bat Boy, but his wife stops him so she can care for and educate him, who she has named Edgar. Once Edgar passes his high school equivalency test, he is ready to go out into the world, but the townsfolks are apprehensive for him to show up at the revival. Mayor Maggie (Jamie Partain) holds a townhall meeting with members of the community in attendance, including Rancher Bud (Zac Baker), Lorraine (Destiny Faith Owen) and Dr. Parker, and insists that Dr. Parker keep Edgar away from the event.

Though Dr. Parker gave his word, Meredith and Shelley support Edgar in his decision to mingle with the community in Act II. Dr. Parker goes crazy, madness ensues, and all dastard activities are blamed on Bat Boy. Edgar flees and the townsfolks go searching for him, including Mrs. Taylor (Taylor Huff), who ends up burning a slaughterhouse with intent on killing Edgar. With dire consequences, things did not go as planned. In the meantime, Edgar and Shelley disappear deep into the woods and get really.....really...close. After that, the plot twists keep coming to the big finale, where life lessons are realized.

With direction by Dakota Mansfield and assisted by Musical Director Jeannie Cross, Assistant Director Crys Swindle, and Stage Manager Kota White, this is probably the craziest musical I have seen thus far, and I LOVED it! I want to watch it again! This cast did an amazing job. It's great when every single member commits to their characters, regardless of the absurdity, and though I may not comment on every one of you, please know that I truly enjoyed the tale you all told.

Luke! Wow! I was won over from the minute Ferguson as Bat Boy utilized the space of the theater. His creature-like movements had me convinced that maybe he was part bat, which made me slightly nervous since I was sitting so close to the performance area. Watching the journey from Bat Boy to civilized boy to teenage-rage boy and back to acceptance of himself was mesmerizing. I truly loved getting wrapped up in the story.

Gudino as Meredith was another one that really captured my attention when she was around. The performance she gave was so heartfelt. However, once you get closer to the end, you find out just how close she is to Edgar, and it makes more sense. I loved her relations with her family members, even though she despised her husband. Perry was intense and played his drunkenness well. Hammonds was a believable angsty teen, and the grunge chorus (Natalie Riddle, Jillian Coldiron, Kayley Shettles, Darnell Hooker, Kian Xavier, and Evan Smith) did a great job morphing into the different scenes and moving the story along. As a bonus, Golleher's death scene was gruesome, and that Pan outfit was fire! The campy, horror fun was undeniable, and audience members were talking about it as we walked away from the theater.

For our foodies, Loblolly Creamery has a Bat Boy themed treat that is tasty. Bat Boy's Big Bite is a sweet cream ice cream with activated charcoal and red marshmellows. I couldn't pass that up. It was so yummy!

As always, a live band makes a great musical infinitely better. Rocking out The Weekend Theater is Jeannie Cross on Keyboard, Paul Brock on Guitar, Dan Schoultz on Bass, and Scott Southern on Drums.

You have one more weekend to catch this amazing show. Seriously, you do not want to miss this one. Also, I strongly advise you to get tickets in advance on their website at weekendtheater.org.

Broadway World would like to give a big THANK YOU to photographer extraordinaire Matthew Sewell. Visit his website at https://www.msewellphotography.com and check out his amazing work. If you need portrait, headshot, and/or production photography, Matthew Sewell Photography is the place to go.