.“Bat Boy” Musical Opens Oct. 17 at CSU, Chico
If you’re looking to see a performance with a bit of a bite, CSU, Chico’s upcoming production of “Bat Boy: The Musical” is “screamingly” the perfect show.

Directed by Mike Mazur, Department of Theatre faculty member, “Bat Boy: The Musical” opens Wed., Oct 17 running through Sat., Oct. 20 at 7:30 p.m. with a matinee show on Sun., Oct. 21 at 2 p.m. in Harlen Adams Theatre.

“It is a great contemporary play, new to Chico audiences. It explores complex themes of acceptance and rejection using comical satire and a modern rock score,” said Mazur.

“Bat Boy: The Musical” is based on stories featured in a popular tabloid, The Weekly World News. Music and lyrics are by Laurence O’Keefe and book and story are by Keythe Farley and Brian Flemming. The show has two acts and each act has numerous music and dance numbers.

In the musical a half-boy/half-bat creature is discovered deep within a cave. Dr. Parker, the town veterinarian, and his family take in Bat Boy and begin to raise him as a “normal” boy. Soon Dr. Parker has a lurking secret sentiment for Bat Boy, who has fallen in love with his daughter, Shelley. However, things go a rye when the town turns on Bat Boy.
 
“The ending takes you to a totally unpredictable place. The show also addresses the dangers of a ‘mob mentality’ and blindly following what society thinks,” said Mazur.

Audience members can expect to leave with a fresh appreciation for the newest trends in musical theatre, according to Mazur.

“There is a definite appeal in the music for today’s college students. It is a very contemporary sounding musical, with a rock and roll score,” said Mazur.

Senior Jimmy Robertson plays Bat Boy and seniors Ross Lacy and Sarah Cuc play his adoptive parents along side sophomore Carly Bracco who is playing daughter Shelley. Casting was not easy but each member of Bat Boy has taken their character and turned it into their own, noted Mazur.

“‘Bat Boy’ takes place in rural West Virginia, and many of the characters are creating their own accents to reflect that.”

Robertson is incorporating his skills as an experienced dancer, as well as unique vocal and physical traits, to set Bat Boy apart from the “humans.” Audience members may remember Cuc as Lady Thiang in CSU, Chico’s recent Spring Musical, “The King and I.” Cuc is also the recipient of the first annual Carol Channing Scholarship received in May 2007.

Other cast members include Michael Kellogg, Kelsey Kinney, Aaron Lyons, Garrison Harward, Korey Emslie, Paul Sivertsen, Noah Snyder, Paula Jo Short, Courtney Hatcher, Paige Patterson, Marissa Kaye Wilhelm, Michael Beale, and Jon Kelly. The musical also features an ensemble of actors that portray townsfolk, and a “scary chorus.”

Mazur said the Harlen Adams stage will be used in a way that it has never been used before, opening with scenes directly in a cave. “The audience will not know what’s hitting them,” he said. Set Designer, Dan Schindler, has worked extremely hard to make sure the entire stage is put to terrific use, noted Mazur.

The stage will work as a perfect space to accent the intense choreography senior Amanda Brandt has prepared. Brandt has also choreographed for Chico State’s Off-Broadways and Court Theatre.

Also lending a hand to the production are Dara Kirchofner Scholz (Musical Director), Mike Johnson (Lighting Design), Ruth Palmerlee (Costume and Makeup Design), and Jennette Holme (Prop Master).  

“Bat Boy: The Musical” had its premiere in New York on Halloween, 1997. The New York Times described the performance as having “big laughs,” and went on to write, “It’s remarkable what intelligent wit can accomplish — a jaggedly imaginative mix of skewering humor and energetic glee”.

“Bat Boy” has a similar feel to Tim Burton’s “A Nightmare before Christmas,” said Mazur. Audiences will be spooked into laughter as the show unfolds.    

“I love this play because it exposes our actors, designers and audience members to a new type of theatre that is alive in New York today. In addition, the songs are amazing and the show appeals exceptionally well to college audiences,” said Mazur.

“Bat Boy” has adult content and is not recommended for young children.

Advance tickets, at $15 adults, $13 senior citizens, and $6 students/children, are available at the University Box Office, 898-6333. For disability-related accommodations, please call 898-4325. Add $2 for tickets purchased at the door.

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