Who knew that the hit of Milwaukee's summer theater season would be a rock 'n roll musical about a half-bat, half-boy? Despite the show's odd premise (drawn from a tabloid story, we're told), Bat Boy: The Musical is flapping its wings all over the country. From San Francisco to Minneapolis, St. Louis to Los Angeles, watch for upcoming announcements of Bat Boy coming to a town near you. Although the show's press materials make a big deal out of a mildly successful 2001 Off-Broadway run (which was interrupted by the 9/11 attacks), the show actually originated in Los Angeles. It was first performed by a group called The Actors Gang (not a bad title for the company originating this offbeat work). In Milwaukee, the show became a labor of love for director Paula Suozzi (an associate artistic director for another local company). She saw one of the musical's final New York performances and loved it. Immediately, she began lobbying for the talented-but-kooky Bialystock and Bloom to produce the show. The result is a qualified hit -- the kind of show you want to rush out and tell everyone to see. There is much to praise and little to criticize in this production. Almost everything hits the mark, from the superb casting (led by the remarkable Matthew Michaels in the title role), to the choreography, the music, the costumes, the set, etc. It all works together to make the show really ROCK. Once the "bat boy" (or sometimes called "bat child") is discovered in a cave outside of Hope Falls, West Virginia, all heck breaks loose in this close-knit community. Some want to kill the bat (shades of "Frankenstein") while others want to make it a tourist attraction ("we could become another Branson," says an awestruck yokel). The town sheriff takes possession of the creature. He decides to leave the bat's fate in the hands of the local veterinarian who, ironically, is out of town on a hunting trip. In the meantime, the vet's wife and daughter immediately offer to take the "bat thing" into their home. The teenage daughter, Shelley, is drawn to the animal's plight. When the vet returns, his wife pleads for the creature's life. He assents. Within no time, the "bat boy" is fit for society. In fact, he has taken to wearing bow ties, suits and sports a British accent, thanks to some BBC tapes the wife secures. He also has learned impeccable manners, including the proper way to serve tea. This portrayal is all the more hilarious when paired with the crude behavior of his hillbilly neighbors. The songs are cleverly written, although few are memorable beyond the opening number, "Hold Me, Bat Boy." From the onset, "Bat Boy" struggles with his thirst for blood and his feelings of self and love. In the form of Matthew Michaels, "Bat Boy" becomes a sympathetic character who truly tugs at our heartstrings, much in the way audiences once rooted for "E.T." Among the show's highlights is a love scene between "Bat Boy" and Shelley. It's such an obvious and laughable send-up of The Lion King that Milwaukee audiences barely had time to catch their breath before another wave of laughter exploded throughout the black box theater where Bat Boy performs. It's as if the cast had raided one of those stuffed animal kiosks at the county zoo, with a side trip through Wal-Mart, in order to create the desired jungle effect. With one of the cast members wearing a well-placed beaver, among other animals attached to his hands, hips and shoulders, the scene's cheesy tone is refreshingly amusing. In addition to Matthew Michaels as the hunky, muscle-bound "Bat Boy," credit also belongs to Laura Monagle as the sad-sack mother; Bryce Lord as Dr. Parker, the evil vet who reminds one of the evil dentist in "Little Shop of Horrors"; Logan Adams as their perky blonde daughter, Shelley, who manages to cop a "valley girl" attitude despite her isolated locale; and Nathan Wesselowski as Rick, Shelley's bad-guy boyfriend. The rest of the cast creates a memorable ensemble, especially during the times when one of the men assumes the role of a female character merely by slapping on a wig (never mind the beard). The choreography is impressive throughout, as is the music from the onstage band, "The Bloodsuckers." No less impressive is the set, backed by an enormous vintage postcard of the bucolic West Virginia countryside. Bat Boy: The Musical may not satisfy in the way one would expect from vintage wine, but if you're thirsty on a hot summer night, this "wine cooler" of a musical may do the job.
