Bat Boy: The Musical was inspired by a series of tabloid headlines published in 1992 by The Weekly World News claiming that a terrifying creature, half-man and half-bat, had been discovered in a cave, escaped, and was being pursued by government officials. In Farley, Flemming, and O’Keefe’s musical rendering of the story, a group of spelunking West Virginian teenagers discover the creature near Hope Falls. For lack of a better solution, the sheriff brings him to the local veterinarian (Dr. Parker’s) home, where he begins to assimilate to human life and become a part of the Parker family while trying to keep his penchant for sucking human blood under control. Meredith, Dr. Parker’s wife, and Shelley, his daughter, become increasingly close with the creature, whom they name Edgar, while Dr. Parker becomes more and more wary of his assimilation into the human world. When Edgar tries to ingratiate himself with the townfolk of Hope Falls, he is quickly rejected, and he and Shelley (who fall in love) run away together. After a single night of joyous freedom, tragedy strikes when Meredith finds them and reveals the dark secret of Bat Boy’s origin. With a beat-driven rock score that pays homage to the rock musicals of the late ‘60s and early ‘70s, Bat Boy provides a compelling theatrical metaphor for the dangers of prejudice, intolerance, and provincialism.
Bat Boy guide sections
