Bat Boy

             Theatre Three's production of Farley and Flemming's Bat Boy was centered on a realistic portrayal of the unrealistic story of a boy who must fight against many odds to become a "normal" part of society. The book, lyrics, and music for Bat Boy fully supported the realistic tone, with few exceptions, while the set design, acting, and direction also capitalize on this tone as well. The sound and lighting design, however, provided many circumstances that directly conflicted the realistic tone of this piece. .
             Director Kyle McClaran's presentation of song in the May 22nd production of Bat Boy was very much based in realism, because this was a part of each character. This was not presented as a production to the audience and this was not shown as a theatrical device in order to add a certain flash to the show. The use of song was depicted as simply a part of each character. This was just something that they did. The only exception, which was never fully explained in the course of the story, was the Children, Children number. This was a dramatic break from a tone of realism throughout. This moment of the show was incredibly shocking, not only because of the simulated bestiality in front of the audience, but because there was never any justification for this song. This could be the doing of the director, or the creators of the musical, or both, but regardless this was an incredibly abrasive scene. There was an immediate jump back into realism following this song. .
             One could argue that by the nature of a musical, realism is not an option, because of the simple fact that people do not randomly burst into musical choreographed numbers in reality. Bat Boy appeared to set itself up to be an exercise in realism. Penny Mauvais, the set designer, focused not on the themes of the show in some form of abstract display, but rather in creating a very realistic world that provided enough maneuverability that scenes could change, but still provide a sense of reality on stage.