The play Bat Boy: The Musical is the product of an historic alliance between the Weekly World News and three authors from Los Angeles. This wonderful production combines the journalism of the Weekly World News with the power of song. It's a creative theatrical production based on the alleged sightings of a mysterious "bat child", half-boy and half-bat, reported by tabloid newspapers. .
The protagonist of the production is the Bat Boy. We see him go through many changes throughout the course of the play. In the beginning he appears as a scared and strange creature. He then transforms into what he sees to be a regular boy, but reality comes back to him quickly as he realizes he will never be a typical human boy. I felt that the antagonist of the play was Dr. Thomas Parker. It's difficult for me to make a choice on this because everyone at one time or another was opposing the Bat Boy. .
The play was communicated through many different elements. Dialogue was presented with spoken language in sometimes extreme ways. The use of language volume helped to get many points of excitement and anger across to the audience. Action in this play helped us to see the fear of the Bat Boy from the very beginning. His rapid movement across the stage and the shaking of his cage are examples of how the Bat Boy showed us the fear he felt. The use of props such as smelly smoke pellets were also used to help the audience get a sense of what it would be like to be near the Bat Boy. Music and dance were also used as a main tool to communicate the feelings and motives in the play. .
This production is a farcical comedy that moves nicely from slapstick to drama. It is full of witty dialogue and songs, tabloid worthy plot twists, and feigned seriousness .I feel that the play was straightforward. I could see where some audience members might not feel the same. It has many ideas that I believe have deeper meaning. The production was humorous, startling, absurd and sometimes frightening.
