Monday, May 14, 2007
A slide show in the background adds to the humor on stage.
By TRACEY D'ASTOLFO
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
YOUNGSTOWN -- There was a Bat Boy sighting in this city over the weekend, and it's about time.
"Bat Boy: The Musical" made its Youngstown debut Friday at the Oakland Center for the Arts, and it is everything you hoped it would be. It is the highlight of the theater company's season.
Over-the-top fun every inch of the way, the musical romp is a wild parody of "Jesus Christ Superstar," with themes from "Frankenstein" and a few others thrown in. But it has a campy craziness that mimics the tone of pseudo-newspaper The Weekly World News, which spawned the story in the early '90s.
Director Robert Dennick Joki deserves high praise for his grasp of the musical and for making it fly so true. Joki, obviously, gets the joke.
Joki also outdoes himself as a costume designer. His forest animals in the "Children, Children" scene are inspired and unbelievably funny. And if that's not enough, he gives a cameo as the revival preacher.
Also worth mentioning sooner than later is the slide show that continuously occupies the screen at stage rear. Chris Barzak and Joki created the show, which, in turn, adds power to a moment or exponentially ramps up the humor.
At the beginning of the play, Chris Rutushin's spirited short film depicting the discovery of Bat Boy in a cave sets the tone for the fast-paced and funny live action that follows.
Who plays Bat Boy
Shawn Lockaton is killer in the title role. The audience watches his Bat Boy grow from a savage animal to an erudite socialite, who just wants to be accepted and loved. Lockaton evokes the pathos of "The Elephant Man" but with a lot more bite -- especially when his wild side emerges.
The story is set in Hope Falls, W.Va. To some of the hillbilly townsfolk, Bat Boy is a Jesus-like figure, worshipped and feared. To others, he is a monster that needs to be hunted down and killed.
A chorus of tobacco-spittin' townies brings out these disparate opinions in some cleverly written numbers, with each member differentiating himself according to his place in "society" (you know: rancher, sheriff, trailer trash).
Matt White, Liz Rubino and Roxanne Hauldren, respectively, play Dr. Thomas Parker, his wife, Meredith, and their teen-age daughter, Shelley. This terrific trio is at the core of the story as the family that takes Bat Boy under its wing -- until a dark secret sets tragedy in motion. Yes, "Bat Boy" is many things ... and one of them is a tragedy that is Shakespearean.
In scene after scene, White, Rubino and Hauldren trade musical dialog with beautiful voices.
Written by Keythe Farley and Brian Flemming, with music and lyrics by Laurence O'Keefe, "Bat Boy" made its world premiere in Los Angeles 12 years ago.
Now the bat is finally out of the bag in Youngstown.
"Bat Boy" will be performed at 8 p.m. Friday, Saturday and May 25 and 26; and at 2 p.m. May 27, at the Oakland Center for the Arts, 220 W. Boardman St., downtown Youngstown. Call (330) 746-0404 for tickets.