BAT BOY. To 17 July.

Leeds

BAT BOY: THE MUSICAL
by Keythe Farley and Brian Fleming Music and lyrics by Laurence O' Keefe

West Yorkshire Playhouse (Courtyard Theatre) To 17 July 2004
Mon-Sat 7.45pm Mat Thu 2pm Sat 2.30pm
Audio-described 13 July
Runs 2hr 25min One interval

Liberal tosh or easy targets overlaid by production energy and performance quality.This piece watches where it flaps its wings; a scrubbed-up plea for accepting those who are different from a world where the successful spend their lives surrounded by PAs, and wake most mornings after a night behind security fencing in exclusive enclaves.

Attacked in his underground lair, Bat Boy bites back. His victim's blood refuses to coagulate. A touch of the vampires? Apparently not. Then Bat Boy finds himself trapped in a spare cage at the local vet's where he turns out to have family connections, in a plot denouement so heart-warmingly incredible it must be parody.

But what of the forest scene, a temporary idyll where Pan stalks on stilts yet which search parties easily discover? The most absurd stories require some thread of coherence; this piece just lurches from scene to striking scene.

There may be musical parody in the townsfolks' revivalist meeting mild criticism too, for no-one here wants their respectable experience disrupted by a Batty outsider. But, of course, Maurey Richards' zestily performed Rev. Hightower is a force for good, breaking into the townsfolks' prejudices. Vocally, he's a true Bible-belter, dramatically the sort of guy coach-parties can live with.

Bat Boy's score is no worse than many others, pleasant going on bland; there have been far inferior soup-kitchen scores ladling out aural cliches. And some ears may love it.

In Mark Wing-Davey's zinging production, Deven May clearly knows the central role inside-out, prominent ears and teeth contrasting his neat suit, eager eyes and willing smile showing the warm heart within, scuttling crouches indicating a fearful propulsion back towards his airborne ancestors.

The rest follow close. Rebecca Vere's house-proud wife's just waiting for excitement to enter her life. Emma Williams provides trusting freshness as her daughter and the plot's romantic interest.

John Barr's ungracious vet is less conventionally successful, not helped by a ridiculous wig for the brief plot-filler flashback to a more idealistic youth. But there's solid support from the redneck townsfolk who hold their council in the Slaughterhouse (yes, it's a Meating'), a fine ensemble trio and, technically, the pulse-raising projections.

Bat Boy: Deven May
Meredith Parker: Rebecca Vere
Dr Thomas Parker: John Barr
Shelley Parker: Emma Williams
Sheriff Reynolds: Andrew Bolton
Rick Taylor/Lorraine/Mr Dillon: Gareth Richards
Ron Taylor/Maggie/Clem: Julie Jupp
Ruthie Taylor/Ned: Robyn Isaac
Mrs Taylor/Roy/Rev Billy Hightower: Maurey Richards
Institute Man/Bud/Daisy/Doctor/Pan: David Beckford
Ensemble: Thomas Goodridge, Rachel Lynes, Wyn Moss

Director: Mark Wing-Davey
Designer: Madeline Herbert
Lighting: Tony Simpson
Sound: Mike Walker
Projection Designer: Mark Logue
Choreographer: Lynne Page
Assistant director: Ryan McBryde

2004-07-09 09:30:49