Bat Boy The Musical ★★★★

It’s been more than two decades since Bat Boy: The Musical first appeared on the city’s stages – enough pubertal time for the half-boy, half-bat to become a man. Or at least try out a larger venue, which City Center, with its 2,000-plus seats, definitely is compared to its prior Off- Broadway home, the Union Square Theatre. Unlike that theatre, which was demolished in 2016, Bat Boy remains standing, or at least hunched over, depending on his wont.

And for that we should be thankful, because the return of this funny, tuneful, slightly revised horror musical is a welcome reprieve from the current horrors of the real world. From the opening song, the sublimely ridiculous lyrics perfectly set up the show to come:

Hold me, Bat Boy Touch me, Bat Boy

Help me through the night Love me, Bat Boy

Save me, Bat Boy

Make it all turn out all right

Turn out all right it has. Originally inspired by a 1992 Weekly World News story, Bat Boy succeeds most when it embraces its tabloid roots. Set in the fictional town of Hope Falls, West Virginia, the innocent Bat Boy (Taylor Trensch) is caught in a cave by some teenagers (including the invaluable Andrew Durand), then brought by Sheriff Reynolds (Tom McGowan, terrific) to the local veterinarian, Dr. Parker (Christopher Sieber), who plans to put him down; he’s talked out of it by Meredith Parker (Kerry Butler), his noticeably dissatisfied wife.

The Parkers and their daughter Shelley (Gabi Currubba, charming) end up adopting “Edgar” (Meredith’s pet name for her new, um, pet) and do their best to assimilate him into polite society through the delightful ‘Show You A Thing Or Two‘ followed by BBC lessons in proper English. To Edgar’s credit, he’s a faster learner than Eliza Doolittle – and he has fangs.

Alas, in Hope Falls, the community basically means the local church, and these Christians aren’t so keen to open their arms and hearts to someone so very different from themselves. In fact, they’re downright hostile.

Funny how that adversarial dynamic never seems to age.

But unfriendly holy rollers aren’t Bat Boy’s only problem. Dr. Parker embraces the dark side (‘Parker’s Epiphany‘) when his wife fully stops returning any affection, and Mrs. Taylor (Marissa Jaret Winokur, hilarious), the mother of the teenagers who first caught Bat Boy, becomes a redneck version of Mother Courage as the first of her three no-good children are offed one by one in their war against him.

All that’s in the first act, which feels slightly too long and occasionally veers into sentimentality. Fortunately, the show mostly avoids mawkishness thanks to the superb songs by Laurence O’Keefe, composer of Legally Blonde and Heathers (the latter still running just a few blocks away at New World Stages). Just when an overly sincere ballad threatens to lull the show into dullness, O’Keefe tosses in a wildly funny, unexpected lyric that jolts things back to life.

The second, shorter act works better. It kicks off with ‘A Joyful Noise‘, a rousing gospel number led by Reverend Hightower (Jacob Ming-Trent, killing it) that recharges the energy after intermission and sets up two of Bat Boy’s strongest numbers, ‘Three Bedroom House‘, a duet between Meredith and Shelley about their hoped-for future, and ‘Children, Children‘, a barnstorming showstopper performed by the inimitable Alex Newell, who slays as the God Pan. All that leads to a priceless puppet show and the tabloid-worthy ending this story requires.

After directing Beetlejuice, Peter and the Starcatcher, and Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, was there ever any doubt that this wacky material (score by O’Keefe, story and book by Keythe Farley and Brian Flemming) was squarely in director Alex Timbers’ wheelhouse? If so, those doubts should be laid to rest; the sheer fun Timbers is having is evidenced by the performances he draws from this incredible cast.

Trensch is having a blast as the titular Bat Boy, and it’s great to see him cut loose after having to be so restrained the last time he was in a cave, in last season’s overly somber Floyd Collins. As the dastardly doctor, Sieber again proves why he’s one of Broadway’s leading musical comedians, able not only to land all his own jokes but also to set up his scene partners for theirs.

And then there is Butler as Meredith. Oh, what an undervalued treasure she is in this town. Butler has a history with Bat Boy; she played Shelley in the original Off-Broadway production. Now she’s graduated to the part of that character’s mother, and it’s deeply moving to see this talented performer triumph once again with her perfect timing, beautiful voice, and radiant stage presence.

Finally, such a notable return of a beloved cult musical begs one major question: Does the show play successfully on a bigger stage, or is it better suited to a more intimate space?

Fortunately, the answer is mostly yes. With a major assist from scenic designer David Korins, this Bat Boy isn’t swallowed up by City Center’s vast stage, and the cast knows how to fill a room. Is the show better served in a smaller space? Probably. But it’s thrilling to hear the doubled band and multiplied laughter. With no guarantee of a future Broadway transfer, it’s best to enjoy this Bat Boy while you can.