Presented by Hills Musical Company
Reviewed Friday 29 October 2010
Venue: Stirling Community Theatre, Avenue Road, Stirling
Season: 29 & 30 October at 8pm, 4, 5, 6, 11, 12 & 13 November at 8pm; Matinee Sunday 7 November at 2pm.
Duration: 2hrs 30 min
Tickets: $25 for Adults/$22 for concession/$15 for children (<12yrs)/ $18 for groups of 10 or more
Bookings: Matilda’s Bookshop, Stirling 8339 3931 or through BASS 131 241 or http://www.bass.net.au
If infamous film maker Ed Wood had written My Fair Lady, this may be how it would have turned out.
Keythe Farley and Brian Flemming’s schlock horror musical is comedy gold under the competent direction of Andy Ahrens.
Inspired by a phoney 1992 US tabloid article about a half-boy/half-bat creature found in a cave, the b-grade tale nonetheless has strong themes of acceptance underscoring the comedy.
The eclectic music and lyrics by Laurence O’Keefe run the gamut from ballads to rap to gospel, while the action incorporates all the ingredients of a true Frankenstein-inspired monster story, including a crazy evangelist and a pitchfork posse of panicked town folk.
John Dempsey’s set was suitably schlock but unfortunately didn’t allow for a smooth transition of scenes without blackouts. Despite this, Ahrens keeps the play zipping along, while Kerry Hauber’s fab choreography is as fun and diverse as the score.
Mark Stefanoff features as the title character and does a marvellous job in the first half of the play. As the Bat Boy humanises himself however, he loses too much of his earlier animalistic traits to be believable.
Michelle Nightingale plays the creature’s adoptive mother in a stand out performance, and Eden Plaisted is notable as the Reverend Hightower.
As the villain of the piece, Adam Harrison starts weak but improves significantly as his character devolves into madness, ending the play with a strong performance.
Even deformed monsters need a damsel to romance and Lucy Ellis fills this role nicely with good comic timing.
Dreadful problems with sound left a lot of the song lyrics unheard or unintelligible on opening night, however Tammy Papps’ musical direction easily passes muster with a tight ensemble and a satisfying band.
The razzle dazzle of the song “Show You a Thing or Two” and the ballad “A Home for You” are two numbers of particular note.
Ahrens is not afraid to try bringing new and quirky works to Adelaide audiences, having recently found previous successes with both “Seussical the Musical” and “Urinetown” for the Hills Musical Society. He choses his plays well and has a great knack for the unusual. Bat Boy is no different and well worth a ticket.
Reviewed by Rod Lewis, Performing Arts Critic, Glam Adelaide.
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