'Bat Boy:' strange, charming and funny

By now, we’ve all seen those freaky “Bat Boy” posters on campus and wondered what to expect. Will it be creepy? Horrific? Confusing?

Part of it is a combination of just that: Random animal coital action in the woods, anyone? Yet with a lyrical touch, “Bat Boy” the musical (directed by Claire Greene ’13) weaves the random, strange and crazy into a mixture of dark humor and light-hearted comedy that will keep you laughing throughout. Besides concocting a mixture of obscure humor, the musical brings forth a touching side too — dragging you through a rollercoaster of emotions and surprises.

The world of “Bat Boy” first envelops us in a pitch-black scene with the sounds of three immature kids exploring a dank cave, when a strange bat-human creature attacks the girl. Like good Christian citizens, the townspeople capture the creature, and one family adopts and nurtures it, eventually raising it as a human child. Simple plot — easy to follow and believable — until we meet the flurry of plot twists and unexpected confessions which strive to tie everything together. Does it succeed? All I can say is: It’s interesting in its own messed-up way.

“Bat Boy” strings you along in an adventure into the rawness of human psychology, and it’s the interpersonal relationships that really strike interest. Those too are messed up, but the actors bring these tensions to life in such an endearingly heartbreaking way.

Despite the emotional roller coaster, the random twists and turns that make up the musical are, simply put, hilarious. It’s the kind of hilarity from which you’ll laugh and afterward wonder, “Wait, why was that so funny?” Bravo to PUP for convincingly pulling together the quirks, morphing what was often over-the-top into general hilarity throughout. And I commend the wonderful effort in creating a performance both highly humorous and devastatingly emotional. You know something works when the viewer wonders whether the water welling in her eyes is from sympathy or from laughing too hard.

However, mood changes aren’t quite as dramatically executed, with the exception of a few particularly awesome scenes. And actors might want to linger on the punch lines a little more. There are definitely scenes in which it is unclear whether the comedy is intentional. It’s ambiguous sometimes whether the death scenes, for instance, are supposed to be executed humorously or not.

With such a large cast, there’s definitely a range of experienced and inexperienced acting skills. But Mark Watter ’14 makes up for the inadequacy, really bringing to life a convincing Bat Boy character as he transforms from disgusting creature to lovable boy; as does Kanoa Mulling ’15 as the misunderstood, love-needy Dr. Parker with the sexiness of Sweeney Todd. The scenes where the whole company comes together in chorus are staged well — not too chaotic, but crazy enough to add dramatic effect.

While the staging was effective, the choreography fell short. It’s a good thing this musical doesn’t incorporate much dancing because the dancing scenes are not up to par and often distracted from the mood of the play. In contrast, the musical coordination with the band worked wonders weaving beats into dialogue scenes: Beats creep up on you, adding dramatic tension and creating suspense. Overall, it’s not the strange storyline itself, but the execution of the musical — the energy and commitment of its players — that keeps us riveted from beginning to end.

So, for those of you out for entertainment, “Bat Boy” won’t disappoint with its humor. If you’re looking for a musical that will keep you on the edge of your seat, make you laugh and warm your heart all at the same time, run and buy a ticket now. You won’t want to miss a night of crazy debauchery.