Musical Review: Bat Boy: The Musical

Posted on March 5, 2025March 6, 2025 by Glamour

A boy with pointy ears and fangs found in a cave, a seductive mother mourning her kids, and a disturbing case of sexual abuse by a colony of bats. Hey, the story comes from a supermarket tabloid, what can you expect?

If that’s not bizarre enough, the story has been turned into a musical. But do not expect a production with the vampiric and Gothic looks of Tim Burton’s style. Director Pat Towne chooses a more vanilla approach to present the story. The color palette leans more towards the pastel tones, moving away from the dark colors usually associated with horror or mystery themes. The choices in this case bring out the comedic aspect of the play. The hilarity is present even in the most dramatic scenes.

Ron (Isaac Council), Rick (Ethan Remez–Cott), and Ruthie (Sandra Kate Burck) are exploring a cave when they find Bat Boy (Ben Raanan), hiding in the shadows. Bat Boy bites Ruthie, who is taken to the hospital. Meanwhile, Ron and Rick take Bat Boy to Dr. Parker (Scott Mosenson), the local veterinarian. Moved by compassion, Meredith (Robyn Roth), Dr. Parker’s wife, takes Bat Boy under her wing and teaches him English, how to dress, and how to behave politely. She also gives him a name: Edgar. As for Shelley (Bethany Koulias), Dr. Parker’s teenage daughter, she feels disgusted by Edgar’s appearance and screams. But just like King Kong, Beauty and the Beast, and The Shape of Water, the pretty girl and the monster fall in love with each other. Shelley and Edgar let sexual instincts take over, without realizing the tragedies that lie ahead.

Even though the story might not be that compelling—all it’s a fantastical tale—the director and his actors make sure to deliver a visceral comedy with hints of humanism and compassion. At the end, the production proves to be a decadent display of dark humor, presenting themes of religion, discrimination, and ferality in humans.

The musical numbers lighten the darkness of the topics depicted in the play. The music is rather poppy, something similar to Michael Jackson’s “Thriller”, a pop song mocking the horror genre. In Bat Boy: The Musical, not only the horror genre is mocked, religion and society at large are also targeted.

For example, the gathering for the revival, a celebration to renew Christian devotion, is an opportunity for the residents of the small town to practice some good Christian heart and accept Edgar without any fear, ending his punishing ostracism. Encouraged by the benevolent Reverend Hightower (Chima Rok), the residents seem to finally accept Edgar into the community.

However, a jealous Dr. Parker turns the residents against Edgar, blaming him for the death of Ruthie. In a strange form of “baby envy”, Dr. Parker can’t stand the fact that his wife Meredith is now paying more attention to Edgar. In a fit of rage, Dr. Parker kills Ruthie with a lethal injection, blaming Edgar’s biting as the cause of her death. Long story short, the Christian revival turns into a fight, a renewed call to kill Edgar, and the killing of Rick by Dr. Parker. Yes, two and counting for him. Adding bizarreness to the scene is the dramatic, almost orgasmic mourning of Rick and Ruthie’s mom, Mrs. Taylor (Rebecca Larsen), who demands the immediate killing of Edgar. Revival of Christian values? Not so much. It’s so chaotic that even the Reverend takes flight, but not without his lectern.

The set. Minimalist. The attention here is the excellent acting and the sensationalist story. The lighting. The contrast and the hues add mood and intensity to the story, highlighting the emotional state of the characters. The special effects show the creativity of the team to impact the comedy of the play. Even the gang bang by the bats is hilarious.

Towne brings the absurdity of Weekly World News to the stage in mesmerizing fashion. His cast and creative team achieve a one-of-a-kind production, with excellent live music to energize the ambiance in every musical number. This musical is a testament that even tragedies can be highly entertaining. Add bats and fangs to the mixture and you have a hybrid of Batman and Dracula. And that’s a proven win.

Bat Boy: The Musical

Atwater Village Theatre
3269 Casitas Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90039
• FREE parking in the ATX (Atwater Crossing) lot one block south of the theater.

• Performances: March 1 through April 6:
• Click here to view the performance schedule, which varies throughout the run.

Tickets: openfist.org

Book by Keythe Farley and Brian Flemming. Music and Lyrics by Laurence O’Keefe. Directed by Pat Towne. Amanda Weier and Christian Lebano co-produce for Open Fist Theatre Company. Presented by Open Fist Theatre Company, Martha Demson, artistic director.

Cast: Ben Raanan, Sandra Kate Burck, Isaac Council, Hutchins Foster, Carmella Jenkins, Bethany Koulias, Michael Lanahan, Rebecca Larsen, Amir Levi, Scott Mosenson, Ethan Remez–Cott, Ziare Rene, Beth Robbins, Chima Rok, Robyn Roth and Grace Soens.

Creative team: Scenic designer Brad Bentz; lighting designer Brandon Baruch; sound designer Christopher Moscatiello and mixer Alex Hix; costume designer Michael Mullen; and graphic designer D. Morris. The production stage manager is John Dimitri.

THE BAND:
Mike Flick – Bass
Jim Miller -Drums
Sean Paxton – Keyboards
Kevin Tiernan – Guitar

Theatre Review: Blood at the Root

Posted on September 16, 2023September 16, 2023 by Glamour

Open Fist Theatre Company presents Blood at the Root. Written by Dominique Morisseau. Directed by Michael A. Shepperd. Co-artistic directors Martha Demson, James Fowler and Amanda Weier produce for Open Fist Theatre Company.

Dominique Morisseau based her play on the true story of the “Jena Six”, a 2006 incident in Jena, Louisiana. Blood at the Root shows how volatile interracial relationships can be and how intolerance can quickly escalate into physical violence. In a hot autumn day, Raylynn (Nychelle Hawk)is at her high school and decides to sit under an oak tree in an area reserved for White students. The next day, 3 nooses are hanging from that same tree. Those actions trigger a series of events including beatings, arrests, and criminal charges. The way the school and the justice system reacted to these actions ignited the already fraught relationship between the White and Black communities.

The tense environment is specially challenging to three of the characters. Raylynn feels attracted to Colin (Jeremy Reiter ll), a White student who gets beat up by Raylynn’s brother DeAndre (Nicholas Heard). Raylynn is now at a crossroads. She wants to keep a good relationship with Colin, who has confided to her that he is gay, but she also needs to ask him to drop the charges against DeAndre so he doesn’t get sentenced. It is also hard for Colin to show compassion towards Raylynn when he has been a victim of discrimination for being gay.

For Raylynn’s friend, Asha (Caroline Rose), she is confused as what to do. She is White, but when her parents divorced, she went to live with her dad and new wife, a Black woman. Asha found happiness with her Black cousins and feels so much at home with them that she calls herself Black. However, her “Blackness” is put to test when she is asked by Raylynn to support the Black students’ protests after the nooses incident.

The complexity of experiences and identity growing up in a divided society is also exemplified in the characters of Toria (Grace Soens) and Justin (Azeem Vecchio, A Midsummer Night’s Dream). Justin is the Editor-in-Chief of the school’s newspaper. He is Black, but refuses to take sides with his fellow Black students in the protests. On the other hand, Toria is one of the reporters. She is White and is eager to seek racial justice through her journalism. Toria and Justin butt heads when it comes to take sides. Justin’s case is interesting in the sense that it takes a toll on a person’s identity growing up in a racist environment. When incidents of racism happen, would you stay silent to avoid confrontation with the other party? Or would you stand up to racists, even if that aggravates friends or acquaintances?

Asha is challenged by Raylynn. Justin is challenged by Toria. Colin is challenged by Raylynn. The community is challenged by intolerance. The play delves into history, but history repeats itself. And here we are, with a story that seems taken not from the past but from the present.

Michael A. Shepperd creates a stunning and dramatic production with choreography, music, and endearing performances that explore the intricacies of intolerance, racism, friendship, and justice. Scenic designer Joel Daavid and lighting designer Gavan Wyrick add an impressive effect to the scenery, creating visually stunning elements to heighten the conflict, the danger, and the drama depicted in the script. This is a high-caliber staging that moves, inspires, and makes us think of how much progress we have achieved in our search for justice and tolerance.

Blood at the Root

Atwater Village Theatre
3269 Casitas Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90039
FREE parking in the ATX (Atwater Crossing) lot one block south of the theater.

Sept. 9 – Oct. 28
Fridays at 8 p.m.: Sept. 22; Sept. 29; Oct. 6; Oct. 13; Oct. 20; Oct. 27
Saturdays at 8 p.m.: Sept. 9 (Opening Night); Sept. 16; Sept. 23; Sept. 30; Oct. 14; Oct. 21; Oct. 28 (dark Oct. 7)
Sundays at 3 p.m.: Sept. 17; Oct. 1; Oct. 15 (no matinees on Sept. 10; Sept. 24; Oct. 8; Oct. 22
Sundays at 7 p.m.: Sept. 24; Oct. 8; Oct. 22 (no evening performances on Sept. 17; Oct. 1; Oct. 15)
Monday at 8 p.m.: Oct. 9 ONLY

Tickets: openfist.org

Written by Dominique Morisseau. Directed by Michael A. Shepperd. Starring Malik Bailey, Deandra Bernardo, Emma Bruno, Nychelle Hawk, Nicholas Heard, Jeremy Reiter II, Caroline Rose, Jack David Sharpe, Grace Soens, Amber Tiara, and Azeem Vecchio. Presented by Open Fist Theatre Company, Martha Demson, artistic director. Creative team: Scenic designer Joel Daavid; lighting designer Gavan Wyrick; sound designer Marc Antonio Pritchett; costume designer Mylette Nora; and chorographer Yusuf Nasir, promises a visually and emotionally immersive experience. The assistant director is Debba Rofheart, and the production stage manager is John Dimitri. Co-artistic directors Martha Demson, James Fowler and Amanda Weier produce for Open Fist Theatre Company.

Theatre Review: To the Bone

Posted on October 10, 2022October 10, 2022 by Glamour

To the Bone is presented by Open Fist Theatre Company. Written and directed by Catherine Butterfield. The story is set in Boston in 2013.

Sisters Kelly Moran (Tisha Terrasini Banker) and Maureen Dugan (Amanda Weier) are getting ready to receive the visit of Geneva (Alice Kors), Kelly’s daughter she gave up for adoption. Geneva arrives with her college roommate Darcy (Kacey Mayeda), a filmmaker student who is documenting with her camera the whole story. Kelly’s teenage son, Sean (Jack David Sharpe), on the other hand, is not that excited about the reunion. Geneva’s visit becomes a tense interaction once Kelly reveals that the reason to contact Geneva after all this years is to have her donate liquid marrow for Sean, who needs the transplant due to his cancer. Geneva believes Kelly only wants to save her son and is not really interested in re-establishing the bond with her. Sean’s rude attitude towards Geneva makes things worse and soon Geneva and Kelly got into a heated exchange, calling each other a whore. Geneva storms out with Darcy, much to Maureen’s disappointment.

The reunion unveils the underlying issues surrounding the lives of all the parties involved. The hard-partying times during high school somehow sealed the fates of Kelly and Maureen; two lives of unrealized dreams and broken relationships. The death of his father and the cancer diagnosis has taken a toll on Sean’s physical, mental, and emotional health, straining his relationship with Kelly. Geneva’s failed expectations of a positive reconnection with her biological family and her relationship with her adoptive mother is also exposed.

For Geneva, the initial meeting with Kelly and Sean does more than just triggering emotional pain; it also moves her. After the meeting, she started to research what a bone marrow donation entails, a sign of her willingness to help save a human being, specially one of her own. Having been adopted by wealthy parents, however, has had a negative effect on some of her attitudes towards other people, as described so honestly by her friend Darcy.

The relationship between Kelly and Sean is a volatile interaction of hurtful words and even physical abuse, but after all, is Kelly’s love for her son what drives much of this story.

Peppered with sharp humor and emotional scenes, Catherine Butterfield’s script keeps the story moving forward with a surprising ending. The thespians’ performances keep the story engaging and entertaining. Tisha Terrasini Banker does a phenomenal job as the foul-mouthed mother who will fight till the end and do whatever it takes to save her son, despite the curveballs thrown at her. Yes, baseball has something to do with this story.

To the Bone

Written and Directed by Catherine Butterfield. Starring Tisha Terrasini Banker, Alice Kors, Kacey Mayeda, Jack David Sharpe, and Amanda Weier. Presented by Open Fist Theatre Company, Martha Demson, artistic director. Creative team: scenic designer Jan Munroe, lighting designer Gavan Wyrick, sound designer Marc Antonio Pritchett, costume designer Mylette Nora, prop masters Bruce Dickinson and Ina Shumaker, and scenic painter Stephanie Crothers. The production stage manager is Jennifer Palumbo.

Atwater Village Theatre
3269 Casitas Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90039
Free parking in the ATX (Atwater Crossing) lot one block south of the theater.

Performances:Oct. 1 – Nov. 5:
Fridays at 8 p.m.: Oct. 14; Oct. 21; Oct 28; Nov. 4
Saturday at 2 p.m.: Oct. 29 ONLY
Saturdays at 8 p.m.: Oct. 1 (Opening Night); Oct. 8; Oct. 15; Oct. 22; Nov. 5 (dark Oct. 29)
Sundays at 2 p.m.: Oct. 23 and Oct. 30 ONLY
Sundays at 7 p.m.: Oct. 2; Oct. 9; Oct. 16 ONLY