By Zach Dunkin
With directorship of “Miss Gulch Returns,” “Holy Ficus,” “The Great Bike Race” and “The Rocky Horror Show” on his resume, it’s no surprise that director Zack Neiditch is taking on “Bat Boy: The Musical,” running now through May 21 at Theatre on the Square.
Obviously, Neiditch loves fun and campy, and a play about half-boy, half-bat discovered in a cave fits the bill. “I love this musical,” Neiditch said. “It’s well-made and fast and funny, and I love its sense humor. So much of my own work tends to be stuff that, on the surface, can seem a little silly or campy, but once you crack into it, you see something more to it.”
In the musical’s book written by Keythe Farley and Brian Flemming in 1997, Bat Boy (played by Justin Klein) is discovered in a cave and taken to the town veterinarian, Dr. Parker (Dave Ruark). He eventually is accepted as a member of the Parker family and taught to act like a “normal” boy by the vet’s wife, Meredith (Mindy Morton), and teenage daughter, Shelley (Devan Mathias). Shelley and Bat Boy fall in love, run away together and have a blissful coupling in the woods. But their happiness is shattered when Meredith arrives and reveals a secret that – spoiler alert – she’s Bat Boy’s mother.
“I think people accept this show because it’s so funny,” Neiditch said. “What gets people into the theater is, like, ‘Really? A musical about Bat Boy? Okay, let’s try it.’ And then once they’re in for the ride, they’re smacked with catchy song after song and then left with an actual emotional journey at the end.”
The musical originally was written for a cast of 10 people to play all 22 roles. During its first run at TOTS, the traditional casting is followed, with the four Parkers and the other six actors managing everything else.
“So, the men wear dresses and the ladies don beards and there’s just nothing better,” Nieditch said.
