Listen & Be Heard Weekly Archives

It was with a sense of irony that I took my seat in the campus auditorium at Solano College to view their latest musical offering Batboy. Ironic because two live bats were busily flying around inside the theatre. Were these creatures brought in to add ambience to the up-coming musical? Was the stage setting that looked like a subterranean cave so realistic that they moved in? I have been to several productions at the college theatre, and this is the first time I’ve seen any wildlife, but perhaps we were more attuned to the presence of the bats because of the show we were about to see. I suppose they may have been drawn toward the light on the pre-show curtain that was in the shape of a bat, reminiscent of the popular 60’s TV show “Batman.” Whatever it was, the presence of real bats swooping about both on and offstage made for entertainment. It is too bad that the musical itself lacked the same sense of fun.

Lest this sound like a complete pan, and to be clear, Batboy is not your typical musical. It falls somewhere between Rocky Horror Show and Sweeney Todd in that it takes sensationalism and profound satire to a whole new place. The production values for the show are really quite good, and many scenes were compelling. The opening scene where three cave explorers are being lowered into the cavern, complete with echo-y voices and lighted helmets was great. Even the discovery of the naked half-boy, half-bat creature was well-done. The set design by Andrea Bechert, was clever, and lighting by Mike Palumbo enhanced the scenery.

Unfortunately for this production, the director George Maguire, has missed the mark by failing to completely embrace the satirical aspect of the show. Many scenes were hampered by familiar cliches and hackneyed stereotypes of “red-neck” townspeople, and the tiresome slap at Christianity that is so prevalent, of late. It was almost as though the author does not trust the audience to see beyond the extreme genre and draw their own conclusions about prejudice, fear and acceptance, and Maguire moderated the satire to a point that it failed to reach its objective.

Seth Michael Anderson plays Batboy with a physicality that is compelling. He’s the only character in the show that is the least bit sympathetic, and I quite enjoyed his performance. The scene where Meredith Parker (Barbara McFadden) tries to teach him to talk is funny and I only wished that every scene could have been equally interesting.

The choreography by Liz Andrews was largely repetitious and uninspired. While I enjoyed the opening dance sequence, it was echoed repeatedly with little variation each time the company was onstage to dance. Again, it would have been fun to see the satirical envelope pushed a little further here. I liked the thought behind Batboy’s gold top hat and tails in the musical number “Show You A Thing or Two,” but wished for a more fully realized parody of “One” from A Chorus Line.

Batboy is playing at Solano College theatre through 31 March. If you like edgy, and a musical that doesn’t take itself too seriously, you might like this show. Don’t forget to watch out for the bats!