Review | ‘Bat Boy’ outgrows its cave at City Center

Still a gleefully chaotic mix of camp, horror, rock opera, and satire, “Bat Boy: The Musical” has returned—bigger, louder, and, unfortunately, less effective.

The cult favorite, which premiered Off-Broadway in 2001 and quickly earned a devoted following, now finds itself blown up to Broadway-scale proportions in a gala production at City Center. The result feels both overinflated and misplaced: a small, wild show that belongs in a cave, not a cavernous theater.

Inspired by the infamous Weekly World News tabloid story about a half-bat, half-boy discovered in a West Virginia cave, the musical (book by Keythe Farley and Brian Flemming, music and lyrics by Laurence O’Keefe) tells the story of Edgar, a feral creature captured by a small-town veterinarian and taken in by the vet’s wife, Meredith, and daughter, Shelley. As Edgar learns to speak and act human, the town turns on him, leading to bloodshed, revelation, and a distinctly absurd take on American morality tales.

Beneath its fangs and rock guitars lies a fable about fear of the outsider—one that skewers small-town hysteria, religion, and moral hypocrisy. But at City Center, the show’s raw, subversive energy evaporates.

Inspired by the infamous Weekly World News tabloid story about a half-bat, half-boy discovered in a West Virginia cave, the musical (book by Keythe Farley and Brian Flemming, music and lyrics by Laurence O’Keefe) tells the story of Edgar, a feral creature captured by a small-town veterinarian and taken in by the vet’s wife, Meredith, and daughter, Shelley. As Edgar learns to speak and act human, the town turns on him, leading to bloodshed, revelation, and a distinctly absurd take on American morality tales.Photo by Joan Marcus/provided

The humor that once thrived in a downtown Off-Broadway venue now echoes awkwardly across a house intended for large musicals. Even the opening number, in which the townspeople exalt Bat Boy as a kind of messianic figure and address the audience directly, loses its conspiratorial spark in such a large venue.

Director Alex Timbers, who has proven adept with heightened eccentricity in “Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson” and “Beetlejuice,” has assembled what might have been an excellent production elsewhere.

Timbers occasionally finds clever visual moments, most notably a shadow-puppet flashback depicting the moment of Bat Boy’s conception. However, the multilevel set itself feels too large for the material—overpowering a story that demands intimacy and punk edges rather than spectacle, and leaving the action feeling distant when it should feel uncomfortably close.

Musically, the production suffers from some unfortunate trims. The absence of “Another Dead Cow” undermines the recurring subplot about the town’s livestock epidemic, while cutting the duet “Whatcha Wanna Do?” between Rick and Shelley leaves Rick underdeveloped. The newly revised and expanded orchestrations, performed by a twelve-piece offstage orchestra, often sound muted and recessed, flattening O’Keefe’s score and dulling its rock vitality.

The cast, at least, is superb. Taylor Trensch plays Edgar with physical precision and a mix of endearing sweetness and animalistic frenzy. Kerry Butler, who originated the role of Shelley Off-Broadway, now takes on the role of Shelley’s mother, Meredith, and brings her signature comic warmth and powerhouse voice. Christopher Sieber, as Dr. Parker, balances villainy with bluster, making the most of the show’s dark absurdism. The supporting ensemble—including Gabi Carrubba, Alex Newell, Andrew Durand, Jacob Ming-Trent, Marissa Jaret Winokur, and Tom McGowan—rounds out a formidable company.

As impressive as it is to see this cast and creative team take a swing at it, this is a show that doesn’t need polish or scale; it needs proximity and chaos. Maybe next Halloween, Timbers and company can take “Bat Boy” back to a scrappy downtown venue, where it can once again bare its teeth and spread its wings.

City Center, 131 West 55th St., nycitycenter.org. Through Nov. 9.