The UK première of

Bat Boy The Musical 

At the Shaftesbury Theatre

 18 August – 30 October 2004

Music and Lyrics by Laurence O’Keefe 
Book and Story by Keythe Farley and Brian Flemming
Cast includes: Deven May and Emma Williams
Directed by Mark Wing-Davey
Musical Director Iain Vince-Gatt
Designed by Madeline Herbert
Lighting by Tony Simpson
Projection Design by Mark Logue
Sound by Mike Walker
Choreography by Lynne Page

 “Mark Wing-Davey’s production is slick, sick and compelling… the pace never flags, the ensemble playing is a joy and Laurence O’Keefe’s stomping score has a sleazy Rocky Horror vibe that suggests a cult hit in the making.” The Guardian

"It is said that America knows no irony. Here it comes by the ton, and Mark Wing-Davey’s production delivers in decibels.” Sunday Times

Winging its way from New York is Bat Boy The Musical coming to roost in London’s Shaftesbury Theatre following a successful run at West Yorkshire Playhouse. This new production opens on 8 September, with previews from 18 August.

Authors Keythe Farley and Brian Flemming united with composer and lyricist Laurence O’Keefe to create the musical inspired by the capture of a live bat-child in the hills of West Virginia as reported in The Weekly World News. A story that also skyrocketed circulation for the publication, making tabloid history. The original stage production opened in 2001 0ff-Broadway to public and critical acclaim, winning the Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Musical

A delicious twist on the modern day classic musical comedy, Bat Boy The Musical has a serious bite. It tells the story of a half boy/half bat discovered in the caves of West Virginia. Captured, caged, mockingly branded Bat Boy, and under threat of execution by the local veterinarian Dr Parker, he finds an ally in the vet’s wife, Meredith. Re-christened Edgar, he blossoms under Meredith’s tutelage and becomes the paragon of a modern gentleman – courteous, educated, sensitive and irresistible to the opposite sex - in particular, Meredith’s daughter, Shelley.

However trouble is brewing - the cattle of Hope Falls are mysteriously dying and when several local townspeople are murdered in cold blood, the finger of suspicion points only one way – at Edgar. An angry lynch mob gathers forcing him to flee. Will he effect his escape, or will darker secrets be revealed that will shake the townspeople’s existence forever?

Award-winning composer Laurence O’Keefe’s previous work includes Imaginary Invalid and Euphoria (which originated at the Actor’s Gang in Los Angeles). With lyricist/librettist Nell Benjamin, he has collaborated on The Mice which was produced as part of Hal Prince’s 3hee; Sarah Plain and Tall (planned for Broadway in 2005); and the forthcoming stage version of the film Legally Blonde. Recipient of two Richard Rogers Awards, O’Keefe was recently awarded the 2004 Ed Kleban Award.

Keythe Farley’s writing credits include Independent Spirit Awards and Rugrats (which he also directs). As an actor, his work includes Beverley Hills 90210, Sisters and And The Band Played On.

Brian Flemming’s theatre work includes Fair and Balanced; and for television, Rugrats and Split Screen. Also an accomplished screenwriter, his credits include Nothing So Strange, Hang Your Dog in the Wind and The Beast (currently in production).

Deven May plays Bat Boy, the rôle that he originally created. His portrayal won him the Los Angeles Ovation Award for Best Lead Actor in a Musical and the Theater World Award for Best New York Début; and nominations for both the Lucille Lortel and Drama Desk Awards in New York. May’s other theatre work includes A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Camelot and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Film and television work include Oz, Days of Our Lives, Fabled and the forthcoming musical film, Temptation.

Returning to the West End stage, following her award-winning performance as Truly Scrumptious in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Emma Williams plays Shelley. Williams other theatre credits include Country Music (Royal Court) and Come Dancing (RUG). For television, her work includes Miss Marple – The Body in the Library and Four Fathers; and for film, The Parole Officer and The Hazard Dome.

Mark Wing-Davey returns to the UK to direct Bat Boy The Musical. For theatre Wing-Davey’s work includes the internationally award-winning Mad Forest, the world première of Craig Lucas’ Small Tragedy, King Lear (Playmaker’s Rep, North Carolina), Henry V (New York Shakespeare Festival), The Lights (Lincoln Center, which received seven Drama Desk nominations, including Best Director), Angels in America (American Conservatory Theatre), and Light Shining in Buckinghamshire (RNT). Later this year, he directs Time of My Life, the world première of the stage version of Dirty Dancing. An accomplished actor, Wing-Davey is perhaps best known for his portrayal of Zaphod Beeblebrox in The Hitch-Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.

Monday to Saturday evenings at 7.45pm
Thursday & Saturday matinee at 3.00pm
(First matinee is 28 August)

Preview ticket prices: £5.00 - £27.50 
Stalls: £17.50 - £27.50
Royal Circle: £17.50 - £27.50
Grand Circle: £5.00 - £17.50

Ticket prices from 8 September: £15.00 to £37.50 
Stalls: £27.50 - £37.50
Royal Circle: £27.50 - £37.50
Grand Circle: £15.00 - £27.50

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