Long before our recent obsession with vampires via books, movies and TV shows, there was Bat Boy, the 2007 campy B-movie-style musical, inspired by a US tabloid story about a boy supposedly discovered living in a cave in rural America who had been raised by bats.
In Keythe Farley and Brian Flemming’s book, the story is expanded into a camped-up family drama with a touch of Jacobean revenge tragedy in a parable about difference and prejudice, delivered comic-book style. Think Edward Scissorhands meets The Rocky Horror Show.
Rob Compton’s terrific central performance as Bat Boy – raging, vulnerable and painfully comic – and Lauren Ward’s beautifully sung and unexpectedly complex portrayal of a troubled mother’s love are the ballast for an evening which is fun but maybe never quite as sharp as it could be.
Luke Fredericks’ revival is hampered by a clunky design that slows everything down and prevents it finding a rhythm, and while the filmed visuals come into their own in the second half, they are initially too distracting and overwhelming for the space. Simpler would be better. The first half drags, as Bat Boy is taken into the family of vet Dr Parker (Matthew White), where daughter Shelley’s repulsion soon turns to affection as it becomes apparent that Bat Boy – or Edgar, as he is named – is more human than beast.
Meanwhile the local population, convinced that a plague killing off the cattle is caused by Edgar’s arrival, are behaving more like beasts than humans, ready to raise a lynch mob after his appearance at the local revivalist meeting. The sound at the performance I saw was not initially well-balanced, but this mock-tragic tale boasts an oddly lovable heart and a winning score that effortlessly swoops from gospel to rock ballad.
• Until 31 January. Box office: 020-7407 0234. Venue: Southwark Playhouse, London.
