It’s hard to imagine a better Halloween pairing than a cape, a mask, and a seat at Bat Boy: The Musical.
Alex Newell (Shucked) brings Greek god realness
Presented as a gala concert at New York City Center, this revival reminded everyone why the institution remains one of New York’s most joyous theatrical homes. It’s the place where forgotten, too-weird, or too-brilliant musicals get the resurrection they deserve. This one is over the top by design, a musical that dares you to stop rolling your eyes long enough to clap. The right move is to hold on and ride it.
The 2001 cult hit is built on tabloid DNA, literally. The original concept sprang from a Weekly World News headline about a half-bat, half-boy discovered in a West Virginia cave. The 1997 Los Angeles premiere later became a 2001 Off-Broadway phenomenon, earning a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Off-Broadway Musical. With a book by Keythe Farley and Brian Flemming and music and lyrics by Laurence O’Keefe, the show still plays like a fever dream that somehow makes sense. Onstage, it becomes a full-throttle satire of fear, faith, and small-town morality, set to a rock-opera score that veers from gospel to grunge.
At City Center, director Alex Timbers and the orchestra lean into the chaos. What you get feels like a live issue of The National Enquirer brought to life by top-tier talent who know exactly what show they’re in and who are having the time of their lives.
Kerry Butler, who played the daughter in the original Off-Broadway cast, returns as the mother, Meredith Parker, and she’s glorious: a wink of self-reference wrapped in warmth and impeccable timing. Taylor Trensch (Floyd Collins, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time) makes an achingly funny and heartbreakingly sincere Bat Boy. He’s a little bit Edward Scissorhands, a little bit Saint Joan, and entirely in on the joke.
The ensemble deserves a standing tabloid headline of its own. Kerry Butler, Jacob Ming-Trent, and Alex Newell each get show-stopping moments that remind you just how much talent City Center can pack onto one stage.
You will come out singing the refrain from the opening number, whether you want to or not.
For City Center, Bat Boy was more than a Halloween stunt. It was a reminder of what this theater does best: gathering first-rate performers, a killer orchestra, and a crowd that loves musicals enough to take them seriously and laugh at them at the same time.
Now Playing
Bat Boy: The Musical runs at New York City Center, 131 West 55th Street, New York, NY 10019, from October 29 through November 9, 2025. https://www.nycitycenter.org/pdps/2025-2026/bat-boy-the-musical/
Later this season, Encores! Also at NY City Center continues the tradition with three very different celebrations of musical madness and heart: High Spirits, The Wild Party, and La Cage aux Folles. For more information, visit https://www.nycitycenter.org/series/encores/
© Adam Josephs, 2025
