Review: Bat Boy: The Musical

Review of the Sunday, November 9, 2025 matinee performance at New York City Center in New York City. Starring Taylor Trensch, Kerry Butler, Gabi Carrubba, Andrew Durand, Mary Faber, Alan H. Green, Evan Harrington, John-Michael Lyles, Tom McGowan, Jacob Ming-Trent, Alex Newell, Olivia Puckett, Marissa Rosen, Christopher Sieber, Colin Trudell, Rema Webb and Marissa Jaret Winokur. Book by Keythe Farley and Brian Flemming. Music and lyrics by Laurence O'Keefe. Scenic design by David Korins. Costume design by Jennifer Moeller. Lighting design by Justin Townsend. Sound design by Nevin Steinberg.  Props and puppet design by Ray Wetmore and JR Goodman. Music direction by Andrew Resnick. Choreography by Connor Gallagher. Direction by Alex Timbers. 2 hours including one intermission. This was the production's final performance.

At long last, this review is posting! Thank you for your patience.

I went into the City Center Encores! production of Bat Boy: The Musical with absolutely no prior knowledge of the piece beyond knowing that the impetus behind it was a photograph that appeared in the Weekly World News back in the day. What drew me to see it was the impeccable cast of actors - a company full of Tony Award-winners and nominees, and filled in by a heady mix of up and comers and well-established New York actors that I am always impressed by.

They did not disappoint. I'm not sure there's been a more game cast in the city in some time. They were all clearly having a ball, leaning into the silliness of the situation, campy when needed, over the top other times, but never too much. In fact, to say that they were on the same page may be an understatement. 

Much of the credit for that surely rests with the tight direction of Alex Timbers, who really recognizes the humor and absurdity of it all, but still manages to infuse it with a grounding humanity. As often as I rolled my eyes at the mania as I breathlessly howled with laughter throughout, I also found myself surprised at how invested I was in what was happening to the titular bat boy. Though there are nods at the start of each act to the Encores! tradition of actors with scripts in hand, this is certainly an otherwise fully realized production, including fun and equally campy choreography by Connor Gallagher. (The "bat wing" gestures made me giggle every time!) As usual, David Korins' set design was perfect for the occasion - a unit set with lots of playing spaces with a few nice tricks made it seem both grand and intimate, and lit creepily by the equally reliable designer, Justin Townsend. Jennifer Moeller's horror movie kitsch costumes were lovingly spot on - just what you'd expect from naive country folk/Weekly World News readers.

Laurence O'Keefe's rock/mock horror score is delightful throughout, with dashes of Into the Woods, Phantom and Little Shop of Horrors sprinkled in, while there are also some hints at later O'Keefe works. (I'm sure I heard a whiff of Legally Blonde and certainly some Heathers, too.) What is best about the score is how seamlessly it works with Keythe Farley and Brian Flemming's witty, scathingly sharp book. O'Keefe's lyrics blend in perfectly with the dialogue that is just perfectly in tune with the source material - if tabloids were musicals, this is exactly what I imagine they would all sound like.

But back to that cast. Wow! It was great to see some recent Broadway standouts like Marissa Rosen (Water For Elephants) and Colin Trudell (Floyd Collins) adding to their resumes, and regulars like Jacob Ming-Trent (Gypsy), Rema Webb (Violet) and Tom McGowan (Casa Valentina). And how great to see the always wonderful Mary Faber (Avenue Q, Ameican Idiot) on the New York stage again! Everyone in the ensemble was terrific. Then there's Tony-nominee Andrew Durand, who continues his unbroken streak of stage successes (I am a big fan!), and the quirky fun of Tony-winner Marissa Jaret Winokur who really embraces her role as perpetual victim/looking for a scam mother of the victims. It's a small role, but gives 100% and does miracles in impossibly high chunky heels and tight pants. Reigning camp Queen (and Tony-winner) Alex Newell brings down the house as The God Pan with the one and done scene/song, "Children, Children."

The central four characters of the piece are utter perfection. Starting with Shelley, the horror movie ingenue, played by the new-to-me Gabi Carrubba (Just In Time, Dear Evan Hansen); she is excellent, nailing the camp and honesty of a challenging role, and singing with a voice that is rock-tinged and musical comedy all at once. I have added her to my ever-growing list of young talent to look forward to for years to come. As Shelley's parents, Dr. and Mrs. Parker, a troubled couple with a...creepy past, I can't think of any two actors that are better suited than Christopher Sieber and Kerry Butler. No one does this kind of comedy better than these two. No one. This may be the best I've seen them in some time, which is really saying something.

But for me, the breakout star of this romp is the recent Tony-nominee Taylor Trensch as Bat Boy/Edgar. Okay, so I make no secret that Trensch is one of my all-time favorite actors, but I also hold him to a higher standard. He met that and then some with this charismatic, beguiling performance. The physical demands alone would be a challenge, but the range of singing styles - from guttural tones to full out pop styling (and all while having a mouth full of Dracula teeth!) are an accomplishment all by themselves. And it is wonderful to report that he had the audience in the palm of his hand from start to finish. Again, I was surprised at how emotionally I was invested, and he had a lot to do with that.

It is a shame that this production is over, and that more people didn't have the opportunity to see it. I am certainly thrilled that Bat Boy came into my life.

📸: J. Marcus