Don’t miss the amazing show, Bat Boy—The Musical, onstage in Oakland! Youth Musical Theater Company (YMTC) brings this truly unique, rock-musical, comedy/horror show to Malonga Casquelourd Center for the Arts, 1428 Alice Street. It opens Sunday, November 11, with a 2:00 p.m. matinee, and continues daily from November 15 through November 18.
The story is set in the 1980’s, when a half-boy/half-bat creature is discovered in a cave and taught to act like a “normal” boy. Bat Boy is happy with his new life, but when he naively tries to fit in with the narrow-minded people of the fictional community of Hope Falls, a struggle for acceptance ensues. Keythe Farley and Brian Flemming wrote the story and book, and Laurence O’Keefe, the music and lyrics.
Director Jennifer Boesing tells us, “Bat Boy is an irreverent, camp-filled romp full of humor, horror, cultural references. It boasts a skillfully derivative score that will make you want to either howl with laughter or tap your toes and sing along. At its heart, Bat Boy is also about tolerance, acceptance, compassion, and the consequences of “othering”—themes that our young artists are eager to explore.”
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Bat Boy features a cast of 26 performing arts students (ages 13 to 21) from cities throughout the Bay Area. They include Piedmont students Malia Lee, as Ruthie Taylor; Jacob Broscow as Pan, and Jacob Kwong, a member of the ensemble. The young actors are led by a team of professional directors, designers, and musicians, including Directors Jennifer Boesing and Simone Kertesz, Choreographer Janet Collard, and Music Director Diana Lee, who will lead a live, five-piece band.
The show’s run consists of three 2:00 p.m. matinees (11/11, 11/17, 11/18) and three 7:00 p.m. performances (11/15, 11/16, 11/17). After the 2:00 p.m. matinee on Sunday, 11/11, the audience is invited to join a post-show reception and toast to the start of YMTC’s 14th season.
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You can purchase tickets online at http://www.ymtcbayarea.org or at the door one hour before curtain. Prices are $16–32, with discounts for students, seniors, military, teachers, and groups. YMTC offers one “pay-what-you-will” performance to provide affordable musical theater to all in the community. This performance will be on Thursday, 11/15, at 7:00 p.m., when seats will be offered for cash-only at the box office. Reserved seats can still be purchased online.