Bat Boy to Fly into the West End on August 18
Bat Boy: The Musical, which features music and lyrics by Laurence O'Keefe and a book by Keythe Farley and Brian Flemming, tells the story of a half boy/half bat creature that is discovered in a cave and changes the lives of the townspeople who grow to love him.
Bat Boy premiered in Los Angeles in 1997 with May in the title role. After a string of New York readings, the show opened at off-Broadway's Union Square Theatre to mostly positive reviews on March 21, 2001. Despite favorable buzz, the tuner struggled at the box office, went on hiatus from September 23 to October 18 and eventually closed December 2 of that year.
The U.K. mountings is directed by Mark Wing-Davey, who was recently represented off-Broadway by Small Tragedy. May is the only American cast member to be reprising his role. He stars alongside Emma Williams Chitty Chitty Bang Bang as Shelley Parker, Rebecca Vere as Meredith Parker and John Barr as Dr. Parker. Bat Boy is running at the West Yorkshire Playhouse through July 17.
The Shaftesbury Theatre is currently dark. Recent tenant Thoroughly Modern Millie closed on June 26.