I saw Bat Boy: The Musical last night. I must admit I was a bit disappointed; it picks up in the second half, but the show never really quite gels. It's message of tolerance falls flat when it is expressed primarily through mockery of southern ignorance (the northern liberal hypocrisy of Randy Newman's "Rednecks" is evident in much of the play). But if you forgive the play this, and get beyond the cornball humor, there are enough little gems to make for an entertaining evening. The education of Bat Boy, as he is assumed into his adopted family, is amusing, sort of The Foreigner meets My Fair Lady. And things pick up in the second half, as the plot takes a turn into Frankenstein territory, and Mrs. Taylor, a character initially hobbled by the extermity of her stereotypical redneckness, draws more from the nuanced tradition of the southern gothic, as tragedies pile up, the ultimate one which she brings upon herself. The climax, where Bat Boy's secret is revealed through a filmed 50s sci-fi parody, is fantastic; if more of the musical had achieved this tone, it would have been amazing. It is a bit unfortunate that Bat Boy's secret is telegraphed late in the first act, taking a bit of the sting out of the big reveal. And the ending is a bit sudden and underwhelming.

The whole show is a bit of a mess. The first half-hour or so is also rather dull. But once the plot gets moving, at least it's a fairly fun mess. For all it's problems, I had a pretty good time. It's painful to think of what might have been with such a strong premise, but what we're left with is pretty fun to watch.

The SDSU cast was uniformally quite good. The role of Bat Boy is, of course, pivotal, and Jakko Maltis fills the ears admirably. As Dr. Parker, Jan Cranford is probably the most notable among the fully human castmembers. Nothing to fault in the rest of the cast, the band, or the sets and costumes, all are top-notch. And much of the crowd seemed to enjoy the festivities much more than I did, so I suppose it's just a matter of whether you connect with the material or not.