batboy

batboyUPDATE | Thanks to larger than anticipated crowds, the final show of the Long Beach Playhouse Studio season, Bat Boy: The Musical, will be extended for one additional weekend and will close on Saturday night, November 21.

“We’re so excited to add an extra weekend,” said Andrew Vonderschmitt, the Playhouse’s executive and producing artistic director, in a statement.

Tickets are available here or by calling 562.494.1014.

PREVIOUSLY: BAT BOY: THE MUSICAL to Thrill Audiences With Tabloid Tale that Hits Close to Home

10/12/15 at 4:58PM | The 1992 tabloid star Bat Boy will make his Long Beach Playhouse debut this Thursday, as the once-allegedly true story about a half-bat, half-human child found in a West Virginia cave is brought to frightening life on a local stage, the playhouse announced Monday.

While the tabloid “news” story was debunked, Keythe Farley, Brian Flemming and Laurence O’Keefe turned the wildfire fib into a musical entitled Bat Boy. Now, with Executive and Producing Artistic Director Andrew Vonderschmitt in the director’s chair, Bat Boy will close the Long Beach Playhouse’s Studio Theater season with a batty story close to home.

“At its heart, it’s a story about love and acceptance,” said Vonderschmitt in a statement. “Edgar, the bat child, may be a monster, but he represents us all. The people of Hope Falls may be backwards thinking, but they too represent us all. And they all grow in the end.”

Playhouse Technical Director Sean Gray will step into the role of Dr. Parker, the veterinarian whose life is thrust into chaos with the arrival of the Bat Boy. Attendees will have the chance to see Playhouse Resident Costumer and Costume Shop Manager Donna Fritsche’s behind-the-scenes work adorning 22 unique characters.

Choreographer Kysa Cohen has directed several Playhouse shows in the past and has more than 40 years of theater experience, which Vonderschmitt says “shows in her work on this production.”

Add a few fight scenes choreographed by Matt Franta, as he did for Bengal Tiger and Shakespeare’s R&J, and you have one grand finale of a wholly good season.

Theater goers can attend the “Pay what you can” performance on Thursday, October 15, the “Two for One Preview” on Friday, October 16 (tickets are $12) and/or the “Opening Night Champagne Reception” with the cast on Saturday, October 17 (tickets are $27). Tickets are available here or by calling 562.494.1014.

Bat Boy is set to run through November 14. Please be advised the play contains adult language and content.

The Long Beach Playhouse is located at 5021 East Anaheim Street.

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Asia Morris is a Long Beach native covering arts and culture for the Long Beach Post. You can reach her @hugelandmass on Twitter and Instagram and at [email protected].