Russell Malang as Edgar/Bat Boy. Photos by Michael Hardy Photography.

I assume that most everyone reading my reviews here at the Post is old enough to remember the original Bat Boy article that ran in the Weekly World News back in 1992. If you are too young to have had a cognitive memory back then (you weird and wonderful theater-review-reading-few), I will re-cap:

Weekly World News was a supermarket tabloid that ran nothing but sensationally bogus articles from 1979 to 2007. The “Bat Boy” came to be one of the tabloid’s most popular characters and re-appeared in many articles over the course of the following years.

As a second grader back in ‘92, the terrifying—and in retrospect—hilarious image of the “half-human, half bat” made a lasting impression. It remains to this day one of the more distinct visual memories of my childhood, occupying an odd space between the actual and the fantastical in a time before my mind grew more accustomed to separating the two.

It is no surprise then that in 1997, Keythe Farley, Brian Flemming and Laurence O’Keefe premiered an original musical based on the now-infamous character. The musical made its way Off-Broadway in early 2001 and even managed to produce an Off-Broadway Cast Recording. Clearly inspired by the campy, but emotionally intelligent Little Shop Of Horrors, Bat Boy: The Musical is not as well crafted or slyly subversive as its forefather, yet for the most part, remains an enjoyable entertainment on its own terms.

I was one of the few who witnessed that Off-Broadway production and am happy to say that, even though it’s not the cult classic it wished to be, the musical still offers up some laughs and catchy tunes. The story is thus:

Some teenagers are exploring a nearby cave and discover a creature that appears to be half man and half bat. It attacks one of them out of fear and self-defense. While the town sheriff tries to figure out exactly what to do with the creature, he takes the “bat boy” to the home of the town doctor. The doctor’s daughter was part of the cave expedition that started all this trouble, but in spite of her fears, she convinces her mother to take the boy in. Though the bat boy (who has chosen to go by the name Edgar) shows a great capacity to learn, his darker primal instincts threaten to cause havoc on his foster family, the town they live in, and himself. A romance starts to grow between the doctor’s daughter and Edgar, but a secret outside of their control is far weirder than the possibility of their bestial-consummation.

Phie Mura as Meredith Parker and Russell Malang as Edgar/Bat Boy.

Though its plot is a far cry from new or unique, the tone can be wildly inconsistent and could use a good 15 to 20 minute trim, Bat Boy manages to get under the skin, even in this strange and willfully bizarre production at the Long Beach Playhouse’s Studio Theater.

Directed by the Playhouse’s Artistic Director Andrew Vonderschmitt, the current production occupies a strange middle zone between cheeky awareness and a Waiting For Guffman-like since of willful naïveté.

None of the actors here can really sing, and multiple flat notes occur throughout, yet this somehow doesn’t sink the defiant drive of their performances. In fact, the actors often appear to be aware of their shortcomings and even play into them, achieving a level of camp and hilarity that could never be achieved in a more polished production.

Also, the young man playing Edgar (Russell Malang) was born without hands, a casting decision that brings an element of “freak show” to the table. Yet, this bold casting choice strikes a similar balance to that of the cast’s singing skills: that of not knowing whether to laugh at or with the proceedings. These two factors keep the production fascinating throughout.

Malang is incredibly charismatic and plays his role more straight and earnest than might be expected. These choices add unusual pathos to his performance and his character, creating an unusual tension I’m not soon to forget.

The technical elements of the show are a little more lackluster than I’ve seen at The Playhouse as of late but the light design by Donny Jackson finds some striking moments throughout the evening, especially at the play’s revealing climax.

Russell Malang (EDGAR/BAT BOY), Phie Mura (MEREDITH PARKER), Courtney Duncan (SHELLY PARKER), Sean Gray (DR. THOMAS PARKER), Brianna Beller (RUTHIE TAYLOR/NED), Rick Reischman (SHERIFF REYNOLDS/LORRAINE), Austin Book (BUD/PAN), LeVanna Atkinson-Williams (MRS. TAYLOR/ROY/REVEREND HIGHTOWER), Halley Hardy (RON TAYLOR/CLEM/MAYOR MAGGIE).

The house band seemed to struggle along with the actors to find the proper groove the show’s pop/Broadway score needs to truly fly, but again, this is actually part of this particular production’s odd charm.

Though Edgar faces the same conflict that any half-human creature faces, that of primal nature at conflict with social acceptance, the outsider struggle is a conflict that is always a potent one, and though you see it coming from a mile away, you may be surprised to find yourself moved by the proceedings.

Sometimes things are so bad they become good and sometimes things are so polished and professional that they become boring or bland. Under Vonderschmitt’s bold but elusive direction it is hard to tell exactly how self-aware his Bat Boy truly is. This strange middle ground is certainly entertaining, though how much is on purpose and how much is happenstance is in the eye of the viewer.

Bat Boy runs through this weekend at the Long Beach Playhouse’s Studio Theater.  It closes on November 21.