Review: Bat Boy at the Southwark Playhouse

Bat Boy
Southwark Playhouse
Reviewed on Wednesday 14th January 2015
★★★

What could possibly be strange about a musical that follows a family who take in a child raised by bats and teach him the ways of the world? Everything! Without doubt Bat Boy is one of the strangest musicals I have ever seen - it is an enjoyable nightmare.

Sneak peek at... Bat Boy at the Southwark Playhouse

Production images have been released for the first London revival of Bat Boy. The show, which officially opens at the Southwark Playhouse tonight, runs until Saturday 31st January 2015. Check out the pictures below (click image to enlarge).

Rob Compton leads the cast as Bat Boy, starring alongside Lauren Ward as Meredith Parker and Matthew White as Dr Parker. The cast also includes: Georgina Hagen as Shelley Parker, Russell Wilcox as Sheriff, Nolan Frederick as Bud, Simon Bailey as Reverend Hightower, Andy Rees as Rick, Pepper Harrison as Ruthie and Lindsay Scigliano as Maggie. Read our interview with Matthew White.

Interview: Matthew White

Matthew White is currently starring in the first London revival of Bat Boy. The musical begins performances at the Southwark Playhouse tonight (9th January) and runs until Saturday 31st January 2015.

Bat Boy was inspired by an article run by American tabloid The Weekly World News; a paper of fabricated stories that many unsuspecting readers believed to be real. The musical won New York’s Outer Critics Circle and Lucille Lortel Awards for Best Off-Broadway Musical in 2001. It received its UK premiere in 2004 at West Yorkshire Playhouse prior to a West End run at the Shaftesbury Theatre.

Matthew’s theatre credits include Ragtime (Piccadilly, Olivier Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor), Chicago (Adelphi), The Phantom of the Opera (Her Majesty’s), Kiss of the Spider Woman (Shaftesbury) and Les Misérables (Palace). 

Matthew is also a hugely successful director. His work includes: Top Hat (Aldwych/UK Tour), Sweet Charity (Menier Chocolate Factory/Theatre Royal, Haymarket) and Little Shop of Horrors (Menier Chocolate Factory/Duke of York’s Theatre). He is also directing the upcoming UK Tour of The Producers starring Jason Manford, Louie Spence and Ross Noble.

I recently spoke to Matthew about what people can expect from Bat Boy and what first attracted him to the production as well as Top Hat’s huge success and why he’s so thrilled to be directing The Producers…

Over recent years you have been best known for your work as a director, so what attracted you to starring in Bat Boy?

Well I have never actually given up acting, I’ve always carried on doing it – just maybe not in a very high profile way. I thought Bat Boy was a fascinating piece, I didn’t know it very well. I liked the character, Dr Parker. He’s pretty dark and I generally tend to be drawn to darker characters… I don’t really know why [laughs]. I really like the Southwark Playhouse, I love these smaller fringe venues that are popping up around London. They tend to put on some really good stuff. I just thought it would be a nice job and it’s just a short contract which, for me, works really well. So it appealed to me on lots of different levels, plus I recently saw Luke’s production of Carousel and thought he looked like an interesting young director to work with!

Full casting announced for Bat Boy at the Southwark Playhouse

Full casting has been announced for Bat Boy at the Southwark Playhouse. 

Rob Compton (right) will take on the title role of Bat Boy. The cast also includes: Georgina Hagen as Shelley Parker, Russell Wilcox as Sheriff, Nolan Frederick as Bud, Simon Bailey as Reverend Hightower, Andy Rees as Rick, Pepper Harrison as Ruthie and Lindsay Scigliano as Maggie. 

They join the previously announced Lauren Ward as Meredith Parker and Matthew White as Dr Parker. The production opens on 14th January (preview from 9th January) and runs until 31st January 2015. It is directed by Luke Fredericks with choreography by Joey McKneely and set and costume design by Stewart Charlesworth.

Matthew White & Lauren Ward star in revival of Bat Boy

A revival of Bat Boy will be staged in The Large at the Southwark Playhouse.

The production opens on 14th January (preview from 9th January) and runs until 31st January 2015. Matthew White will play Dr Parker and Lauren Ward will play Meredith Parker. Further casting is to be announced.

Bat Boy  is described as a "quirky story with a serious bite" and a "delicious twist on the modern day musical comedy." It won the New York’s Outer Critics Circle and Lucille Lortel Awards for Best off-Broadway musical in 2001. It received its UK premiere in 2004 at West Yorkshire Playhouse prior to a West End run at the Shaftesbury Theatre.

Bat Boy: The Musical has a story and book by Keythe Farley and Brian Flemming with music and lyrics by Laurence O'Keefe and arrangements and orchestrations by Laurence O'Keefe and Alex Lacamoire.