The Seacoast Repertory Theater, or as they call it, The Rep, is in Portsmouth New Hampshire and it is one of my favorite places to see musicals. I have been going there since I fell in love with the first show I saw back in 2018. I was excited to go again and see their newest musical, Bat Boy, known as “The critically acclaimed rock musical satire.”
Bat Boy is about a half-bat, half-human teenage boy who grew up living in a cave in West Virginia. When discovered by the town he is raised by a family that fosters him and teaches him about the world, a world that rejects him for his differences. The musical deals with serious topics while also having an ironic comedy underneath that really highlights the feeling. “It’s an excellent musical, I love how despite it being a satire performance it has so much meaning to it” stated Ben Hart, co-director of the performance and Executive Artistic Director for the Rep.
From my perspective, I fell in love with the show, it’s one of the best I’ve seen this year. With the prosthetics combined with all the bloody scenes, I can admire the work and ambition put into the show. Blood is a specific challenge for the directors.
Brandon James, the second co-director of the show and also an Executive Artistic Director, was kind enough to talk to me about how they tried many different blood recipes, because they had to be edible, not stain clothes, have the right texture, and they also had to get two versions of an actors costume to guarantee their costume could be ready in time for two shows a day, and it was definitely worth the hassle because the blood was so realistic, and scary.
Many times I was almost scared because of how realistic the blood looked, combined with one of the best acting performances I’ve ever seen – it wowed me. Jason Faria, Bat Boy himself, did an incredible job getting into the mind of Bat Boy, I have been impressed by his acting skills seen in many shows, including The Fantastics, Dr. Jeckel and Mr. Hyde, La Cage aux Folles, and many other productions throughout the years. Another actor I admired was Alyssa Dumas – who is also the Associate Artistic Director for the rep – and her performance as Shelly Parker. Dumas’ acting style is unique and humourous, she has been in many shows that I have loved, such as Peter Pan, Hair, my favorite and first show, Xanadu, and many other productions.
Bat Boy will be performed at the Rep from right now until October 29th. It’s the perfect show to get into the Halloween spirit, so don’t miss it! I can’t wait to go back and see A Passing Strange later this month. But back on the topic of this musical, I would see this show again, and recommend you do too.
I would like to dedicate this article to my Grumpa because I wouldn’t be as in love with theater as I am today without him taking me to all these amazing shows.
me • Oct 24, 2023 at 2:10 pm
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