BAT BOY: The Musical at NYCC Encores!- Page 2

[dexter3]

Posted: 10/30/25 at 10:22am

The show is overall fun and wacky as hell with some definite bops. It also feels like the "promising first musical" of a writing team that has evolved by leaps and bounds since it premiered, decades ago. If you think of it through that lense, it's an absolutely success. But by today's standards, it's seriously WTF and far too long, and tonally inconsisstent. It just isn't really firing on all cylinders, especially as it attempts to wrap things up.

 

I'm not sure what message they're trying to hone in on with this version. There are a lot of things it could say, but at the moment it's unclear. 

 

The performances are all stellar. Everyone is interesting and having a great time, and Kerry Butler is on a different LEVEL. Like, she's always been stellar but she's ascended to icon status in this performance. 

 

I bet a 90 min, lightning fast, even-more-campy version of the show could really pop nowadays, though. The show is at it's best when it's really embracing the camp of it al.

Updated On: 10/30/25 at 10:22 AM

[KevinKlawitter]

Posted: 10/30/25 at 11:27am

David Gordon of Theatremania is negative on the material, but admires the execution.

[Sauja]

Posted: 10/30/25 at 11:57am

I didn't know the show before last night, but I had a lot of fun. Kerry Butler was the biggest highlight for me personally. I can imagine this feeling electrifying in a small off-Broadway house. In City Center, it felt a little lost, particularly because of the sound issues. Still, I'm delighted that I saw it. And I think Act 2 was particularly strong. 

[Scarywarhol]

Posted: 10/30/25 at 12:21pm

It definitely helps that this is one of the rare musicals where act 2 is way more exciting than act 1. I think dexter3 is on the money that if this were to be revised, it would have made more sense to tighten it up to a killer 90 minutes. 

[theatergoer3]

Posted: 10/30/25 at 12:24pm

I also went in fresh besides knowing the premise but did hear people talking about the changes. Slight trims could probably help but there’s enough chaos to keep it moving. The cow number was hilarious even if out of left field plot wise. 

Sound mixing in the balcony for the opening was rough. 

[CarmenDeBris]

Posted: 10/30/25 at 8:00pm

The Times is a rave.

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 10/30/25 at 9:58pm

NY Stage Review

Bat Boy: Musical: Bloodsucker Tale Is Way Too Batty

By David Finkle

★★☆☆☆ At City Center, this allegedly true story, musicalized a nearly decade ago, tells a too-dull tale

https://nystagereview.com/2025/10/30/bat-boy-musical-bloodsucker-tale-is-way-too-batty

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 10/30/25 at 10:08pm

Well that was one of the best Encores productions I’ve ever seen.