Canby Herald Online

Bat Boy Backstage

The Canby High School production was a hit, opening night

• By: Peggy Savage  
• Published: 3/9/2010 5:44:28 PM
• Last Updated: 3/10/2010 10:23:56 AM

Photo By: Peggy Savage"Bat Boy: The Musical"
Director Sonja Brown adjusts the ear on Bat Boy (Hunter Mead) while Emily Fry, who plays Shelley Parker, looks on backstage on opening night.

 "Bat Boy: The Musical" was a hit on opening night at the Richard R. Brown Fine Arts Center.

The high school cast delivered a performance that at times could have you reminding yourself that, wow, these are just kids up there on the stage. They are that good.

The play opens with a spectacular scene of spelunkers descending by rope into a cave, black silhouettes against a red background screen. There, they find Bat Boy, played by Hunter Mead, and the story takes off running.

Some of the musical numbers were wonderfully presented, especially by senior Chelsea Callahan, who plays Meredith Parker, Bat Boy's adoptive mother in the play. This is the eighth stage performance for Callahan, who has built a sound background in music and drama at Canby High School, most notably in a lead role in "Chicago" last spring.

In all, the production was well-presented and entertaining to the end. The story is about a defenseless boy tryig to find his place in the world, who wants nothing more than to be loved. Underlying themes of prejudice are evident, but many scenes have the audience in laughter, as well. The entire play is sprinkled with bits of humor.

Although the high school production was the subject of concern for some community members, the play itself offers a good evening of entertainment, with a script designed for production by high school students.

The musical will run three more nights, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, March 11, 12 and 13 at the high school. All performances start at 7 p.m.

Look for two videos attached to this story: Bat Boy, Backstage, with the cast on opening night last Thursday, and a few video clips of the play itself.

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