Broadway Licensing Group sees 50% increase in productions of the campy cult favorite.
NEW YORK, Aug. 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Broadway Licensing Group announced today that productions of its licensed property, “Bat Boy: The Musical” has seen a 50% spike in productions over 2023 as compared to the 2022-2023 season. To date, nearly 50 new productions of the off-beat cult fan favorite will open through 2024.
The off-Broadway hit was inspired by the story told in the tabloid, “Weekly World News” which was known for its bizarre and outlandish stories. The first Bat Boy story was published in the rag on June 23, 1992, and quickly became a sensation. The show’s book is by Keythe Farley and Brian Flemming with music and lyrics by Laurence O’Keefe.
The campy, cult favorite has been produced in more than 500 regional and amateur companies across the USA — audiences love the story of Edgar, a half-bat, half-boy creature discovered in a cave by a group of teenagers. He is taken back to the town of Hope Falls, where he is taken in by the local veterinarian, Dr. Parker. As the play unfolds, Bat Boy learns to speak from his adoptive family, yearns for acceptance, and tries to join society, only to face hatred and violence from a town that fears him and jealous rage from his foster father.
“As the professional and community theatre communities continue to reemerge after the COVID-19 pandemic, many organizations, large and small, remain eager for shows that are unmistakably fun and strongly branded to bring ticket buyers back to the box office,” says Sean Cercone, Founder and CEO of Broadway Licensing Group. “Bat Boy: The Musical” checks both of those boxes, and it’s our privilege to continue to promote this exciting title, in our effort to make everyone a theatre person.”
“Bat Boy: The Musical” was originally developed at the Directors Company and premiered at Tim Robbins’ Actors Gang Theatre on October 31, 1997. It opened off-Broadway at the Union Square Theatre on March 21, 2001, and closed on December 2, 2001. “Bat Boy: The Musical” has received eight Drama Desk Award nominations, including for Outstanding Music and Outstanding Lyrics, won two Richard Rodgers Awards from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and won both the Lucille Lortel Award and the Outer Critics’ Circle Award for Best Off-Broadway Musical.
Keythe Farley, who also directed the original production, has written for, produced and/or voice-directed episodes of Rugrats, As Told by Ginger and The Wild Thornberries for Klasky/Csupo Inc. He is a graduate of UCLA and is an active member of the Actors’ Gang and Evidence Room theatre companies.
Brian Flemming is also a film director whose films include “Hang Your Dog in the Wind,” “Nothing So Strange,” and “The God Who Wasn’t There.”
Laurence O’Keefe is a graduate of USC’s graduate film scoring program and has composed music and lyrics for a wide variety of works, including, “Legally Blond: The Musical,” and “Heathers: The Musical,” and several scores for films including “Every Night and Twice on Sundays,” and “Accidentally,” the musical/mockumentary of Dorothy McHugh, the Ziegfeld girl who returned to show business at age eighty-five. The Prince Music Theatre premiered his short musical “The Mice” as part of 3HREE, produced by Harold Prince.
Theatrical organizations interested in licensing “Bat Boy: The Musical” in their area can learn more at Broadway Licensing Group’s website for “Bat Boy: The Musical”
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Broadway Licensing and its family of imprints (Dramatists Play Service, Playscripts, and Stage Rights) is the global leader in theatrical licensing and distribution. The iconic works represented epitomize the greatest collection of authors, composers, lyricists, and underlying rights holders across the globe including Arthur Miller, Tennessee Williams, Lynn Nottage, Alan Menken, Stephen King, Elvis, the Bee-Gees, and the Beatles.
The Broadway Licensing collection of titles represents an astonishing 38 Tony Award and 48 Pulitzer Prize-winning works. The company leverages its team’s expertise in licensing, theatrical production, theatre education, and content creation to diversify, strengthen, and rapidly expand its portfolio into new sectors and markets. Founded in 2017, Broadway Licensing has quickly scaled and, as of 2022, the company represents 8 of the Top 10 most produced plays in professional theatres and 9 of the Top 10 most produced plays in High Schools.
In 2020, Broadway Licensing launched the Emmy® Award-nominated streaming platform Broadway On Demand, offering exclusive theatrical content, interactive events, and original programming projected to reach well over 200 million households by 2023. Additionally, Stageworks Productions, the original live stage content creation arm dedicated to the development of innovative, theatrical intellectual properties has developed several world premiere musicals which have been produced in over 90 countries. In all, the combined force of the Broadway Licensing family of imprints continues to grow, with a singular goal to make everyone in the world a theatre person.
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SOURCE Broadway Licensing Group
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