Freak.
Menace.
Abomination.

   Sadly, these are the labels that haunt the creature we have come to know as Bat Boy. Since his discovery was originally reported by the Weekly World News ("Bat Child Found in Cave," June 23, 1992) the general public has perceived Bat Boy largely as a dangerous accident of nature, a bloodthirsty freak who, if allowed to run free, preys on unsuspecting children and even pets.

The first part of the story give Bat Boy what he seems to need—a family, a society, a romance and a home. Then, with the cruelty of life itself, the second part of the story takes it all away, leaving Bat Boy with nothing but the devastating knowledge that he is what we all secretly fear ourselves to be.
    The writers turned their drama over to the composer/lyricist O'Keefe, who set about the challenging task of communicating its meaning through song. To adequately express the story of Bat Boy, O'Keefe found it necessary to plunder nearly the entire spectrum of music. The lament of the town folk demanded a country tune, the exuberance of two young teens called for rap, the education of Bat Boy required an upbeat show tune and his eleven-o'clock number clawed at the hem of opera. Gospel, pop, rock, tango—no style of music was safe from O'Keefe's nimble brain.
    The result of this collaboration—a groundbreaking blend of pioneering journalism, a marvel of evolution and the power of song—was the debut of Bat Boy, The Musical at the Actors' Gang theater in Los Angeles on Halloween night, 1997. The acclaim the production received (including L..A. Weekly's Musical of the Year, four Ovation Award nominations and two consecutive Richard Rodgers grants from the America Academy of Arts and Letter) helped to propel the musical on its long journey to New York, where it debuted Off Broadway at the Union Square Theater on March 21, 2002.