Bat Boy
In West Virginia, a mutant half-boy, half-bat boy, who had been lurking in a small cave for many years has escaped and reportedly been sighted in New York, Florida, and Wisconsin. He is expected to be seen at the Aragon High School Theatre on November 17.
Bat Boy was discovered by three teenagers in mountain town called Hope Falls. Since the majority of the town’s survival depended on the raising of cattle, Hope Falls was devastated when most of the cattle mysteriously died. The town blames the “cow plague” on Bat Boy and seeks to kill him.
Senior Wassim Khemici stars as Bat Boy. “I researched the role a lot and found it to be such a perfect and beautiful role that I started crying.” To effectively portray his character, he says, “You have to sit with bad feelings from your past life. There’s a human connection.”
Having performed in Aragon’s previous plays, Khemici says, “It’s the best show! It’s gorgeous and profound…It makes a social statement that is relevant to today’s society.”
“The themes in the play are relatable to those in real life. [Bat Boy]’s ostracized. All he wants is to be embraced and tolerated. Whether you’re the fat kid, the gay kid, or the Muslim kid, it’s so easy to understand what it’s like to be rejected,” says Khemici
Mitchell plays Shelly, the romantic interest of Bat Boy. “I feel connected to her,” Mitchell comments “She’s insecure, snobby, and a very stereotypical teenage girl…Shelly’s a complex character. Inside your heart, you fall in love with your counterpart.”
Senior Kathryn Miyahira stars as Meredith Parker, who acts as a mother to Bat Boy. “My character is not as difficult as Wassim’s,” she says. “I have to channel my inner mom.”
Meanwhile, Senior Sammy Shufton plays Dr. Thomas Parker, the villain of the musical. He says that when he acts as the evil figure in the play, “I imagine what had to happen for me to get to the point of rage and murder. When I’m in the proper mind set, I’m not happy. I’m not Sammy. I’m pissed and on a mission.”
Director Shane Smuin has been known for producing interesting and controversial productions. Following this trend, Bat Boy includes a rape scene. Mitchell says, “I’m really nervous about the content of the show and how racy it’ll be…Even though it’s PG13, it shouldn’t be too much of an issue.”
Shufton agrees, stating that “I understand why [Bay Boy] could be offensive, but I don’t feel like it is out to get people. It’s a satire, an exaggeration, not the truth.”
Smuin does not see the racy material as much of an issue either. “It’s part of the story, but it’s certainly not promoting violence. In fact, the morality tale is acceptance, tolerance, and nonviolence.” He adds, “The way that I have staged the rape scene is that it’s very much implied…There is no actual…man on top of women violently ripping clothes off. So it’s an implied theatrical contrivance that I used.”
For Khemici and Miyahira, there are individual moments in the musical that make it special. Miyahira stated, “The end of both acts is amazing. I have a very strong solo that’s called ‘A Home for You’. It’s very emotional, and sometimes I want to cry.”
Khemici says that there are two prominent moments for him. “In ‘Show You A Thing or Two’, I get transformed into a proper young man and I belt my heart out.”
However, his favorite moment comes near the end of the show. “My last solo is my favorite. It’s so passionate, there’s legitimately no way I can sing it properly. I scream ninety percent of it. I release every bit of anger and tension and everything in that one song. It gives me goose bumps.”
Mitchell comments “We really bonded with them this year; we’re like a family. But it’s always like that every year. Theatre people get along really well. You feel welcomed. Even though the cast is a lot smaller this year, it’s wonderful and we work really hard.”
Khemici adds, “I used to try to look good in rehearsals. But now I think—these people are my family—I don’t need to be pretty!”
Having been described as an entertaining rock opera, Bat Boy is sure to be a thrill. Miyahira says, “It’s fun, crazy, charismatic, extremely catchy, and you know you will have a good time.”
Smuin describes Bat Boy by saying, “It’s a good morality tale about acceptance, about tolerance, about accepting yourself for who you are, about accepting each other for who they are, and it’s funny!”
He adds, “It’s a bloody musical. There’s actually a lot of fake blood that we had to buy. This is probably the bloodiest musical I can think of. You can literally see blood on stage.”
The last musical in the old theater, Bat Boy is sure to make its lasting impression. On the subject of performing in the old theatre, Mitchell says, “I love it! I’m so glad because there are so many traditions there. It’s a building that’s full of love in the theatre family.”
The hardworking actors have been rehearsing for months and are excited to breathe life into this unique musical. Ultimately, Khemici says “I went bald for the show. Therefore, you can spend ten dollars to see it.”
Check out a photo gallery of Bat Boy here!
