BAT BOY: THE MUSICAL Sets Cast and Creative Team at Music Theater Heritage

Music Theater Heritage has announced the cast and creative team for its upcoming production of Bat Boy: The Musical, running October 8-November 1 at MTH's MainStage Theater in Kansas City.

Directed by Ernie Nolan, the production will star Bryson Kendall as Edgar, the half-boy, half-bat creature discovered in a West Virginia cave. The musical features a book by Keythe Farley and Brian Flemming and music and lyrics by Laurence O'Keefe.

The cast also includes Taylor Jennings as Shelley Parker, Jessalyn Kincaid as Meredith Parker and T. Eric Morris as Dr. Thomas Parker. The ensemble will feature Ben Auxier, Christopher Barksdale-Burns, Laurie Box, Mary-Kate Griffin, Lucas Lowry, Aidan Sarmiento, Emily Shackelford and Douglass Walker.

“Bat Boy holds a special place in my heart,” Nolan said. “It was the last show I saw in New York before I left for graduate school. Since then, I’ve eagerly waited to direct this gloriously deranged musical. While it is a ‘monstrous’ comedy, it asks an incredibly meaningful question: What if the monster isn’t the one with the fangs? Come and laugh and think. It’s the perfect time of year for this show!”

The creative team includes Ty Tuttle as music director and pianist, Lindsay Mummert as scenic designer, Danny Lawrence as lighting designer, Stripes Wilson as Costume Designer, Daisy Melton as sound designer, Ian Miller as technical director and Lacey Willis as stage manager. The band will feature Cindy Egger on guitar, Kassie Ferrero on bass and Charlie Betzelberger on drums.

Inspired by a 1992 Weekly World News story, Bat Boy: The Musical premiered at Los Angeles' Actors' Gang on Halloween night in 1997 before opening Off-Broadway at the Union Square Theatre in 2001. The musical returned to New York City Center in 2025 in an Alex Timbers-directed revival featuring new songs and revised orchestrations.