Musical full of batty characters, including some Fanshawe alumni

Bat Boy: The Musical is coming to the London stage for the first time. The acclaimed production that has toured Off-Broadway, Europe and major Canadian cities is coming to London on February 14. The Grand Theatre is playing host to the musical, which will take place on the McManus stage.

The show is produced and directed by London native and Queen's University Theatre grad Garrett Rodman. He pitched the idea to local community theatre organization Musical Theatre Productions in April. Rodman said he's always had an interest in directing and made the change from on-stage to behind the scenes. This will be his first directing debut. "I'm really hoping for big crowds and lots of laughs," said an enthusiastic Rodman.

Bat Boy isn't your typical musical. Based on the 1992 tabloid story in the Weekly World News, a creature that is half boy/half bat is found in a cave by three teenagers. Bat Boy is ostracized by the town when all he wants to do is fit in. The pop-rock musical play encompasses themes of bullying and discrimination and presents them in a serious but comical light. Rodman describes as "a spoof of other plays such as My Fair Lady."

The play is aimed at a mature audience, as it features some pretty heavy themes, but is a ton of fun for an audience between the ages of 18 and 30. The show makes a great Valentine's Day event to attend. Rodman said he really wanted to bring a conservative London theatre audience out of the box and he may have done it by bringing this quirky, comical play to the London stage.

The 18-person ensemble plays multiple gender-bending roles that are bound to get big laughs. Fanshawe alumni Ximena Huizzi, Kyle Stewart, Tammy Heisel and current Fanshawe student Jeremy Hewitson have all played a crucial role in getting the play off the ground. Rodman credited his fantastic staff and actors with making the play an event to see.

The show kicks off February 14 and will run until the 23, tickets are $25, available online at grandtheatre.com or downtown at the Grand Theatre box office (471 Richmond St.). Follow @MTPBATBOY on Twitter for updates.