History Theatre / BatBoyTheMusical

* AnAesop: Plenty of them, as stated in "Hold Me, Bat Boy (Reprise):
** "Love your neighbor": Be accepting and treat others with respect, even if they are different from you; this will cause them to treat you likewise. [[spoiler:The townsfolk of Hope Falls did not accept Bat Boy, not helped by the fact that they were easily manipulated by lies from Dr. Parker and from the rumors about their dead cattle and Bat Boy. In short, they let their fears cloud their judgement and views on Bat Boy and showed no "Christian Charity" to him.]]
** "Forgive": If anyone does you any wrong, you should turn the other cheek and let bygones be bygones. [[spoiler:The Taylors did not forgive Bat Boy for injuring Ruthie and wanted revenge on him. Rick gets attacked by Bat Boy in return (albeit motivated by the sight of blood). Ron also dies trying to find and kill Bat Boy in the slaughter house, with his own mother burning him to death thinking he was Bat Boy. Dr. Parker also did not forgive Meredith over a triviality either, causing the vet to plot revenge against Bat Boy.]]

** "Revenge is something God forbids": Taking revenge on people will never solve anything or give you satisfaction, and will only turn you into a monster. [[spoiler:Dr. Parker plotted revenge on Bat Boy and Meredith for letting the lad attend the festival, causing him to become a SerialKiller in the process, including giving Ruthie a lethal injection. The Taylors also wanted Bat Boy dead, though not directly, causing Rick to get injured trying to attack Bat Boy when the whole town is stirred up against him for "killing" Ruthie and Ron to die when Mrs. Taylor sets the slaughter house on fire while he was still inside.]]

** "[[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking AND DON'T KILL MRS. TAYLOR'S KIDS!]]": Never kill any children. It will only cause grief to their parents
* AndThatWouldBeWrong: Dr. Parker screams to the town that he will kill [[spoiler: again]], only to deflect his statement on to the Bat Boy.

* ArsonMurderAndJaywalking: [[spoiler:The lessons learned at the very end of the musical are all linked to the entire ordeal with Bat Boy, but the last one seems to be the most hilarious, petty and avoidable of the bunch.]]
-->'''Maggie:''' ''Love your neighbor...''\\
'''Rick:''' ''{{Forgive|ness}}...''\\
'''Institute Man:''' ''Keep your vows...''\\
'''Ranchers:''' ''And a mountain's no place to raise cows...''\\
'''Sheriff Reynolds:''' ''{{Revenge}} is something God forbids...''\\
'''Bud:''' ''To scapegoat folks is wrong...''\\
'''Ron, Rick, and Ruthie and/or Townsfolk:''' ''AND DON'T KILL MRS. TAYLOR'S KIDS!''

* ArsonMurderAndJaywalking: [[spoiler:The lessons learned at the very end of the musical are all linked to the entire ordeal with Bat Boy, but the last one seems to be the most petty of the bunch.]]

* YouAreTooLate: The institute man arrives to take the Bat Boy moments after [[spoiler:nearly all the main characters have died]].

--->'''Townsfolk: ''You should just be grateful we don't hang him from a tree,\\

'''Bud:''' ''[[TheScapegoat To scapegoat folks]] is wrong...''\\
'''Ron, Rick, Ruthie and Townsfolk:''' ''AND DON'T KILL MRS. TAYLOR'S KIDS!''

* BeliefMakesYouStupid: Every townsperson in the show practices the Christian faith and use it to help them fend off any evil, but it blinded their judgement on Bat Boy and it never stopped their cows from dying especially since the cows were raised on the side of a mountain with little oxygen and water to go by. Highlighted in "Christian Charity" where Sheriff Reynolds wants to take federal action but decides to spare him and let the Parkers take him due to his beliefs.

* DarkReprise: "Dance With Me, Darling" (already a fairly dark song) gets two: one when Dr. Parker realizes that Meredith will never love him and only cares for the Bat Boy, and another [[spoiler: when Dr. Parker rapes Meredith]].
** Also done with the melody of "Let Me Walk Among You", which is first the Bat Boy's IWantSong, but reappears when he's [[spoiler: daring Parker to kill him]], and again when Parker and Meredith reconcile.
** "Christian Charity" gets a moderately dark reprise (the first version is about not killing the Bat Boy or turning him over to the FBI, but the reprise is a warning against his attending a big town meeting ("Don't go testing our Christian Charity").

** "A Home For You" gets a dark reprise during the end of "Apology to a Cow".
** Pretty much every song in the show. "Hold Me, Bat Boy" is also sped up for "Find/Kill the Bat Boy," and as the closing of the show.

* ExiledToTheCouch: Dr. Parker is seen in a couch after arguing with his wife Meredith over Bat Boy.

-->'''Dr. Parker:''' EDGAR! Are you hungry? ''(slashes his throat)''

-->'''Ruthie Taylor:''' Dr. Parker, what are you doing here?

-->'''Dr. Parker:''' The Bat Boy will pay for what he's done to you [Ruthie]. We're all going to miss you ''very'' much...

'''Townsfolks:''' ''AND DON'T KILL MRS. TAYLOR'S KIDS!''
* AssholeVictim: [[spoiler: Rick Taylor who threatened to kill Bat Boy during the first few minutes of the musical. No tears are shed when Bat Boy attacks him and Dr. Parker gives him a lethal injection.]]

* BrokenRecord: The ensemble in act II, "Find him, Kill him".

'''Sheriff Reynolds:''' ItsALongStory...

'''Ron, Rick and Ruthie:''' ''AND DON'T KILL MRS. TAYLOR'S KIDS!''

* BeliefMakesYouStupid: Every townsperson in the show practices the Christian faith and use it to help them fend off any evil, but it blinded their judgement on Bat Boy and it never stopped their cows from dying especially since the cows were raised on the side of a mountain with little oxygen and water to go by. Highlighted in "Christian Charity."

* BurnTheWitch: The townspeople do this to Bat Boy because he's different and he's supposedly killing their cows.

* ComicallyMissingThePoint: The Ranchers were trying to raise cows on the side of a mountain.

* DownerEnding: Meredith [[spoiler: reveals that the Bat Boy and Shelley are fraternal twins, a product of when Dr. Parker and a flock of bats raped her one night]], Dr. Parker, overcome with hatred for the Bat Boy, [[spoiler: slits his own throat so Bat Boy will kill him, and in his dying gasp stabs both Bat Boy and Meredith]] as the rest of the townspeople look on in horror.

-->'''Institute Man:''' Alright, where's tha-? ''(sees Bat Boy's dead body)'' Oh my god...\\

'''Sheriff Reynolds:''' It's a long story...

* ArsonMurderAndJaywalking: [[spoiler:The lessons learned at the very end of the musical are all linked to the entire ordeal with Bat Boy, but the last one seems to be the most petty and easily avoidable of the bunch.]]

* DeceasedParentsAreTheBest: [[spoiler:Meredith dies when Dr. Parker, who had slashed his own throat, stabs her for trying to intervene when Bat Boy got stabbed mere seconds earlier. This leaves a still-living Shelley with both of her parents [[ExaggeratedTrope and her]] [[{{Twincest}} twin]] [[BrotherSisterIncest brother]] dead.]]

* DeceasedParentsAreTheBest: [[spoiler:Meredith dies when Dr. Parker, who had slashed his own throat, stabs her for trying to intervene when Bat Boy got stabbed mere seconds earlier. This leaves a still-living Shelley with both of her parents [[ExaggeratedTrope and her twin brother]] dead.]]

* LukeIAmYourFather: Played Straight and Inverted; [[spoiler:Bat Boy is actually Meredith's son, having given birth to him when she was first violated by Dr. Parker before they hooked up, and then by some bats.]]

'''Bud:''' ''To [[TheScapegoat scapegoat folks]] is wrong...''\\

* DeathByFlashback: [[spoiler: Mr. and Mrs. Parker and Bat Boy all die but not before explaining the BlackComedyRape that would give rise to the birth of the last guy in this point.]]

* HerHeartWillGoOn: [[spoiler:Shelley survives the entire ordeal with her dear Bat Boy whom she grew attached to dead. She is understandably grieved over Bat Boy's death, but soldiers on to begin the town's reflection over what they had learned over the past weeks.]]

Bat Boy: The Musical is pretty much ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin. It's an Off-Broadway musical loosely based on the exploits of the Magazine/WeeklyWorldNews regular, "Bat Boy". In the town of Hope Falls, West Virginia, three kids, [[TheStoner Rick, Ron, and Ruthie]], are spelunking when they discover a deformed kid in the cave. The kid injures Ruthie but Ron and Rick manage to subdue it and bring it to [[TheSheriff the town's sheriff]], who brings Bat Boy over to Meredith and Shelley Parker, who agree to keep him until Meredith's husband, veterinarian Dr. Parker, returns home. Meredith and Shelley try to tame the creature whom Meredith names Edgar, but when the town of Hope Falls suddenly discover their cows mysteriously dying, eventually blaming Bat Boy, and Dr. Parker planning to put the creature down, any effort Shelley and Meredith take to dispel the fears surrounding Bat Boy and integrate it into society may be easier said than done...

I'll avoid all red meat;\\
I'll eat nothing but soy for my comfort and joy!''

* PleaseDumpMe: Bat Boy tells Shelley to leave him in the woods to keep her safe. Shelley offers her arm for Bat Boy to feast on.

* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Faith healer Billy Hightower is actually one of the play's most levelheaded characters, being an enthusiastic practicer of the Christian faith and almost immediately accepting Bat Boy once he expresses his desire to join his fellow man.

** [[spoiler: "I Imagine You're Upset" is partly an AngryMobSong for the townsfolk, and Dr. Parker has a VillainousLament towards the end]].

** "Mrs. Taylor's Lullaby" for Mrs. Taylor, who sings Ruthie to sleep promising her to kill Edgar.

-->'''Shelley:''' ''He never knew what he was worth...\\
I could not stop his fall...''

* HospitalSurprise: [[spoiler: Ruthie is given a lethal injection as Act 1 ends.]]
* IJustWantToBeNormal: A large part of Bat Boy's character conflict, especially shown in "Let Me Walk Among You" and his part of "Comfort and Joy". To be fair, he has the whole VegetarianVampire struggle without [[CursedWithAwesome any of the traditional vampire powers]]. [[spoiler: He does not win this conflict.]]

* DeceasedParentsAreTheBest: [[spoiler:Meredith dies when Dr. Parker, who had mere seconds earlier slashed his own throat, stabs her. Bat Boy also gets stabbed at the same time. Shelley is thus the only Parker who emerges from the ordeal alive.]]

'''Sheriff Reynolds:'''It's a long story...

-->'''Institute Man:''' Alright, where's tha-? ''(sees Bat Boy's dead body) Oh my god...\\

Bat Boy: The Musical is pretty much ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin. It's an Off-Broadway musical loosely based on the exploits of the Magazine/WeeklyWorldNews regular, "Bat Boy". In the town of Hope Falls, West Virginia, three kids, [[TheStoner Rick, Ron, and Ruthie]], are spelunking when they discover a deformed kid in the cave. The kid injures Ruthie but Ron and Rick manage to subdue it and bring it to TheSheriff, who brings Bat Boy over to Meredith and Shelley Parker, who agree to keep him until Meredith's husband, veterinarian Dr. Parker, returns home. Meredith and Shelley try to tame the creature whom Meredith names Edgar, but when the town of Hope Falls suddenly discover their cows mysteriously dying, eventually blaming Bat Boy, and Dr. Parker planning to put the creature down, any effort Shelley and Meredith take to dispel the fears surrounding Bat Boy and integrate it into society may be easier said than done...

* PlotArmor: Shelley survives throughout the musical despite facing situations that could have killed her. She needs to sing the last number.

** There's also Sheriff Reynolds, who tries to protect Bat Boy, wants to avoid giving him in to an institute, and keeps telling the townsfolk not to shoot him.

* YouAreTooLate: The institute man arrives to take the Bat Boy moments after [[spoiler:nearly all the main characters die]].

Bat Boy: The Musical is pretty much ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin. It's an Off-Broadway musical loosely based on the exploits of the Magazine/WeeklyWorldNews regular, "Bat Boy". In the town of Hope Falls, West Virginia, three kids, [[TheStoner Rick, Ron, and Ruthie]], are spelunking when they discover a deformed kid in the cave. The kid injures Ruthie but the three manage to subdue it and bring it to TheSheriff, who brings Bat Boy over to Meredith and Shelley Parker, who agree to keep him until Meredith's husband, veterinarian Dr. Parker, returns home. Meredith and Shelley try to tame the creature whom Meredith names Edgar, but when the town of Hope Falls suddenly discover their cows mysteriously dying, eventually blaming Bat Boy, and Dr. Parker planning to put the creature down, any effort Shelley and Meredith take to dispel the fears surrounding Bat Boy and integrate it into society may be easier said than done...

* ChildByRape: [[spoiler:Shelley and Batboy. (Different rapists, same night, really awkward fraternal twins.)]]

* GreekChorus: "Hold Me Bat Boy", "Comfort and Joy", and "Hold Me Bat Boy Reprise"

* ImagineTheAudienceNaked: During Shelley and Meredith's verse of "Comfort and Joy", Meredith tells Shelley to imagine the revival attendants "in their underwear".

* LooksLikeOrlok: Bat Boy with his bald head, pale skin and PointyEars.
* LukeIAmYourFather: Played Straight and Inverted.

* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Faith healer Billy Hightower is actually one of the play's most levelheaded characters.
** There's also the Sheriff, who tries to protect Bat Boy, wants to avoid giving him in to an institute, and keeps telling the townsfolk not to shoot him.

* ThankYourPrey: "Apology to a Cow"
* TrainingMontage: "Show You a Thing or Two" functions as this.

** "Whatcha Wanna Do Tonight?" for Rick.

* BeliefMakesYouStupid: Every townsperson in the show practices the Christian faith and use it to help them fend off any evil, but it could not stop Bat Boy. Highlighted in "Christian Charity."

* GaveUpTooSoon: The institute man arrives to take the Bat Boy moments after [[spoiler:nearly all the main characters die]].

** Subverted with Parker and Meredith's duet in "I Imagine You're Upset"; Meredith is forgiving Parker for what he's done and telling him that they can renew their love and start over, while Parker is [[spoiler: basically telling Meredith his rationale for killing the Bat Boy]].

* PoorCommunicationKills: Meredith and Dr. Parker don't reveal [[spoiler: that Meredith is Edgar's biological mother]] until the climax of the story. Their motivations for keeping this secret are more sympathetic than most examples of the trope, but if that information had been revealed earlier, the ending Meredith fantasizes about in "Three Bedroom House" [[WhatCouldHaveBeen could have actually happened]].

* GaveUpTooSoon: The institute man arrives to take the Bat Boy moments after [[spoiler: [[EverybodyDiesEnding everyone dies]]]].

* HalfHumanHybrid: Bat Boy himself.