November 2002

It’s no surprise to anyone in the entire county and beyond that The Honky Tonk Angels ran at the Hippodrome for a record-breaking 10 weeks.  Wow!! We always give the June slot careful consideration knowing that we are headed into the hot summer months in Gainesville.  We are dedicated to providing a cool arena for good ol’ summertime fun!  The Honky Tonk Angels presented four great singers (including Jessie Janet Richards’ replacement Kim Stout), a rockin’ band, cross-over country and pop songs, belly laughs, sing-alongs all wrapped up into a huge community celebration.  Thanks to all of you who celebrated with us (some of you attended as many as 10 times).

Now, take a big breath and brace yourself for our very popular October slot!   Bat Boy: The Musical started in New York as a workshop and eventually moved off-Broadway.  After winning tons of awards, critical praise, and a cult following, the rights finally became available to major regional theatres, and needless to say, I pounced on it!  Based on an article in the Weekly World News about the discovery of a young boy in a West Virginia mining town (half bat/half boy), this show contains some of the best music I have ever heard and a book that is clever and simply “one of a kind.”  Rock and Roll, beautiful ballads and a little Rap music takes us inside the complex world of a freakish child with Spock like ears who yearns to become a civilized member of this West Virginia town.  Is this half bat/half boy the town’s salvation or merely an animal with a diabolical diet?  This show has even been compared to the world famous Little Shop of Horrors where a man eating plant devoured everyone who crossed its path.

Bat Boy has been spotted all over town!  By October 19th this maligned and misunderstood young rodent will have landed on our stage.  I’ll see you in the theatre but please be warned: HE BITES!
 
 

Discovered in a cave in Hope Falls, West Virginia, this half-bat creature has escaped from captivity and is currently at large! Last seen, he was making his way toward the heart of Gainesville and could very well be roosting on the mainstage of that cultural gem, the Hippodrome State Theatre! Don’t walk! Run…to the Hipp’s box office and get your tickets to see this oddity!

BAT BOY: THE MUSICAL is the award-winning satire inspired by headlines from the Weekly World News. This spunky and spoofy high energy show really flies as it weaves together the best of “B” horror flicks, musical theatre highlights and romance. One critic quite seriously called it “this decade’s Little Shop of Horrors.”

Bat Boy, our hero, is found in a cave and brought to the Parker residence, home to the local veterinarian. Everyone assumes he will be put to sleep and out of their lives. Instead Bat Boy’s humanity is reawakened by Mrs. Parker and he is soon taken under the family’s wing. Bat Boy is happy with his new life, but lurking in the distance are two dangers: a town that fears what they do not understand and the secret of Bat Boy’s true origins. Visit Hope Falls as it is turned upside down by a string of jealousy, betrayal, murder and other bizarre-yet-hilarious happenings.

According to Laurence O’Keefe, the show’s composer, “The structure of the show is very much like a good, old-fashioned adventure movie.” Inspired by the musical talents of Stephen Sondheim, Frank Loesser, Kurt Weill, Gilbert and Sullivan as well as Led Zeppelin, Bad Company and Queen, O’Keefe created a unique rock and roll-meets pop ballad score. You’ll see a nod toward Jesus Christ Superstar, West Side Story and Jekyll and Hyde throughout this satirical, tragi-comic odyssey. There is even a wink toward My Fair Lady in a scene that transforms Bat Boy into a proper speaking British gentleman!

You thought Rocky Horror was unusual? You thought Hedwig rocked? Just wait ‘til you see Bat Boy. He flies in October 18 and will flutter in our hearts until November 10. For a sneak peak, check him out on our previews: October 16 and 17.
 

Bat Boy soars! An instant classic! (New York  Post)
Wickedly Funny! (Daily News)
An off-the-wall winner. You’d be batty to miss it. (The Star Ledger)
A jaggedly imaginative mix of skewering humor and energetic glee (New York Times)
Immensely Satisfying (USA Today)
An outrageously silly and totally charming show. (Daily News)
Smart, silly, self-aware. (Backstage)
 

This Christmas, the Hipp is ringing in the Season with the comic debut of The SantaLand Diaries by David Sedaris.  You may know David Sedaris from NPR’s Morning Edition or from his bestselling books Barrel Fever, Naked, or Holiday on Ice.  Sedaris fans will all agree that he is a master of satire.

Sedaris’ play, The SantaLand Diaries tells the story of a desperate out-of-work actor who decides to take the job of an elf named “Crumpet” at SantaLand in Macy’s during the big holiday crunch.  At first the work is simply humiliating; then Crumpet becomes battle weary and bitter because of the lecherous and drunken Santas and the thousands of annoying visitors that invade Santa’s workshop.  But don’t despair, just as the season is about to end and Crumpet’s employment is about to run out, he finds a genuinely kind Santa who fills him with an uncharacteristic moment of good will.

“…Sedaris’ shrewd, wickedly funny pieces prick up your ears…” –The Washington Post

“Playwright, author, radio star, and retired elf David Sedaris may be the most brilliant witty New Yorker since Dorothy Parker.”  -New York Magazine

The SantaLand Diaries is the perfect companion piece to the theatre’s popular holiday tradition, A Christmas Carol.  The Hipp’s Christmas Carol puts a new twist on the traditional story as Jacob Marley takes you and Ebenezer Scrooge on a wild adventure through the past, present, and future.

If you are looking for a way to thank your employees during the holiday season, the Hipp has special group rates for your holiday party.  So bring in the New Year with a traditional Christmas treat or a “wickedly funny” satire.  Call Emilee at 373-5968 and she can help you with your holiday party plans.