Bat Boy (2025)

Story and Book by Keythe Farley & Brian Flemming
Music & Lyrics by Laurence O'Keefe
Based on a True Story in the Weekly World News
Oct. 2-25, 2025
Show Webpage
Production Photos

THE CAST
Edgar the Bat Boy – Rafael DaCosta
Meredith Parker – Brittany Kohl
Dr. Thomas Parker – Ian McCreary
Shelley Parker – Marlee Wenski
Sheriff Reynolds – Stephen Thompson
Ron/Mayor Maggie/Clem – Bee Mecey
Deputy Bud/Daisy/Pan – Zack Huels
Mrs. Taylor/Rev. Hightower/Roy – Ronmal Mottley
Rick/Lorraine/Dillon – Zachary Thompson
Ruthie/Ned/Impassioned Soloist – Chelsie Johnston


THE NEW LINE BAND
Conductor/Keyboards – Jason Eschhofen
Guitar – Adam Rugo
Percussion – Joe Winters
Bass – Xander Gerdes


THE ARTISTIC STAFF
Directors – Scott Miller, Chris Moore
Music Director – Jason Eschhofen
Stage Manager – Rachel DeNoyer
Technical Director – Nathan Mecey
Sound Designer – Ryan Day
Costume Designer – Becca Rose Bessette
Scenic Designer – Dr. Rob Lippert
Lighting Designer – Bradley Rohlf
Master Carpenter – John Davidson
Intimacy Coordinator – Achie Bee
Props Master – Erin Goodenough
Specialty Props Designer – Patricia Edmonds
Graphic Designer – Matt Reedy
Photographer – Jill Ritter Lindberg

REVIEWS

“Directors Scott Miller and Chris Moore lean into the camp and give their cast license to milk every bit of the ridiculous weirdness from the story. Their lively direction and the cast’s animated all-in portrayals make for absurdly bizarre storytelling about a societal misfit. The co-directors’ exaggerated, over-the-top staging is delightfully self-aware, and the cast is in on the joke. No one takes the narrative too seriously, but all are seriously immersed in amusingly extreme characterizations. . . Directors Miller and Moore empowered the entire company to throw themselves into excessively dramatic, flamboyant, tacky, and genuinely funny portrayals – and that they did. Bat Boy knows what it is trying to be. While not a literary work of art or musically eloquent, it's a horror camp fest with heart. It is a darkly humorous and satirical look at an outcast who desperately wants to belong to a society that wants to ostracize him. New Line Theatre’s production of Bat Boy The Musical is a fun diversion this Halloween Season." –James Lindhorst, St. Louis Arts Scene

“Laurence O’Keefe’s savory mix of a score for Bat Boy goes from the opening anthem-like 'Hold Me, Bat Boy' to the witty lyrics of the hopeful 'Let Me Walk Among You,' with a mix of pop and rock, light and dark, serious and tongue-in-cheek along the way. . . with much that is moving and little that is mocking, a better balance than in any other production of this musical that I have seen. For that I also thank the Directors Scott Miller and Chris Moore and Music Director Jason Eschhofen.” – Bob Wilcox, Two on the Aisle

“Under the direction of Scott Miller and Chris Moore New Line has put a lot of energy into this production, which features striking production elements and a strong, enthusiastic cast of local performers. . . The overall darkly comic energy is handled with entertaining enthusiasm. This is a show that has a lot of laughs and a few cringey horror moments, but also a palpable message warning against the dangers of judging people based on appearance and preconceived notions. It’s alternately creepy, haunting, offbeat, and deliberately sensationalist, with some crass humor and suggestive themes. Bat Boy strikes just the right tone for this time of year, and it’s a good start to a new season for New Line.” – Michelle Kenyon, Snoop’s Theatre Thoughts

“New Line Theatre opens its 34th season with an energetic rendition of a musical it’s presented twice before in 2003 and 2006. A new cast brings a fresh perspective to the show while realizing its musically diverse cautionary tale. . . New Line founder and artistic director Scott Miller and his co-director, Chris Moore revisit the company’s earlier success with this weird but engaging tale, featuring a variety of musical motifs. The cast fully invests in their characters, bringing out both the physical comedy and touching drama. . . Bat Boy is a fun show for the Halloween season, especially when produced by a director who knows and understands the material as well as Miller. You’ll be humming 'Hold Me, Bat Boy' on your way out of the theater.” – Mark Bretz, Ladue News

“Underneath the comedy, and despite the tabloid sensationalism about the lead character, Bat Boy, written by Keythe Farley and Brian Fleming with music and lyrics by Laurence O’Keefe, offers a lesson in acceptance and kindness. While it’s highly improbable that anyone in the audience has or will ever see someone who is mostly human but part bat, we are likely to encounter are people who look strikingly different than us. It is often too easy to dismiss or disparage people who don’t fit society’s cookie-cutter norms when we should be more like Mrs. Parker and show kindness, not judge people harshly simply because of their looks. That’s a lesson we can all take to heart and New Line Theatre delivers the message with surprising heart as well as good humor. The musical is a lot of fun and a surefire hit that will appeal to mature audiences, especially those who enjoy their musicals with a little blood and a touch of horror story suspense.” – Tina Farmer, Mound City Messenger

DIRECTOR'S NOTES

We humans are uniquely talented at assigning blame. I’ve been reading a book called Scapegoat: A History of Blaming Others by Charlie Campbell. He starts his book, “In the beginning there was blame. Adam blamed Eve. Eve blamed the serpent, and we’ve been hard at it ever since.”

Just think about all the people who are routinely blamed, throughout history and still today, for virtually everything. We blame foreigners, Jews, Muslims, Christians, the press, Congress, women, witches, gay and trans people, the Top 1%, Satan, the poor, people of color, Democrats, Republicans, fascists, Antifa, China, Russia, communists, socialists, “woke” people, homeless people, people with disabilities, kids, Trump, Biden, the Clintons; and not so long ago, the Irish, the Italians, the Germans, the Japanese; and then there’s the infamous Hollywood Blacklist of the Fifties, and the world’s most famous scapegoat, Jesus.

In the 1950s, Senator Joseph McCarthy and the House Un-American Activities Committee in the U.S. Congress designated as “suspicious” 438 American newspapers, 280 American labor unions, and the Boy Scouts of America. Not even kidding.

One of Bat Boy’s writers, Keythe Farley, recommended to me a book called Depth Psychology and a New Ethic by Erich Neumann. The author identifies the three types of people that society tends to blame: those who are different or Other (immigrants, people of color, gay and trans people, Muslims), those who seem weaker (‘welfare mothers,’ ‘wimps,’ people with disabilities, homeless people), and those who we see as Better Than Us (religious people, do-gooders, “woke” people, rich people, smart people, experts, the ‘elite’).

Farley wrote to me, “Notably, Edgar the Bat Boy is all three: a sweet, sensitive, freak of nature, with a fierce intellect and a nasty bite.”

We see all our worst human impulses on display in this rock thriller. The journalist Charles MacKay published the book Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds in 1889, and in it he wrote, “Men, it has been well said, think in herds; it will be seen that they go mad in herds, while they only recover their senses slowly, and one by one.”

Bat Boy may not be exactly true but it sure heaves a shit-ton of truth at us, and it’s our unexpected recognition of that truth within this high silliness that makes us laugh so hard. But don’t be fooled. This is a very funny show but a very serious story.

This is about us. Right here. Right now.

Rent (2025)

Book, Music, and Lyrics by Jonathan Larson
based on the French novel by Henri Murger
May 29-June 21, 2025
Show Webpage
Production Photos

THE CAST
Mark Cohen – J. David Brooks
Roger Davis – Nathan Mecey
Angel Dumott Schunard – Aarin Kamphoefner
Tom Collins – Chris Moore
Mimi Marquez – Corrinna Redford
Maureen Johnson – Sarah Lueken
Joanne Jefferson – Jazmine Kendela Wade
Benjamin Coffin III – Aaron Tucker
Mr. Jefferson/Soloist – Rafael DaCosta
Alexi Darling/Mrs. Davis/Backup – Chelsie Johnston
Mrs. Cohen/Pam/Vendor – Brittany Kohl
Steve/Waiter/Squeegee Man – Gabriel Scott Lawrence
Street Woman/Vendor/Mrs. Marquez – Sofia McGrath
Gordon/The Man/Mr. Grey – Tawaine Noah
Paula/Vendor/Backup – Rachel Parker
Mrs. Jefferson/Soloist – Lauren Tenenbaum


THE NEW LINE BAND
Conductor/Keyboard – Randon Lane
Guitar 2/Keyboard 2 – Jason Eschhofen
Bass – John Gerdes
Guitar 1 – Zack Kempen
Guitar 2/Keyboard 2 – Adam Rugo
Drums – Clancy Newell


THE ARTISTIC STAFF
Directors – Scott Miller, Chris Moore
Music Director – Randon Lane
Tango Choreographer – Chelsie Johnston
Intimacy Coordinator – Gabriel Scott Lawrence
Stage Manager – Rachel DeNoyer
Technical Director – Nathan Mecey
Sound Designer – Ryan Day
Costume Designer – Zachary Thompson
Lighting Designer – Ryan Thorp
Scenic Designer – Todd Schaefer
Props Master – Erin Goodenough
Box Office Manager – Erin Goodenough
Graphic Designer – Matt Reedy
Photographer – Jill Ritter Lindberg

REVIEWS

“One hundred springs of life burst forth in a great new revival of Rent at New Line Theatre, in the group's 100th production. Somehow, this desperate patch of Gotham becomes filled with romantic hope and beautiful song, in spite of all the melancholy. . . I hadn't seen Rent all the way through in a while, not since a highly proficient but mechanical touring production blew through town some fifteen years ago. But for me, in terms of perfect comprehensibility and a kind of symbolic purity on every level, this time really felt like the first.” – Richard Green, TalkinBroadway

“New Line Theatre's production, I am thankful to say, is totally respectful of Jonathan Larson's masterwork, giving Rent a mounting that's gritty, that's raw, that's cheerful in how raucous it is, that's totally rockin', and even quite elegant in a lot of ways. . . Literally everything about New Line's production feels like this amazing cosmic convergence. It can't be duplicated. It's an incredibly unique production.” – Jak Janssen, Jack Reviews Musicals

“Rent? Yes, Rent again. But Rent done as it should be and better than ever. . . I have a new appreciation for what [Jonathan] Larson has done and a renewed enjoyment of Rent. . . This New Line production helped me to appreciate Rent again.” – Bob Wilcox, Two on the Aisle

“New Line Theatre’s production embraces these universal themes in an intimate production that captures the musical’s conflicting emotions with raw honesty. . . with relevant themes and truly unforgettable songs, Rent is a sometimes messy, always compelling must-see show that’s a fitting celebration of the company’s legacy.” – Tina Farmer, Mound City Messenger

“This highly entertaining immersive production, further enhanced my love of Larson’s award winning work. New Line Theatre’s entertaining production is very well done. New Line staged Rent in their 2013-14 season, and this revival gives its audience another opportunity to experience Rent in an intimate of setting. Seeing this piece in a small black box theater added to the story’s powerful emotional impact. . . New Line Theatre’s absorbing production of Rent is fresh, feels new, and rejuvenates the appreciation of Larson’s Pulitzer Prize and Tony winning musical. It’s intensely enjoyable for Rent-heads, and a good reminder for those lukewarm on the piece why Rent became a musical theatre phenomenon.” – James Lindhorst, St. Louis Arts Scene

“New Line is presenting a season of musicals the theater has previously performed in its illustrious, 35-year history; and returns to Rent, which the company first produced in 2014, for its 100th production. It’s an inspired choice, as this version of Rent is intimate and direct, a soaring triumph for artistic director Scott Miller and his committed cast, designers and crew. . . This presentation of Rent is a wondrous, exhilarating gift.” – Mark Bretz, Ladue News

“There’s a lot of urgency and relatability to be seen here, as evidenced by New Line’s new production directed by Scott Miller and Chris Moore, featuring a strong cast and excellent visuals and musical accompaniment. . . If you love Rent, you’ll probably love this production. Even if you haven’t seen the show before, or even had a negative experience, I would recommend checking out this heartfelt, well-cast and especially well-sung staging. It’s a timeless classic with a timely immediacy that brings out the passion and energy for which this show is known and celebrated.” – Michelle Kenyon, Snoop’s Theatre Thoughts

DIRECTOR'S NOTES

I saw Rent in on Broadway in July 1996 with the entire original cast. It was one of the greatest experiences of my life. I’ll always remember being struck, by how un-Broadway Rent was, the whole show, how raw and un-pretty and free of the usual show biz bullshit. It was so refreshingly, disarmingly honest about both its story and its storytelling. And it didn’t sound like Broadway; it sounded like the world around us.

That was new.

A few years later, in 2001, I researched and wrote a chapter about Rent for my book Rebels with Applause: Broadway’s Groundbreaking Musicals. But I didn’t want to direct the show, because I considered the original production to be absolute perfection, and I felt like any deviation from that would be sacrilege.

Then, a decade later, I saw the off Broadway revival of Rent, in a vastly different but equally brilliant production, directed again by its original director Michael Greif. Seeing how perfect the show was in two very different stagings allowed me to realize that there’s no “right” way to approach this show. So I directed Rent for New Line in 2014, and while we worked on it, I became even more convinced that it’s a masterpiece.

Rent is about community, about connection and empathy. Right now, it seems that so much of America has lost those things. Our country has indeed been rent, as in torn apart.

There are so many songs in Rent I love (okay, all of them) and so many lyrics that always strike me as powerfully truthful. As I look at America in 2025, one lyric that smacks me in the face is in “Halloween,” when Mark asks, “How did we get here?” Yeah, no shit.

The other line that seems doubly potent today is in the Support Group: “There’s only us. There’s only this.” It reminds me of President Obama telling us that there aren’t any superheroes coming to save us – that we’ve got to be our heroes.

Jonathan Larson was surely a visionary. I’ll always mourn for the amazing works he would have created for us if he had lived longer. But I’ll also be forever grateful that he left us Rent, which has meant so much to so many. It heals us. That’s why we’re producing it. We need healing.

Rent’s Act II opener “Seasons of Love” has always seemed like a prayer to me. We have to remember that the lyric doesn’t say, “You can measure in love;” it says, “Measure in love.” It’s a command. That’s easier said than done, but that’s what Rent demands of us.

Connection in an isolating age.

I wonder if Jonathan Larson suspected that Rent would still feel so up-to-the-minute thirty years later. He probably did.

The Rocky Horror Show (2025)

Book, Music, and Lyrics by Richard O'Brien
Feb. 27-March 22, 2025
Show Webpage
Production Photos

THE CAST
Frank N. Furter – Todd Schaefer
Brad Majors – Rafael DaCosta
Janet Weiss – Brittany Kohl
Riff-Raff – Bee Mecey
Magenta – Katie Orr
Columbia – Tori Shea Cole
Eddie/Dr. Scott – Christopher Strawhun
The Creature – Zachary Thompson
The Narrator – Chelsie Johnston


THE NEW LINE BAND
Conductor/Keyboard – Randon Lane
Keyboard 2 – Jason Eschhofen
Bass – John Gerdes
Guitar – Adam Rugo
Saxophone – Brandon Thompson
Drums – Clancy Newell


THE ARTISTIC STAFF
Directors – Scott Miller, Chris Moore
Assistant Director – Chelsie Johnston
Music Director – Randon Lane
Choreographer – Chelsie Johnston
Intimacy Coordinator – Jocelyn Padilla
Stage Manager – Tawaine Noah
Technical Director – Nathan Mecey
Sound Designer – Ryan Day
Costume Designer – Erin Goodenough
Lighting Designer – Jack Kalan
Scenic Designer – Dr. Rob Lippert
Props Master – Erin Goodenough
Box Office Manager – Erin Goodenough
Graphic Designer – Matt Reedy
Photographer – Jill Ritter Lindberg

REVIEWS

“What an entertaining romp! . . . This current production of The Rocky Horror Show at New Line Theatre offers a rollicking sense of nostalgia. . . delightful fun for any of the legions of fans who’ve seen the movie dozens of times. It’s an entertaining, smile inducing diversion that will bring back many zany memories of late nights in a movie theater with your closest friends.” – James Lindhorst, KDHX

“New Line proves Rocky Horror still has what it takes. New Line Theatre’s current season highlights musicals previously performed in its illustrious, 35-year history, revisiting The Rocky Horror Show with a blend of seasoned veterans and newcomers in its first performance of the cult classic since 2002. Now, as then, founder Scott Miller finds both the humor and social commentary in Richard O’Brien’s enduring masterpiece. . . If you’ve never viewed the original stage version of that campy sensation, New Line’s straight-ahead salute to O’Brien’s long-lasting masterpiece is a fitting introduction.” – Mark Bretz, Ladue News

“New Line Theatre’s delightful production of The Rocky Horror Show is unusually fresh...” – Gerry Kowarsky, Two on the Aisle

“The enduring much-revered fan-favorite musical The Rocky Horror Show is being produced by New Line Theatre after the company first staged the daring cult smash hit 23 years ago. But it’s not a rewind. This time, a playful cast interprets the original live stage show, which varies slightly from the raucous cult classic 1975 movie The Rocky Horror Picture Show, and may provide a fresh perspective in this changing current climate (as in catch it now before Missouri legislators may outlaw it). . . These days, a rebel yell is good for the soul, as more conservative viewpoints sweep the land, wanting to control what you read and watch, and wishing life were a ‘50s sitcom dream. Anyone not wanting to conform to outdated social mores and go back, those who can take a joke, could get fired up at The Rocky Horror Show. Just saying.” – Lynn Venhaus, PopLifeSTL

“That’s what New Line was aiming for with this production, to return Rocky Horror to its raw, essential form. . . They make the show feel like an immersive rock concert. . . All the actors are simply terrific. Vocally they sound great, they do justice to these great songs, but at the same time they craft their own unique interpretations of these characters, who are already unforgettable, and find new layers to them that make us love them even more. . . New Line went the extra mile to make The Rocky Horror Show feel like a vital piece of theatre.” – Jack Janssen, Jack Reviews Musicals

“Especially if you’re into dark, campy, raunchy homages of old B-style sci-fi and horror, or if you’re curious to see what everyone has been talking about, this show is worth seeing at least once. At New Line, the production takes a ‘back to basics’ approach that is focused on capturing the independent, small-theatre vibe that the original stage show had back when it first opened. . . This is the second show in a season of repeat productions for New Line, and it entertains with energy and campy, creepy style.” – Michelle Kenyon, Snoop’s Theatre Thoughts

“The bad boy of musical theatre, New Line Theatre, focuses on the elements that matter in a thoroughly entertaining production of The Rocky Horror Show. The musical is a bawdy, upbeat, and essentially sex positive sci-fi thriller with moments of delightfully over-the-top theatricality, a commitment – but not obsession – to the original, and a touch of space-age mutiny that’s easy to embrace, lightly subversive fun. . . theatergoers who enjoy well-performed high-camp, bawdy romps, catchy songs, subterfuge, and a humorously memorable sci-fi romantic comedy plot shouldn’t miss New Line Theatre’s The Rocky Horror Show.” – Tina Farmer, Mound City Messenger

DIRECTOR'S NOTES

We decided to produce The Rocky Horror Show this season, twenty-three years after our last production of the show, because we knew it would sell a lot of tickets, and our bank account needs that. But also because this show hasn’t seemed quite this terribly relevant since it first debuted in 1973 as a micro-budget “under¬ground movie” live on stage.

On his first day in office this year, President Trump signed an executive order stating the United States would only recognize two sexes – male and female. Within days, he took away all rights from trans people in the government and the military; he signed orders banning gender-affirming care, including medical, surgical and mental health services, for anyone under the age of nineteen; he blocked trans soldiers from serving in the military, because a man’s “assertion that he is a woman” is not “consistent with the humility and selflessness required of a service member.” In his “Ending Radical Indoctrination in K-12 Schooling,” Trump called for schools to be blocked from using federal funding for purposes relating to “gender ideology or discrim¬inatory equity ideology.” Teachers who are “unlawfully facilitat¬ing the social transition of a minor student” will face punishment.

But make no mistake – Rocky Horror is not really about sex. It’s not about self-expression. It’s about us. It’s about how stupid and destructive America was in responding to the Sexual Revolution of the 1960s and 70s – and again right now, in the face of all new sweeping cultural changes. We can’t forget that Frank’s seemingly empowering mantra, “Don’t Dream It. Be It,” is really just an advertising slogan from old magazine ads for Frederick’s of Hollywood, trying to sell underwear and fantasy to middle-aged suburban housewives.

Rocky Horror is a deceptively smart, insightful piece of social satire about a very weird, very interesting, very complicated time in America – and it holds lessons for us here today about how badly America always over-reacts to nearly everything that comes down the road, and how much happier we’d all be if we’d just stop doing that.

Since the early Seventies, when Rocky Horror is set (fifty years ago!), America has been fighting an epic battle between the conservatism and conformity of the Fifties, vs. the freedom and openness of the Sixties. We’ve never stopped fighting this dumb fight, and today in 2025, the forces of conservatism try yet again to pull us back to the Fifties, when everything was really great – for straight white married men.

Yes, Rocky Horror is lots more than sex, drugs, and rock and roll. We can revel in the anarchy and craziness of this incredibly entertaining rock and roll fable, but our real world is peeking out from between the sheets, and it’s begging us to pay attention.