The Frenzie Life Theatre's Bat Boy: The Musical On Stage At The Barn Theatre(July-August, 2010) - # - MyPaperNow.com

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The Frenzie Life Theatre 2010 production of Bat Boy:The Musical, onstage at the Barn Theatre at Winthrop, in Riverview, Fla., teaches a message of tolerance -- and acceptance.

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The Frenzie Life Theatre is staging to rave reviews its 2010 production of Bat Boy: The Musical at the BarnTheatre at Winthrop.

With story and book by Keythe Farley and Brian Flemming, and music and lyrics by Laurence O’Keefe, the local production is directed by Michael M. Mercer, who founded The Frenzie with his wife and costume designer, Beverly Mercer.

The show is billed as “a classic love story with a serious bite,” one that was “ripped from the headlines of the Weekly World News. “This delicious twist on the modern-day musical comedy tells the amazing story of a strange boy with pointed ears, his struggle to find a place in a world that shuns him, and the love that can create both miracles and madness.”

Bat Boy: The Musical is presented through special arrangement with Dramatists Play Service and licensed under agreement with Weekly World News.

SHOW DATES AND TIMES:July 30 and 31 at 8 p.m.August 1 at 4 p.m.August 6 and 7 at 8 p.m.August 6 at midnight
The PRODUCTION TEAM:Director: MICHAEL M. MERCERMusical Director: MICHAEL M. MERCERAssistant Director: BRYAN REILLYScenic Design: MIKE WOOD, MAX ROBERTS, JASON JOHNSONHead Choreographer: PEDROM AMARALAssistant Choreographer: TYLER DOWDYDance Captain: BRYAN BOYTEKStage Manager: RHONDA REILLYBackstage Techs: SEAN REILLY, KIMBERLY REILLYHouse Manager: BEVERLY MERCERLighting Design: MIKE WOODMaster Electrician / Lighting Tech: STEVE COSGROVESound Engineer: EFREN PAGEMaster Carpenter: TOM WOODScenic Construction: STEPHEN COSGROVE, PAUL RUBINO, STEVE AUSTIN, SAM ROBERTS, MADI VERBEEK, VAN FROST, JEFF MORANVILLE, TYLER BLOOMQUIST, GERRIT BUTLER, LINDSEY COHN, PATRICK CAUZEY, BRYAN REILLY, RHONDA REILLY, SEAN REILLY, BRYAN BOYTEK, ZAREK KENT, PEDRO AMARALCostumes and Props Coordinator: BEVERLY MERCERCostumes and Props Crew: KATRINA KORTE, JENNY MORGAN, KAREN DOWDY, MARIA L. BRENT, DONI HOLMES, RHONDA REILLY, SHANE ROSS, CASTMother Nature Costume: CARLTON JONESMaster Masketeers: KATRINA KORTE, JENNY MORGANBox Office: DONI HOLMESMemberships: SUSAN WEBERConcessions: DONI HOLMES, SUSAN WEBERPublicity Design: MAX ROBERTSPhotographer: SHANE ROSSProgram Design: BEVERLY MERCERThe Frenze Web Master: STEPHEN COSGROVE
The Orchestra:Conductor / Piano: MICHAEL M. MERCERKeyboard: JARED M. PORTERDrums: MIKE WOOD
THE CAST:Bat Boy: RYAN BINTZMeredith Parker: AMANDA ZAPIAShelley Parker: MELANIE BIERWEILERDr. Thomas Parker: PEDRO AMARALSheriff Reynolds: JUSTIN BATTENRick Taylor: MICHAEL EVERETT SCOTTRon Taylor: PAUL RUBINORuthie Taylor: LINDSAY HARRISMrs. Taylor: ASHLEY PAIGE ALLENThe Rev. Billy Hightower: CARLTON JONESMayor Maggie / Mother Nature: DAWN DOUGHERTYLorraine / Meredith’s Mother: MARIA L. BRENTBud / Meredith’s Father: STEVE AUSTINRoy: ZAREK KENTNed: GABRIEL McIVERDaisy / Young Meredith: ASHLEIGH POWELLDillon: BRYAN BOYTEK JR.Clem / Institute Man: ANDY TEKAMPEDoctor No. 1: PAULA SPANGLER KLEINDoctor No. 2: BRYAN SMELLIEJackie: EMILY WISKAJolene: KIM DAVISFeatured Dancer: BRYAN REILLYStunt Double: TYLER DOWDY

Ryan Bintz returns to the stage in his third casting as Edgar, the Bat Boy. What draws him to the role is Edgar’s “courage,” Bintz says. “He’s really trying to make something of himself. He’s trying his hardest. He’s praying. He’s doing everything he can and nobody’s accepting who he is.”

Ryan Bintz, as Edgar, the Bat Boy, with Melanie Bierweiler (Shelley Parker), holds a degree in musical education and is an elementary school music teacher in Polk County. The music in Bat Boy is “perfect” for his vocal range. Moreover, he adds, “It’s a hard character to play because you have to show so much emotion, from a refined boy with a British accent to an animal.”

Ryan Bintz first portrayed the role of Edgar, the Bat Boy, for the Manatee Players, after two weeks of rehearsals, when he filled in for an actor who had to leave the show at the last minute.

His second portrayal was in 2009 with the Carrollwood Players. “I grew [into the role by] leaps and bounds,” he says.

His third portrayal of the Bat Boy, in the 2010 Frenzie Life Theatre production, “is even better,” Bintz says. “It requires me to be a lot more physical."

Ryan Bintz, with Melanie Bierwweiler (Shelly Parker), says "It means a lot to him" to be able to play the role of the Edgar, the Bat Boy, a character he finds courageous in the face of insurmountable odds. "He's really trying hard to make something of himself," Bintz says. "He's trying his hardest. He's praying. He's doing everything he can and nobody's accpeting who he is."

Bintz says in his own life the struggle manifest itself when he came out to family and friends as at age 29. Married, with a one-year-old daughter at the time, Bintz, now 36, says he lives for the child he adores and is finding his parents more accepting than they once were. His daughter, too, is accepting, he says, and she is the reason he lives his life as honestly as he can. "I feel great love for my daughter," Bintz says. "She is why I was put on this earth."

Ryan Bintz says he relates most to the Bat Boy in the scenes where he is struggling most deeply for acceptance, as in the revival scene, where he sings, "But, please, will someone shake my hand?" Many times in his own youth, and especially as a senior in high school, Bintz says, "I prayed, 'please change the way I am' " His life now, he says, is of acceptance of who he is and of the work it will take to ensure those he loves understand.

Carlton Jones, as the Rev. Billy Hightower, says the role was a new one for him, "so I really had to research it, even the style of singing was new for me."

"He really believes what he's selling," Jones says. "He really does want to teach people, sort of like the wizard in The Wizard of Oz."

And then the reverend meets the Bat Boy.

"This is the challenge of a lifetime for him," Jones says about the character he plays. "And I think the Rev. Billy Hightowers feels for the Bat Boy. He's somebody who really wants to be good and who really wants to be liked."

But to Jones, the show's message is not just about tolerance. "It carries a message of acceptance, which goes beyond tolerance," Jones says. "Acceptance is, 'You're welcome. You're welcome to be here.' "

Pedro Amaral, as Dr.Thomas Parker, was drawn to the role of "the tenor villain," something he says you don't find often. "The hard part for me is the fine line between being likeable and then turning evil and then having people feel bad for you in the end," Amaral says. "It says a lot about how people treat each other and human nature in general, and especially with the mob mentality."

The overlying message of Bat Boy? "Know your Bat Boy, love your Bat Boy," Amaral says, referring to the lyrics of "Hold Me, Bat Boy." The show's message "is to know people before you judge them," Amaral adds, "rather than based on things other people tell you and the misconceptions we have of them."

"The entire cast, even people with the smaller roles, are giving it up 100 percent and they're all amazingly talented," says Pedor Amaral (not pictured), who plays the role of Dr. Thomas Parker in the 2010 production of Bat Boy: The Musical, staged by The Frenzie Life Theatre company at the Barn Theatre at Winthrop. In the title role is Ryan Bintz.

The Frenzie Life Theatre is staging to rave reviews its 2010 production of Bat Boy: The Musical at the BarnTheatre at Winthrop.

With story and book by Keythe Farley and Brian Flemming, and music and lyrics by Laurence O’Keefe, the local production is directed by Michael M. Mercer, who founded The Frenzie with his wife and costume designer, Beverly Mercer.

The show is billed as “a classic love story with a serious bite,” one that was “ripped from the headlines of the Weekly World News. “This delicious twist on the modern-day musical comedy tells the amazing story of a strange boy with pointed ears, his struggle to find a place in a world that shuns him, and the love that can create both miracles and madness.”

Bat Boy: The Musical is presented through special arrangement with Dramatists Play Service and licensed under agreement with Weekly World News.

SHOW DATES AND TIMES:

July 30 and 31 at 8 p.m.
August 1 at 4 p.m.
August 6 and 7 at 8 p.m.
August 6 at midnight

The PRODUCTION TEAM:

Director: MICHAEL M. MERCER
Musical Director: MICHAEL M. MERCER
Assistant Director: BRYAN REILLY
Scenic Design: MIKE WOOD, MAX ROBERTS, JASON JOHNSON
Head Choreographer: PEDROM AMARAL
Assistant Choreographer: TYLER DOWDY
Dance Captain: BRYAN BOYTEK
Stage Manager: RHONDA REILLY
Backstage Techs: SEAN REILLY, KIMBERLY REILLY
House Manager: BEVERLY MERCER
Lighting Design: MIKE WOOD
Master Electrician / Lighting Tech: STEVE COSGROVE
Sound Engineer: EFREN PAGE
Master Carpenter: TOM WOOD
Scenic Construction: STEPHEN COSGROVE, PAUL RUBINO, STEVE AUSTIN, SAM ROBERTS, MADI VERBEEK, VAN FROST, JEFF MORANVILLE, TYLER BLOOMQUIST, GERRIT BUTLER, LINDSEY COHN, PATRICK CAUZEY, BRYAN REILLY, RHONDA REILLY, SEAN REILLY, BRYAN BOYTEK, ZAREK KENT, PEDRO AMARAL
Costumes and Props Coordinator: BEVERLY MERCER
Costumes and Props Crew: KATRINA KORTE, JENNY MORGAN, KAREN DOWDY, MARIA L. BRENT, DONI HOLMES, RHONDA REILLY, SHANE ROSS, CAST
Mother Nature Costume: CARLTON JONES
Master Masketeers: KATRINA KORTE, JENNY MORGAN
Box Office: DONI HOLMES
Memberships: SUSAN WEBER
Concessions: DONI HOLMES, SUSAN WEBER
Publicity Design: MAX ROBERTS
Photographer: SHANE ROSS
Program Design: BEVERLY MERCER
The Frenze Web Master: STEPHEN COSGROVE

The Orchestra:

Conductor / Piano: MICHAEL M. MERCER
Keyboard: JARED M. PORTER
Drums: MIKE WOOD

THE CAST:

Bat Boy: RYAN BINTZ
Meredith Parker: AMANDA ZAPIA
Shelley Parker: MELANIE BIERWEILER
Dr. Thomas Parker: PEDRO AMARAL
Sheriff Reynolds: JUSTIN BATTEN
Rick Taylor: MICHAEL EVERETT SCOTT
Ron Taylor: PAUL RUBINO
Ruthie Taylor: LINDSAY HARRIS
Mrs. Taylor: ASHLEY PAIGE ALLEN
The Rev. Billy Hightower: CARLTON JONES
Mayor Maggie / Mother Nature: DAWN DOUGHERTY
Lorraine / Meredith’s Mother: MARIA L. BRENT
Bud / Meredith’s Father: STEVE AUSTIN
Roy: ZAREK KENT
Ned: GABRIEL McIVER
Daisy / Young Meredith: ASHLEIGH POWELL
Dillon: BRYAN BOYTEK JR.
Clem / Institute Man: ANDY TEKAMPE
Doctor No. 1: PAULA SPANGLER KLEIN
Doctor No. 2: BRYAN SMELLIE
Jackie: EMILY WISKA
Jolene: KIM DAVIS
Featured Dancer: BRYAN REILLY
Stunt Double: TYLER DOWDY

The Frenzie Life Theatre is staging to rave reviews its 2010 production of Bat Boy: The Musical at the BarnTheatre at Winthrop. With story and book by Keythe Farley and Brian Flemming, and music and lyrics by Laurence O’Keefe, the local production is directed by Michael M. Mercer, who founded The Frenzie with his wife and costume designer, Beverly Mercer. The show is billed as “a classic love story with a serious bite,” one that was “ripped from the headlines of the Weekly World News. “This delicious twist on the modern-day musical comedy tells the amazing story of a strange boy with pointed ears, his struggle to find a place in a world that shuns him, and the love that can create both miracles and madness.” Bat Boy: The Musical is presented through special arrangement with Dramatists Play Service and licensed under agreement with Weekly World News. SHOW DATES AND TIMES:

July 30 and 31 at 8 p.m.
August 1 at 4 p.m.
August 6 and 7 at 8 p.m.
August 6 at midnight

The PRODUCTION TEAM:

Director: MICHAEL M. MERCER
Musical Director: MICHAEL M. MERCER
Assistant Director: BRYAN REILLY
Scenic Design: MIKE WOOD, MAX ROBERTS, JASON JOHNSON
Head Choreographer: PEDROM AMARAL
Assistant Choreographer: TYLER DOWDY
Dance Captain: BRYAN BOYTEK
Stage Manager: RHONDA REILLY
Backstage Techs: SEAN REILLY, KIMBERLY REILLY
House Manager: BEVERLY MERCER
Lighting Design: MIKE WOOD
Master Electrician / Lighting Tech: STEVE COSGROVE
Sound Engineer: EFREN PAGE
Master Carpenter: TOM WOOD
Scenic Construction: STEPHEN COSGROVE, PAUL RUBINO, STEVE AUSTIN, SAM ROBERTS, MADI VERBEEK, VAN FROST, JEFF MORANVILLE, TYLER BLOOMQUIST, GERRIT BUTLER, LINDSEY COHN, PATRICK CAUZEY, BRYAN REILLY, RHONDA REILLY, SEAN REILLY, BRYAN BOYTEK, ZAREK KENT, PEDRO AMARAL
Costumes and Props Coordinator: BEVERLY MERCER
Costumes and Props Crew: KATRINA KORTE, JENNY MORGAN, KAREN DOWDY, MARIA L. BRENT, DONI HOLMES, RHONDA REILLY, SHANE ROSS, CAST
Mother Nature Costume: CARLTON JONES
Master Masketeers: KATRINA KORTE, JENNY MORGAN
Box Office: DONI HOLMES
Memberships: SUSAN WEBER
Concessions: DONI HOLMES, SUSAN WEBER
Publicity Design: MAX ROBERTS
Photographer: SHANE ROSS
Program Design: BEVERLY MERCER
The Frenze Web Master: STEPHEN COSGROVE

The Orchestra:

Conductor / Piano: MICHAEL M. MERCER
Keyboard: JARED M. PORTER
Drums: MIKE WOOD

THE CAST:

Bat Boy: RYAN BINTZ
Meredith Parker: AMANDA ZAPIA
Shelley Parker: MELANIE BIERWEILER
Dr. Thomas Parker: PEDRO AMARAL
Sheriff Reynolds: JUSTIN BATTEN
Rick Taylor: MICHAEL EVERETT SCOTT
Ron Taylor: PAUL RUBINO
Ruthie Taylor: LINDSAY HARRIS
Mrs. Taylor: ASHLEY PAIGE ALLEN
The Rev. Billy Hightower: CARLTON JONES
Mayor Maggie / Mother Nature: DAWN DOUGHERTY
Lorraine / Meredith’s Mother: MARIA L. BRENT
Bud / Meredith’s Father: STEVE AUSTIN
Roy: ZAREK KENT
Ned: GABRIEL McIVER
Daisy / Young Meredith: ASHLEIGH POWELL
Dillon: BRYAN BOYTEK JR.
Clem / Institute Man: ANDY TEKAMPE
Doctor No. 1: PAULA SPANGLER KLEIN
Doctor No. 2: BRYAN SMELLIE
Jackie: EMILY WISKA
Jolene: KIM DAVIS
Featured Dancer: BRYAN REILLY
Stunt Double: TYLER DOWDY

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July 30 and 31 at 8 p.m.
August 1 at 4 p.m.
August 6 and 7 at 8 p.m.
August 6 at midnight

The PRODUCTION TEAM:

Director: MICHAEL M. MERCER
Musical Director: MICHAEL M. MERCER
Assistant Director: BRYAN REILLY
Scenic Design: MIKE WOOD, MAX ROBERTS, JASON JOHNSON
Head Choreographer: PEDROM AMARAL
Assistant Choreographer: TYLER DOWDY
Dance Captain: BRYAN BOYTEK
Stage Manager: RHONDA REILLY
Backstage Techs: SEAN REILLY, KIMBERLY REILLY
House Manager: BEVERLY MERCER
Lighting Design: MIKE WOOD
Master Electrician / Lighting Tech: STEVE COSGROVE
Sound Engineer: EFREN PAGE
Master Carpenter: TOM WOOD
Scenic Construction: STEPHEN COSGROVE, PAUL RUBINO, STEVE AUSTIN, SAM ROBERTS, MADI VERBEEK, VAN FROST, JEFF MORANVILLE, TYLER BLOOMQUIST, GERRIT BUTLER, LINDSEY COHN, PATRICK CAUZEY, BRYAN REILLY, RHONDA REILLY, SEAN REILLY, BRYAN BOYTEK, ZAREK KENT, PEDRO AMARAL
Costumes and Props Coordinator: BEVERLY MERCER
Costumes and Props Crew: KATRINA KORTE, JENNY MORGAN, KAREN DOWDY, MARIA L. BRENT, DONI HOLMES, RHONDA REILLY, SHANE ROSS, CAST
Mother Nature Costume: CARLTON JONES
Master Masketeers: KATRINA KORTE, JENNY MORGAN
Box Office: DONI HOLMES
Memberships: SUSAN WEBER
Concessions: DONI HOLMES, SUSAN WEBER
Publicity Design: MAX ROBERTS
Photographer: SHANE ROSS
Program Design: BEVERLY MERCER
The Frenze Web Master: STEPHEN COSGROVE

The Orchestra:

Conductor / Piano: MICHAEL M. MERCER
Keyboard: JARED M. PORTER
Drums: MIKE WOOD

THE CAST:

Bat Boy: RYAN BINTZ
Meredith Parker: AMANDA ZAPIA
Shelley Parker: MELANIE BIERWEILER
Dr. Thomas Parker: PEDRO AMARAL
Sheriff Reynolds: JUSTIN BATTEN
Rick Taylor: MICHAEL EVERETT SCOTT
Ron Taylor: PAUL RUBINO
Ruthie Taylor: LINDSAY HARRIS
Mrs. Taylor: ASHLEY PAIGE ALLEN
The Rev. Billy Hightower: CARLTON JONES
Mayor Maggie / Mother Nature: DAWN DOUGHERTY
Lorraine / Meredith’s Mother: MARIA L. BRENT
Bud / Meredith’s Father: STEVE AUSTIN
Roy: ZAREK KENT
Ned: GABRIEL McIVER
Daisy / Young Meredith: ASHLEIGH POWELL
Dillon: BRYAN BOYTEK JR.
Clem / Institute Man: ANDY TEKAMPE
Doctor No. 1: PAULA SPANGLER KLEIN
Doctor No. 2: BRYAN SMELLIE
Jackie: EMILY WISKA
Jolene: KIM DAVIS
Featured Dancer: BRYAN REILLY
Stunt Double: TYLER DOWDY

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