Bat Boy: The Musical is an American horror rock musical, based on a June 23, 1992 Weekly World News story about a half-boy, half-bat, dubbed “Bat Boy”, who grew up living in a cave. Bat Boy premiered at Actors’ Gang Theatre in 1997 and has since been produced off-Broadway, in London’s West End, at the Edinburgh Festival and in scores of productions throughout the world. The story deals with serious themes (such as hypocrisy, acceptance, forgiveness, racism, revenge and scapegoating) but often punctures the most serious moments with slapstick, surrealism, camp-horror and irony. The show also contains religious themes with biblical allusions. Bat Boy: The Musical won the awards for best Off-Broadway musical including the Lucille Lortel Award, two Richard Rodgers Awards from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and the Outer Critics Circle Award in 2001.