I sat with my teenage daughter waiting for “Bat Boy – The Musical” to begin trying to explain the origins of the show. I started giggling as I Googled the images of the bat child purportedly discovered in a cave in the woods of West Virginia. Bat Boy was frequent front page fodder on the tabloids, the Weekly World News in particular, during the early ’90s.

The creature, believe it or not, accomplished many incredible things including serving in Iraq. What a guy!

His heroics and status as a pop culture icon inspired a musical, which opened off-Broadway in 2001. “Bat Boy: The Musical,” is described as an ‘American horror rock musical,’ and I think that about sums it up. Think “Rocky Horror,” or “Little Shop of Horrors,” – I’m sensing a theme here.

Salt Lake Acting Company (SLAC) just opened the show 21 years after they did it the first time (I was chagrined to realized I was at that one too – my, how time flies). While the musical does not talk about Bat Boy’s sojourn in Iraq, it does depict the small town folks who discover him and the family who gentrifies him.

This is campy horror in all its glory – complete with shocking deaths, frantic townsfolk, lots of blood, romance, and bats. SLAC leans into all of the above.

SLAC’s cast is full of powerhouse talent – many local favorites and a few making their debuts. The cast of ten play 25+ characters through comical quick changes that sometimes happen on stage. It’s also impressive that in a show with so much going on, some of those characters, or caricatures, are just as memorable as the leads – (Timothy Feroah as Daisy was a crowd favorite, as was Justin Ravago as Mrs. Taylor).

Adrien Swenson is marvelous as Meredith Parker – she’s quiet, restrained and unassuming until she begins to unravel (unleash?) in Act II. Robert Scott Smith captures the broody, moody long-suffering town veterinarian.

As for the boy born with fangs in his mouth, Julian R. Decker crawls into the wings of Bat Boy – a role that’s as physically demanding as it is vocally. Plus, he’s got to do all that talking and singing with fake fangs, which would be a real challenge. Julian brought us a believable creature, with all those top notes and an inability to control his animal instinct.

From a content perspective, there are deaths in the show which SLAC handles with red fabric rather than stage blood, which I prefer. And there is a scene in Act II where the Greek God of nature sings a number blessing the ‘union’ of two characters. SLAC really leans into the sexualized nature of the scene so proceed with caution if you’re taking your teenage daughter (facepalm).

That said, if you’re into camp, you’ll love this production. It’s silly, and dark, and fun and disturbing all at the same time.

Also, bonus points for a physical playbill. And major bonus points for the live band under the direction of Alex Marshall.

The show is just over two hours with one intermission and runs through May 4.