For a surprisingly perfect bat-cave set, look no farther than Lerner’s Black Box theater. The relatively small, dark space is an apt location for Columbia Musical Theatre Society’s production of “Bat Boy: The Musical,” which began performances Thursday and continues through today.

“Bat Boy”—which relays the tale of a half-man, half-bat finding both love and hatred in a prejudiced West Virginia town—is, in the words of the show’s creative team, “not your typical musical.”  And upon seeing the show, this mantra proves true—the show features no fewer than six violent deaths, as well as rape and incest.

However, the subject matter is portrayed with surprising delicacy by the lead actors, most notably Ricky Schweitzer, CC ‘11, as the bat boy. Schweitzer completely immerses himself in the role, grunting and whimpering like an animal so convincingly that the audience might nearly forget that he is an otherwise articulate Columbia student. Schweitzer also nimbly leaps from wounded outcast to bloodthirsty beast and back again without missing a beat.

Also strong, especially vocally, are Jill Schackner, BC ‘11, and Remy Zaken, CC ‘12, as the mother and daughter, respectively, who let Bat Boy into their home. Schackner in particular gives a tender, well-sung account of an apparently perfect housewife with a dark side.

However, “Bat Boy” features some scenes that venture a little too far into the bizarre and self-indulgent, such as the number “Children, Children” that features the ensemble members, dressed as wild animals, performing simulated sex acts. The sexuality was not problematic—instead, it was the length of the scene, which became grating as the audience, mostly consisting of the actors’ friends, whooped and whistled. This scene eventually seemed like a ploy to please the theater groupies in the audience, and an excuse for crowd favorite Yonatan Gebeyehu, CC ‘11, to parade around in a loincloth and feathered headdress.

Still, CMTS made overall good work of the show’s often-wacky storyline and earned the audience’s rapt attention the majority of the time. “Bat Boy” caters to the Columbia crowd in a way that many traditional musicals do not—the show has a real edge, as well as a challenging score and script that really do justice to the talent of the actors. These factors, combined with the Black Box’s dark atmosphere, make for an enjoyable theater-going experience in Columbia’s very own bat cave.