Tabloids exploited him, townspeople shunned him and Northern Kentucky University embraced him.

Bat Boy moved from the print media and onto NKU’s stage Feb. 17 with “Bat Boy: The Musical,” directed by Samuel J. Zachary.

This musical began by giving the audience a window into a small town in West Virginia during the first discovery of Bat Boy, played by Brian Bailey.

In an abandoned cave, probing youth of the town startled the creature. Siblings Rick, played by Aaron LaVigne; Ruthie, played by Denise Devlin; and Ron Taylor, played by Justin Adams, found their way into a dark cave with a unique stage entrance.

After the initial sighting of Bat Boy, the creature attacked Ruthie and is captured soon after.

To contrast the violent opening, the entire cast sang the catchy “Hold Me, Bat Boy” while performing a parody-filled dance sequence.

The group emulated the clich