New York City’s theater scene has embraced a delightfully eerie vibe this season, welcoming the return of Beetlejuice, a captivating bat boy’s morality play, and not one, but two mysterious phantoms set on tormenting Christine.
Just in time for Halloween, the city is preparing for a ‘Rocky Horror Show’ revival, ensuring the theatrical thrills will continue well into the spooky season.
The spooky fun isn’t limited to physical stages. Until November 3rd, viewers can stream Theater in Quarantine’s production of ‘The Phantom of the Opera.’ This unique take on Andrew Lloyd Webber’s 1986 classic is a departure from grand Broadway spectacles, originating from a modest 2-by-4-by-8-foot closet in Joshua William Gelb’s East Village home.
Gelb shared his company’s audacious goal: ‘We wanted to see if we could drop a chandelier in a closet.’ Since the pandemic, his team has continuously pushed the boundaries of what’s possible in small spaces. ‘Phantom,’ with its epic scale and romantic grandeur, presented a truly irresistible challenge.
Every evening, this rendition of the masked virtuoso’s reign of terror in a Parisian opera house unfolds with clever camera work, props, silent film-style titles, and a cast of five, featuring mezzo-soprano Sophie Delphis as Christine. This marks the company’s second partnership with N.Y.U. Skirball, following their chilling 3-D presentation of ‘Nosferatu’ for Halloween in 2023.
Drawing inspiration from Gaston Leroux’s 1910 novel and the 1925 film adaptation, Gelb and co-creator Normandy Sherwood crafted the show’s visuals. They looked to Czech black-light theater, the surrealist works of Karel Zeman and Jean Cocteau, and Aubrey Beardsley’s striking illustrations. Gelb aims to further the novel’s critique of institutional art, noting, ‘The Phantom is a frustrated artist in the shadows of a crumbling institution.’
He elaborated, ‘I see it as a powerful allegory for the precarious state of the arts today, especially when everything feels so uncertain.’
This hour-long production is a captivating blend of chilling suspense, thrilling drama, and sharp commentary, subtly criticizing the fictional opera house’s quest for donors and its obligation to appease subscribers.
Gelb clarified that the show’s scares aim to unsettle rather than startle the audience.
He explained, ‘Unlike ‘Nosferatu,’ where we deliberately timed jump scares, this production focuses on a different kind of dread.’ He added, however, that even he was ‘surprised by the effectiveness of the face reveal’ of the disfigured phantom.
Meanwhile, another iconic ‘vampire’ is back: ‘Bat Boy,’ the beloved cult musical, is set for a two-week gala revival at New York City Center, opening Wednesday night. This eccentric show tells the story of a half-human, half-bat creature found in a traditional West Virginia town, only to be promptly ostracized. The revival boasts a larger-than-original 12-piece orchestra and a substantial ensemble cast, starring Taylor Trensch.
The musical, inspired by a character from the infamous Weekly World News tabloid, features a book by Keythe Farley and Brian Flemming, with music by Laurence O’Keefe. A New York Times review of its Off Broadway debut praised it, stating, ‘It’s remarkable what intelligent wit can accomplish, even within an outlandish frame.’
Since its premiere, O’Keefe, known for his work on ‘Legally Blonde’ and the darkly comedic ‘Heathers’ (currently in its first Off Broadway revival), has earned a reputation for musicals that cleverly combine pop culture references with varied tones. ‘Bat Boy’ itself has been a continuous passion project for its three creators, undergoing revisions through numerous workshops, college productions, and a 2004 run in London’s West End.
Alex Timbers, a director who shares these eclectic theatrical tastes (and whose own horror-comedy, ‘Beetlejuice,’ is a Broadway hit this season), became involved with ‘Bat Boy’ during a 2016 reading at New York’s Signature Theater. His dedication to the show never wavered, so when City Center offered him the chance to direct their annual gala, his choice was clear.
Timbers noted, ‘This show has been performed globally, and countless young people have experienced it during their college years.’ He added, ‘City Center often revives productions with rich histories, so it’s a joy to reintroduce ‘Bat Boy’ to New York audiences.’
He confirmed that script updates are ongoing, making it feel ‘like a revival and a new production’ simultaneously.
In a recent interview, Farley revealed that most changes to the musical involved reordering existing scenes to develop the protagonist’s character before revealing his surroundings, with a few new songs also incorporated. Even though Flemming had limited involvement in this version, he reviewed all modifications with O’Keefe.
Over the years, the perception of ‘Bat Boy’ has shifted from a mere parody (which the original Times review described as ‘an omnibus parody, garish in almost every respect but constrained below the bar of foolishness’). O’Keefe expressed relief at moving past that label, particularly as the creators have embraced an emotional sincerity they initially considered too earnest.
O’Keefe recalled, ‘When we first wrote it, the final line, ‘Don’t deny your beast inside,’ was almost a joke, a simplistic moral.’ He continued, ‘But we truly believe in it now. We began to explore how this message could apply to everyone, ensuring every main character wrestled with their own inner demons.’
Farley emphasized, ‘Our show is shocking, but it delivers true horror not through jump scares, but by revealing what people are capable of when pushed to extremes, and the pervasive nature of scapegoating.’ He described a town struggling to transition from coal mining to cattle ranching: ‘Can they confront their failures, or will they simply blame others?’
O’Keefe concluded that Timbers was the perfect director to navigate both the theatrical and visceral scares within the production.
With a chuckle, he added, ‘Alex applies the same meticulous thought to his musical staging as he does to his blood effects. We’re talking about highly sophisticated blood-gushing technology here.’
Correction
Published Oct. 30, 2025: An earlier version of this article contained a misspelling. The actor’s surname is Sophie Delphis, not Delfus.