Actors’ Gang takes flight in London

“The Actors’ Gang storms London,” declared Keythe Farley, one of the co-writers of “Bat Boy,” an Actors’ Gang-developed musical about a half- human mutant that will open in the West End on Sept. 8.

Also in September, the Hollywood-based Gang hopes to mount a London production of “Embedded,” Tim Robbins’ barbed look at the Iraq war and its media coverage.

“Bat Boy” began with a 1997 production in the Gang’s smaller Hollywood space, where the budget was about $12,000 and the seats numbered 41. In 2001, it moved to a 499-seat off-Broadway theater with a budget that was more than $1.5 million. In London, it will be at the 1,000-seat Shaftesbury Theatre, with a $2-million budget.

Farley said the London show has “a different look and explores some of the darker themes” compared with the one in New York. It also has a new director, Mark Wing-Davey, and a cast of 13 -- three more than in New York.