He drains blood from cows and bunnies in the Off-Broadway musical, Bat Boy, and now the fanged creature of the title — half-man, half-bat — is helping bring awareness to a June 13 blood drive in Manhattan.

Perhaps he's not so bad, after all.

The cast of Bat Boy will appear at New York Blood Center's blood drive, held to fight what the organization calls "a severe summer blood shortage." Donors have the opportunity to meet cast members and receive show memorabilia.

The drive is 11:30 AM-5 PM June 13 on the 17th Street and Park Avenue South corner of Union Square, just steps away from the Union Square Theatre, where Bat Boy is flapping to a rock 'n' roll beat.

Bat Boy is the tongue-in-cheek musical based on events chronicled in the Weekly World News (the same paper that prints photos of U.S. presidents greeting aliens). Music and lyrics are by Laurence O'Keefe. Story and book are by Keythe Farley & Brian Flemming. Cast members on hand at the blood drive include Deven May (Bat Boy), Kaitlin Hopkins, Sean McCourt, Kerry Butler, Kathy Brier, John Tracy Egan, Charles Gray, Daria Hardeman, Trent Armand Kendall, J.P. Potter, Jim Price, Richard Pruitt, Angela Pupello and Doug Storm.

New York Blood Center is the nation's largest independent blood collection and distribution organization serving patients in close to 200 metropolitan area hospitals on a daily basis.

— By Kenneth Jones