THE BULLY PROBLEM

So far, this is my favorite musical to come out of Hollywood Fringe this year. Remember how you felt the first time you performed in, or even saw, your first high school or college musical? Remember that giddy excitement that sent warm shivers down your spine, instilling a feeling that told you this is how it should always be? If for some reason you've since lost that passionate feeling about musical theatre, then The Bully Problem will resurrect it.... full review

Our story follows fourteen-year-old super genius Kevin Dijkstra( James Everts) determined to get accepted to attend the most prestigious tech academy for young minds and become the greatest roboticist of his generation. That is if he can escape the torment of his bully hallways of Van Der Bort Junior High. While struggling to complete his scholarship project for his dream school, he inherits an almost operating fully autonomous android bodyguard which he lovingly nicknames Oscar. (JORDAN MITCHELL-LOVE) This was a final gift from his late father who like Kevin is an inventor but unfortunately has passed away in a work accident. He soon befriends the school's group of nerds, who have been forced to combine all of the geeky clubs and aft... full review

Our first musical of HFF19 was a dream come true. Michael Gordon Shapiro (with the help of ASCAP and Broadway’s Stephen Schwartz) has created a masterpiece of energetic singing and dancing and a timely story about overcoming obstacles and becoming who you were meant to be. ... full review

As a former Junior High teacher, I can certainly understand the difficulties faced by teenagers who just don’t fit the mold of being “popular.” THE BULLY PROBLEM takes the subject and makes it thoroughly entertaining as well as informative thanks to Shapiro’s entertaining music tracks, the brilliant work by Fringe award-winning director/choreographer Joanna Syiek (The Pokemusical, Giraffenstein, Merely Players), and music director Jennifer Lin, who have put together an extraordinary cast of actors who seem to innately comprehend the characters they are portraying and have the ability to work perfectly together as a true ensemble of triple-threat performers. ... full review

A tight script with great structure, clever dialogue, and crisp direction from Joanna Syiek, THE BULLY PROBLEM also has extremely fun and stylistically varied songs, my favorite being the nerd/geek anthem “Hide.” A great new musical, THE BULLY PROBLEM is a fun show with a huge heart. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED ... full review

The cast brings all of their talents to bear at the highest level, which makes for an enjoyable exploration of geek vs. bully life in junior high school. There are some questions about the story (a father delivers a secret gift to a son who then proceeds to do everything he can to put it out there in the open) and some of the songs seem to hit the same emotional note but the show ultimately wins you over with its sheer relentless energy and there is one duet that makes everything about the experience worth it.... full review

The energy of the cast and the meaning behind the show is what makes this musical so exhilarating and so wonderful. I left with a smile on my face because the energy is infectious.... full review

Shapiro has the makings of a musical charmer that should play well in youth-oriented theaters, but it can still entertain older audiences. Deepening the characters, particularly the bullies, would add a resonance that could take the show to the next level. ... full review

An energetic and talented cast can't overcome the uninspired, pedestrian score that diminishes the potential of this charming little tale that feels like a modern-day homage to the 198o film, "My Bodyguard." ... full review

See complete review at the link below.... full review