What I liked
Joanna Syiek’s staging and choreography adorably complimented the high-octane songs Michael Shapiro composed. The harmonies were lit, the pace was running to recess, the characters were spunky, and the tunes so catchy I’m still singing them (I saw first preview… and yes I was in the ASCAP version of this and know some of the songs, but I’m even singing the new ones!!). With such a talented ensemble of actors and singers, I don’t like to single out any particular players, but I must say how much I enjoyed Jordan Mitchell-Love’s Robot work and Frankie Zabilka’s voice as a supporting nerd and bully. Honestly, I could call out fun moments from every actor that had me laughing and/or cheering with excitement! Congrats everyone!
What I didn't like
Unfortunately (at first preview) the sound levels were all over the place and at times chunks of important lines were completely drowned out by the music. Less than half of the cast are mic’d, which didn’t work well for such an ensemble based musical. When everything else in the show is so strong, that really has a major impact. To add to sound level issues, some of the mics were popping. I hope at least some of those technical issues were improved for opening.
My overall impression
If your mood needs lifting, go see The Bully Problem!! It was absolutely joyful!!
