Review by anonymous
June 23, 2019 certified reviewerWhat I liked
James Everts portrayed a convincing geeky lead, carrying the almost 90-minute entirety of a very tight show. Jordan Michell-Love was an absolute delight as the Swedish kid / robot with unwavering humor, charm, and vocal ability – his performance of the robot’s exposition song was one of the most memorable songs of the show. Allie Costa gave him a run for his money though in the role of Margaret – what a talent. Costa had the energy of a dozen teenaged girls all in one person, with dazzling vocals and non-stop bold choreography. Other notable performances included Melvin Villajin Biteng who played both a bully and a nerd with effortless facility – both his singing ability and intuitive sense for comedy made him a stand-out cast member every time he appeared on stage. Adam Foster Ballard got the biggest laughs of the show as both Tip Hopkins and Purcell – seriously channeling Richard Pryor on several occasions.
The bully songs were terrific – particularly styling them as dance-gang. That added a whole new satircal-west-side-story vibe and made their songs particularly hilarious. Melvin VIllajin Biteng’s dance/acting contributions particularly helped.
What I didn't like
Characters that did not have their own microphone were difficult to hear over the music in this very dialog-dense show.
While I appreciate the high energy of the entire cast for the entire 90 minutes, it was a bit fantastical to see a group of outcast, cowardly nerds screaming and jumping for glee all the time – perhaps if they were all members of the glee club – but I expected body language for a group of nerds to be perhaps less physical.
My overall impression
The bully problem is a delightful musical about what it’s like to be a creative kid in middle school and discover who your peers really are. The messages of belonging, daring to step into the unknown, and achievement as defined by empowering others were all refreshing and told from the heart. I can recommend this musical for all ages, and artists/nerds/geeks of all stripes.
