Reviews of shows from the New York International Fringe Festival will appear on ArtsBeat through the festival’s close on Aug. 25. For more information, go to fringenyc.org.
The initial sight of Lee J. Kaplan exercising furiously as the audience files into “Bully†can give a misleading impression. Is this chiseled young man the title character?
Hardly. Think of Mr. Kaplan today as the “After†picture in those old comic-book ads with the 98-pound weakling getting sand kicked in his face. Rarely will you see a performer as eager to dive into a role, let alone a role - that of his actual, cowering, tic-ridden 12-year-old self - that most of us wouldn’t revisit with a gun to our head.
“Bully,†which is directed by Padraic Lillis, can best be imagined as the school assembly to end all school assemblies. Mr. Kaplan attacks the inspirational material with a delivery designed to get even the most recalcitrant students out of their seats and ready for battle. He sings “La Bambaâ€! He jumps rope! He shadowboxes! He imitates Austin Powers and Jimmy Stewart and both Hans and Franz! (Remember them? The “Saturday Night Live†bodybuilders? If not, Mr. Kaplan is happy to educate you.) Best of, he prevails over the bullies!
Chunks of “Bully†come verbatim from Mr. Kaplan’s sixth-grade journal entries, complete with blown-up projections on a screen, which may give you a sense of the depth and complexity on display here. This is animated agitprop, pure and simple, its unassailable messages sugarcoated with ounces of sweat, pounds of goofy humor and tons of heart.
“Bully†continues through Aug. 21 at the Steve and Marie Sgouros Theater, 115 MacDougal Street, third floor, West Village.
