BWW Reviews: Captivating Social Issue Gets Solo Treatment at Capital Fringe with BULLY

Lee J. Kaplan's solo piece, simply titled Bully, pretty much sells itself. Bullying is of course a really hot topic these days. A nearly inconceivable number of books, print media articles, films, and television spots have addressed the issue in a variety of ways. Many capitalize on individual stories which give a face to the issue while also serving as a public service announcement to children, young adults (and even, to some extent, adults) that repeated, aggressive behavior that targets another person isn't something that should be tolerated. In this regard, Kaplan's solo piece, which just finished up a run at DC's Fringe Festival and will soon be featured in the NY Fringe Festival, isn't so different from the others but it's certainly well executed.

We meet adult Lee as he's training to fight back against the oppressor (realistically and metaphorically speaking). It becomes clear he's still deeply affected by the trauma he endured as a kid in elementary and middle school. He's in boxing gear and is ready to claim his own destiny, or is he? As he trains, he shares with us his personal stories of being bullied for a variety of vague reasons (as is the case with most bullying). Put succinctly, he doesn't really fit in and others - even former friends - see him as a target. Using his own journal as a basis (he was forced to keep one in 6th grade), we meet the younger Lee, the authority figures in his life, and the oppressors (which young Lee equates to evil action figures) that he captures in his journal. At the same time, with some help from a PowerPoint presentation, we learn about what bullying is and how to address it.

While the show comes off as a bit too after-school-special for my taste and, at times a bit manipulative, whiney, and schmaltzy, one has to give credit to Mr. Kaplan for having the courage to share his personal and very specific tale and having the acting talent to pull off the diverse range of characters employing a variety of voices and physical postures to bring it to life. He brings the audience into his world and those who likely have a bigger heart than I do - or don't care that his tale offers nothing new other than some great theatrical staging - might deeply feel for his plight. Masterful direction by Padriac Lillis is a key ingredient to focusing the story and making it seem less like a therapy session than it probably really is.

Despite my quibbles, I will note that the audience's reaction to this piece was overwhelming at the performance I saw. There's clearly an audience for it and Kaplan is clearly deserving of that as an actor even if it isn't me.

Running Time: 60 minutes.

Bully played its last performance at Capital Fringe on July 20, 2013. It will be seen next in the NY Fringe Festival in August 2013.

Show Graphic: Courtesy of the Production.