December 17th 2005 – February 5th 2006
Saturdays and Sundays at 1pm and 3pm

With a peppy score and lyrics...With a sense of humor as well as a sense of mission..."The Bully," like the best kind of teacher, nudges children toward the truth and then lets them discover it on their own.
-New York Times

“THE BULLY’S music and lyrics are clever and engaging… the cast were full of talent, enthusiasm, and energy …Vital can chalk up another success.” - Off Off Broadway Review

Music & Lyrics by JOHN GREGOR
Book by DAVID L. WILLIAMS
Directed by SUZU MCCONNELL-WOOD
Choreographed by MARCO JO CLATE
 Musical Direction by JOHN GREGOR

“THE BULLY” tells the story of Lenny, the smartest kid in school.  Unfortunately he is not necessarily the strongest kid and he is constantly picked on by Steve the school bully.  A bus mix up leaves the two boys stranded at the wrong school where they both get picked on for being the “new kids.” Taunted by the terrifying “Mega,” the boys learn what life is really like for the other and are forced to work together in order to get back to their own school.  In the end they make the realization that they might not be so different after al.

Featured in the cast are:

LAURA BINSTOCK, JEANETTE BONNER
KATHERINE BOYNTON, SHANE CAMP, MIRON GUSSO
BRIAN CHARLES ROONEY*, JERE WILLIAMS

.Artistic and Production Team.

Scenic Design . ERIC EVERETT . 
Lighting Design.CARRIE YACONO
Costume Design .AMY KITZHABER
Production Stage Manager.KANAKO MORITA

Family Fare
By LAUREL GRAEBER

Published: January 13, 2006

So Who's a Bully Now?

You might expect a children's theatrical production called "The Bully" to be a little, well, bullying: a heavy moral lesson that hits its young audiences over the head.

Refreshingly, that description does not apply to Vital Children's Theater's new hourlong musical. With a peppy score and lyrics by John Gregor and an insightful book by David L. Williams, "The Bully" recognizes that bullies and bullying take many forms. With a sense of humor as well as a sense of mission, it explores its highly topical subject through sixth-grade characters who are human beings rather than black-and-white symbols.

The plot centers on Lenny (Brian Charles Rooney), smart and small, and his hulking nemesis, Steve (Miron Gusso), who delights in pushing Lenny around. But things change when the two accidentally get on the wrong bus and are sent to a school where they are mistaken for new students and told to watch out for Mega, the local big cheese. Imagine their astonishment when Mega turns out to be Megan (Laura Binstock), who clearly takes her cues from repeated viewings of "Mean Girls." Sly, smiling and utterly vicious, she takes bullying to a level where even Steve can't compete.

The presence of a common enemy alters the dynamic between Steve, who has vulnerabilities of his own, and Lenny, who is revealed to have been a tattletale and a know-it-all. I won't give away more, except to say that the conclusion is hilarious, witty and even moving. "The Bully," like the best kind of teacher, nudges children toward the truth and then lets them discover it on their own.

"The Bully," through Feb. 5 at the McGinn/Cazale Theater, 2162 Broadway, at 76th Street; (212) 352-3101. Saturdays and Sundays at 1 and 3 p.m.; also this Monday at 1 p.m., followed by an optional dance workshop at 2. Tickets: $16; workshop, $14; pass for both, $25.

ForTour Bookings of "THE BULLY" Please Contact:
Robin Klinger
Robin Klinger Entertainment LLC
80 Knights Bridge Road Suite 1D
Great Neck, New York 11021
516-466-7101 Phone
516-466-7102 Fax
robinklinger@aol.com