WHICH SCHOOL YEARS WERE THE WORST FOR YOU? ELEMENTARY, MIDDLE, HIGH SCHOOL? WHY?
6th through 8th were the worst for me, in ascending order of worstness. When I was in grade school, I was best friends with the most popular kid, and then the day before 6th grade he abruptly told me he'd switched schools, and I was left to the wolves who didn't like me for having been his friend.
DID YOU HAVE A BULLY GROWING UP? IF SO HOW DID YOU HANDLE THEM?
I had three bullies - they liked to make fun of me for being overweight (as my mom would say, "husky"). One of their patented bullying methods was to call me varieties on my real first name, Theodore, so The Odor, Theodork, the Fat Chipmunk, or my favorite was they would call me Barfallonyou or Barfy, because they thought Theodore sounded like Bartholomew, even though they're not in any way the same name. Kids.
I just grinned and bore it, but finally one of their tactics, asking if I "wanted a cookie", all day, all the time, drove me over the edge, and I elbowed one right in the nuts - he was the lowest on the totem pole, and the least deserving, but it sort of nipped the whole thing in the bud.
DID YOU EVER TRY RESOLVING YOUR ISSUES WITH BULLYING THROUGH THE POWER OF SONG? THAT SEEMS TO WORK IN MOST MUSICALS.
They were not musically-inclined.
WHAT WAS THE MOST IMPORTANT GOAL YOU HAD GROWING UP?
My goal was to learn how to not constantly be a step behind. I hate being not "in the know", so I like to now be "in the know". You know?
WHAT HAS IT BEEN LIKE WORKING ON "FATTY FATTY NO FRIENDS?"
FATTY is great fun. The cast gets along great, and the material jumps off the page and is a good load of fun. Especially as one of the bullies, because it's mainly just jumping around and making hay. Why, nothing bad happens in this show, right? Right??
FATTY FATTY NO FRIENDS IS THE STORY OF A KID.
THE SKINNY KIDS HATED HIM, NO MATTER WHAT HE DID.
THEY TAUNTED HIM UNTIL HE TOOK REVENGE WITHOUT AMENDS.
IT WAS A TASTY LESSON FOR FATTY FATTY NO FRIENDS.
Ironically enough I did have a bully when I was about four or five. Her name was Astor and she was twice my size. She kept saying she would put me in the chokie if I didn't do things for her.