Fredipus Rex, A Blind Fool
By Laurel Graeber

Making a mistake is easy. Admitting it is less so. A lot less.

Such is the crisis in the aptly named kingdom of Baloneya, where the king, a wizard named Fredipus, makes serious errors. This being children's theater rather than Greek tragedy, Fredipus's misdeeds are more along the lines of creating stink beetles and silly flags than killing his father and marrying his mother. But they still cause problems, because he never admits he's wrong.

In "The Nastiest Drink in the World", presented by Vital Children's Theater, Fredipus has made a huge blooper. During a tongue-twisting spell, he has mispronounced weather as feather. So his drought-ridden realm is awash in plumes, and his three sycophantic courtiers are afraid to tell him the truth.

With a book and lyrics by Mark Loewenstern and music by John Gregor, this hourlong interactive musical gives children special satisfaction: telling grown-ups they're wrong. It's also funny for adults, as when Samantha, a subject, insists, "My town is buried in feathers," and a courtier replies "Well, that depends on what you mean by is".

The plucky Samantha proposes a challenge for Fredipus: that they concoct the nastiest drink ever. If his three stooges pronounce it delicious, he will have to admit that they've been lying about his perfection. Children are thrilled to suggest the ingredients. "Toilet water" my son shouted; and he didn't mean what you buy at the perfume counter.

Directed by Carrie Libling, "The Nastiest Drink" is performed by Aaron Walters, Lee Overtree, Matt Wells, Dianna DiPalma, Kelly Hayes and, at the performance I saw, Craig Fitzpatrick. They're good at serving the humor that makes the show's message easy to swallow: "mistakes is how you learn".

The Nastiest Drink in the World through Feb. 23 at Vital Theater Company, 432 West 42nd Street, third floor, Clinton. Saturdays at 1 p.m.; Sundays at 1 and 3 p.m. Tickets: $14. Reservations: (212) 592-4508.

THE NASTIEST DRINK
Review by Doug DeVita

There was more fun per square minute in The Nastiest Drink in the World than the small stage at Vital Theatre can hold, and Carrie Libling's production of Mark Lowenstern and John Gregor's ebulliently snazzy musical burst out of the intimate space with raucous, contagious good cheer.

King Fredipus is always right, and he has the servants to tell him so! So imagine his surprise when one of his subjects, the timid yet tenacious Samantha, confronts him with his fallibility. How she does it gives the show its title, and its audience the chance to participate in some particularly inventive gross-out humor.

Lowenstern's book and lyrics are a bubbly concoction, perfectly in tune with Gregor's lilting score. And if Libling's direction occasionally ran riotously out-of-control, the boldly colored production's energy never flagged, the audience and performers frequently getting caught up in the sheer happiness of it all, and the level of detail was frequently astounding (especially Libling's use of color-coordinated props).

As Fredipus, Aaron Walters gave a joyously physical performance and invested his character with more than enough charm to keep his nastier attributes at bay. Kelly Hayes was a lovely, determined Samantha, while Craig Fitzpatrick, Dianna DiPalma, and Lee Overtree as Fredipus's advisors Primo, Segunda and Tertio were all brilliant, each one sweetly obsequious, delightfully dim, and boisterously beguiling as necessary.

As mentioned, the production was a riot of smartly conceived color,: from Roberto Sanchez-Camus's pop-up story book set complete with crazy crenellations, to Jenna Rossi's absolutely beautiful fairytale costumes, to the clear, slightly gelled lighting (uncredited). The Nastiest Drink in the World had a visual sophistication that was nearly on the level of a highly polished Broadway extravaganza.

The Nastiest Drink in the World is the third production under the auspices of Carrie Libling, Vital Theatre's new director of the children's theatre division. She had a tough act to follow with the departure of former director Bruce Merrill, but she has very quickly proved that she has been more than up to the task. Vital Children's Theatre continues as one of the smartest and most enjoyable places for provocative entertainment for all ages.

THE NASTIEST DRINK
Review by Deborah S Greenhut

You might think that a kingdom run by the uncorrectable, but often mistaken, King Fredipus (Dan Kolodny) would be a colorless, dismal, even frightening place. But you'd be wrong.

The authors, director, and choreographer (Dax Valdes), and costume (Sylvie Marc Charles), lighting (Rie Ono), and set (Jess Hooks) designers deliciously conspired to provide a colorful, madcap hour of escapist fun in the aptly named Kingdom of Baloneya. Lights (Shuhei Sho) and a simple but clever set of drapes contributed to the drama as a little girl, Samantha, played smartly by the well-cast Julie Brooks, challenges the Kings ego to save her village. Stage Manager Amy Gargan certainly had her capable hands full during a theatrical nightmare sequence where lighting and an inventive use of hands and drapes contributed to the puppet-like drama of Samantha's challenge to the King.

The question is: who can tell the King that hes made a mistake? The early action of the play centers on his advisers unwillingness to do that. They are too frightened. The situation changes, though, when King Fredipuss magic spell produces an unwelcome result for the town below the castle. Fredipus tries to blow it off, but Samantha persists, conspiring with the weak-willed advisers to catch the king in his own mistake. And yes, it did involve a wonderfully nasty drink, and mayhem.

This productions aim was true -- right to the gross-out funny bone, including cartoon pratfalls and amusingly awful concoctions -- all propelled by delightful music, witty lyrics, and occasional winks at the adults in the crowd. The Nastiest Drink in the World offered plenty of funhouse-mirror looks at childish behavior by adults, but it never lost its primary aim: entertainment. There was plenty of that in the kiss-up behavior of the Kings three useless advisors: Primo, played by Chris Janssen, whose facial expressions and physical comedy occasioned numerous raucous outbursts; Segunda (Brooke Lyn Hetrick), caught in the middle and trying with comic desperation to mediate; and last, but not least, given his Stan Laurel-esque height and facial expressions, Michael Huber as Tertio. Kolodny, while enduring and denying the conventional slapstick humiliations, including the familar split pants, gave the Kings personality enough edge to strike a little fear in the hearts of the crowd, but this was always nicely counteracted by the fools. The cast was well-prepared for anything during the audience participation sequences -- Tertio (Michael Huber), in particular, adlibbed well with unexpectedly spunky comments from the front row. It was all received in fun.

The lesson of the play is carried perfectly by the song, Speak up Samantha, conveyed poignantly by the lovely voiced Brooks -- a coaching moment well worth the price of admission! In the world of Baloneya, even kings can learn how to behave. Now, if only real-world leaders would learn to blink.