I had the chance to see the Broadway tour of Disney’s “Newsies” this past Thursday at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center in Nashville. The musical was directed by Jeff Calhoun, choreography by Christopher Gattelli, music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Jack Feldman, and book by Harvey Fierstein with original screenplay by Bob Tzudiker & Noni White.
“Newsies” is the story of early 1900s paperboys striking against the head of The World newspaper after paper prices go up, bringing to light the negatives of child labor in New York City. It’s a musical that has just the right amount of drama, comedy, and romance to put people on the edge of their seats the entire time.
The acting was superb. All the cast members were in sync during the production, ensuring overall success in the music and dancing. Dan DeLuca’s portrayal of antagonist Jack Kelly would make Jeremy Jordan proud; the authenticity of the character shines on stage. Kelly’s chemistry with Katherine, played by Stephanie Styles, was undeniably evident, as the two shared romantic moments but also had that real effect of a couple in the way of insults and wit. The newsies, including Crutchie, Davey and Les (Zachary Sayle, Jacob Kemp and Anthony Rosenthal respectively) had moments of grief-stricken, tear-gripping and glorious scenes as well. It was obvious that everyone had a passion to perform and I was lucky to see this.
The music was phenomenal and passionate. The live orchestra was compiled of touring musicians as well as local musicians. Every cast member had a chance to showcase his or her voice in numbers including “Carrying the Banner”, “The World Will Know”, and “Seize the Day.” These group numbers always caused goosebumps for me. Solos were beyond awesome, especially DeLuca’s performance of “Santa Fe” and Sayle’s “Letter from the Refuge.”
The choreography made me want to jump on the stage and join the cast! With a dose of free-style, a tablespoon of ballet, and a pinch of tap, all the dance numbers were challenging but the cast pulled it off gracefully. And with the cast being mostly male, this show comes to show that men can definitely dance (and steal my heart by doing so!).
As for the technical side of the production, everything went smoothly. Sets and scene changes came and gone gracefully without hesitation. Lights were considerate of respective scenes and sound was crystal clear (oversaw by Jeff Croiter and Ken Travis respectively). Set and costume designs made the setting of the early 1900s realistic and believable, thanks to Tobin Ost and Jess Goldstein. The projections used to bring forth the headlines, and other effects to the stage were done fantastically by Sven Ortel.
Overall, “Newsies” is a show-stopper. It has the right mix of every theater aspect to make this the show of the century (but then again, anything Disney does is awesome). It was nice to see a cast so passionate about what they do contribute and give their all to make this show amazing. I would definitely see it again!
The Nashville performances are May 26- 31, but don’t fret! The show will come to The Orpheum in Memphis Dec. 8- 13 later this year.
