View from the Green Room: Barn-stormin’ Newsies stop the presses
The finale of Newsies at Garter Lane.
There’s a reason why the title of this show is pluralised. It’s because this show celebrates the triumph of the littles over the greats, the powerless over the powerful and the collective power of the many to triumph over the greed of the one.
And it shows in the huge acrobatic dance routines of massive choruses that are superbly grouped and moved by 2024 AIMS Choreographer Jack Cunningham. The best songs – “Carrying the Banner…The world will know…Seize the Day…King of New York…Once and for all” belong to the Newsies ensembles with dance routines that are fist-pumpin’, foot-stompin’, aggressive and acrobatic.
Chorus groupings enter from side stage and from front of house as others exit or form stage pictures in side groupings. I counted over 70 in the finale and, yet, the stage never appeared over-crowded.
A clever set facilitates the staging. Two token uncompleted walls stand downstage as nods to the poverty of the Newsies' surroundings and a framed rear rostrum becomes the rooftop where all the intimate conversations took place.
Cast move furniture to floor areas, such as offices, side streets and Newsies Sq., Bowery Theatre and Brooklyn Sq., and, of course, the appalling sub-human Refuge where homeless kids are incarcerated for the crime of being poor.
The whole show feels like a somewhat updated Les Mis where the poor protest having suffered enough.
These Newsies' kids are mean, lean and exploited and they’re just not going to take it anymore.
Their attempt to unionise is met with force from Pulitzer’s goons and a corrupt police officer in well-choreographed fight scenes. There’s a constant feel tonight of being confronted by shabby rights-conscious kids that appear from every angle where finger-pointing and attitude-striking is everywhere.
Based on the real-life Newsboy Strike of 1899 in New York, the musical tells the story of Jack Kelly, a charismatic newsboy who dreams of a life as an artist away from the big city in a romanticised Santa Fe.
After publishing giant Joseph Pulitzer raises newspaper prices at the newsboys’ expense, Kelly and his fellow newsies take action and stop the presses. With help from the beautiful female reporter Katherine Plumber, all of New York City soon recognizes the power of “the little man”. Because there’s a double-up on most parts, I don’t get to see all the actors. However, it’s wonderful to see that there’s so much talent in the stage schools that they can produce multiple actors for parts for shows that musical societies hitherto simply couldn’t cast at all.
Tonight it’s Evan Sheehan and Bronagh Steenson’s night to shine as the romantic interest and conscience of the show, as Newsie Jack Kelly and journalist Katherine Plumber, with Sam Marsden and Layla Roche Caulfield filling the roles on alternate performances.
Evan’s languid, measured Jack, complete with authentic Bronx accent, is just right as the intelligent voice of the Newsies and Bronagh’s journalistic passion shows through in her determination to get the story out there.
Brothers Davey (Alex Brophy/Erin Quinn) and Les (Shannon Rose McCara/ Layla Hearne/Mark Bouchier), along with Crutchie (Niall Broderick/Daniel Andrews) give that emotional shove to the drama of the piece as their story of being forced onto the streets to avoid hunger and deprivation emerges.
Bowery Theatre vaudeville star Medda Larkin (Chloe Byrne/ Sophie Reynolds) shines as the Newsies' street “mother” that constantly helps out, while Charlie Barrett’s Pulitzer emerges as bullying newspaper owner and profit-obsessed Joe Pulitzer, who makes economic slaves of his young newspaper sellers.
Ultimately, the Newsies are the stars of this action-packed show. However, with a cast the size of Ben Hur, it isn’t possible to name everyone.
Newsies is a powerful and punchy in-yer-face musical drama that grips its audience.
