REVIEW: Newsies is art at its best

Curtain Call Performing Arts Company’s production of this classic musical features a strong cast, standout choreography and a message perfectly suited to our times.

Curtain Call Performing Arts Company, a local theatre company soon entering its ninth season, has produced a wonderful rendition of Disney’s Newsies: The Musical that is full of energy, spirit, and polish. This weekend brings the end of its run and the last chances to cap off the summer season with a fun and inspirational outing for everyone.

Newsies began as a 1992 film inspired by the New York City newsboys' strike of 1899. While the film did poorly at the box office, it had a notable cast including Christian Bale, Bill Pullman, Ann-Margret, and Robert Duvall. Newsies: The Musical premiered in 2011 with music by Alan Menken (The Little Mermaid, Aladdin), lyrics by Jack Feldman, and book by Harvey Fierstein. Fierstein adapted his script from the film's screenplay by Bob Tzudiker and Noni White. The musical debuted on Broadway in 2012, where it played for more than 1,000 shows at the Nederlander Theatre. It was nominated for eight Tony Awards, winning best original score and best choreography. There followed an American tour and in 2017, a film version of the musical was released. Newsies hit London’s West End in 2022.

In the musical, we meet Jack Kelly, his friend Crutchie, and other mostly orphaned and homeless kids living on the streets of Manhattan. Jack, a mischievous and charismatic older boy, dreams of one day taking a train to Santa Fe, a place where he believes he can have a better life. Until then, he and the others eke out a meager existence selling newspapers and try to avoid being locked up in The Refuge, a juvenile detention centre. The ragtag group is introduced to Davey and his younger brother Les, who are unique for having parents and a home in which to sleep. Then their community is up-ended when Joseph Pulitzer, the publisher of the New York World, decides to increase his profits. He does so by increasing the cost of the papers for the newsies, who buy them first and then re-sell them to passersby. This leads the Manhattan newsies to band together, under the leadership of Kelly, aided by Jack’s friend Medda Larkin, who runs the local vaudeville theatre, and a young female reporter named Katherine Plumber. Hoping for allies among the newsies of the other boroughs, Kelly and his friends decide to strike to make their voices heard.

Produced by the Passion Project branch of Curtain Call, this run of Newsies: The Musical is performed by a large ensemble composed of mainly youth and young adults. I was deeply impressed by the professional quality of the show, one full of constant movement and complex choreography in relatively close quarters. Director Danielle Viola mentions that the cast has “worked relentlessly,” and it’s easy to see the evidence of that in the flawless execution of scene after scene. In addition to their fine physical coordination, the performers look like they are present in the moment and genuinely enjoying their experience onstage (Ria Davda was a vibrant example of this), and that energy illuminates the story. 

The cohesion of the cast was also evident in a few blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moments during the performance. I noticed that on two occasions when a scaffolding set piece came off one of its brakes, actors Morgan Gregory (Jack Kelly) and Johevah Cobby (Medda Larkin) had the awareness to step on the wheel lock to avoid it becoming a danger to the rest of the cast. They continued on with the show without missing a beat, but I was left very impressed by their presence of mind. 

Cobby stood out in her performance with her gorgeous vocals and vivacious and sultry embodiment of theatre owner Medda Larkin, although she plays three additional roles in the production. She is a second-year Sheridan College musical theatre performance student, something she shares with a number of her castmates.

Gregory plays Jack Kelly with all the boyish bravado and easy charm you’d expect him to have, and succeeds in imbuing the character with swagger as well as goodness and a dreamer’s heart. Gregory is entering his third year in the Sheridan College musical theatre performance program, and this is also his CCPAC debut. Santina Francesca, who plays Katherine Plumber, is a graduate of the Queen’s University vocal performance program. This is her second CCPAC musical and she credibly plays an idealistic and vivacious young woman out to prove herself and use her pen for good.

Other stand-outs include the sweet and unstoppably optimistic Crutchie, played by Claire Cappellani, who is also a third-year Sheridan College musical theatre performance student. As a person playing a character with a bad leg, she commits to the role physically and takes no inconsistent shortcuts. Dillon Strasser-Einish is a true chameleon playing a half-dozen different roles in this musical; his performance of Governor Roosevelt is a knock-out. He is a final year Sheridan College musical theatre student as well. Sam Pike plays big brother Davey with a likable earnestness; when he’s not onstage, he has another life as a McMaster computer engineering student.

Mackenna Rankin turns in a remarkable performance as the plucky and never-say-die Les, showing a confidence and poise onstage to rival those double her age. And it was moving to see Celine Jung’s grandparents sitting in the front row, eyes delightedly following her as she gave her all as one of the youngest newsies. 

While the original film and earlier versions of the musical have focused on newsboys, the majority of this production’s newsies were performed by young women. Other commentators have mentioned that more recent productions including the London West End run of Newsies have featured more gender-neutral or female performers, giving it far more flexibility and opportunity in casting.

As I watched the musical unfold, I also realized what a perfect time it is to stage Newsies. With the current news cycle bombarding us with shocking political pronouncements plumbing the depths of cruelty, ignorance, and inequality (particularly from our neighbours to the south), what better time and mechanism to counteract that psychic horror than through art, especially performed by young and vibrant performers? 

In her notes in the playbill, director Viola says, “Newsies has always been a story about underdogs; a group of young people who dared to believe their voices mattered. It’s a tale of resilience, courage, and action. But beyond the headlines and energetic choreography, this production is a reminder that when people come together with passion and purpose and lead with their heart, real change is possible.”

While there are some sentimental and predictable moments to the musical, including a budding, star-crossed romance, Newsies thankfully avoids being overly-sweet or idealistic while maintaining a positive, can-do spirit. The villain of the piece, Joseph Pulitzer (played with panache by Jacob Rushton), is cartoonishly sinister and easily recognizable as an out-of-touch, rich buffoon.

I can imagine that parents, looking for a way to guide their children through this uncertain era with some flicker of hope, could look to the example of Newsies, particularly as a story based on historical fact, to illustrate that empathy and unity of purpose can serve as an antidote to feelings of powerlessness and despair. It’s a message from which both children and adults can certainly benefit, while at the same time being entertained. That is art at its best.

Congratulations to the cast, Viola, choreographers Emma Clarke and Moira Vaughan-Lee, vocal director Jacob Rushton, and the rest of the crew on a job well done.

NEED TO KNOW

Curtain Call PAC’s Newsies
Continues Aug. 28 & 29, 7 p.m. and Aug. 30, 2:30 p.m.
The Gasworks
141 Park St. N., Hamilton
Tickets: 905-541-6803 or visit: curtaincallpac.ca
General admission seating, ages 5+ 
Runtime: approx. 2.5 hours with a 15 minute intermission 
Snacks & non-alcoholic beverages available 
Doors open 20 minutes before the performance