BOSTON: No one should go to “Newsies” looking for subtlety. Since its story of David versus Goliath with his hymn, feet stomping his intensely musical numbers athletic choreography, the music is written in bold, top to bottom. And rightly so.
The heroes are clear, even more villains, and if a moment of quiet reflection is cast, were quickly filled by a newsboy cartwheel (or three). We cheer when good prevail but never get too worried when things are difficult, because the thing grittiest in this portrait of poverty and child labor is the exploitation of coal in the faces of the actors.
I have not seen the Broadway version, but I found this incarnation be adequately strong and convincing, even if the material fades cheerfully formulaic ultimately memory fairly quickly. Those whose hearts are captured by the struggle of “Newsies” Young man, mostly orphaned children selling newspapers on the street in turn-of-the-century New York-even can be inspiring.
And when all 17 of these warlike children are gathered in a crowd, or spread around neighbors evoking set of scaffolding and ladders director Jeff Calhoun Tobin Ost makes clever use of his rebellious potentially together and sing the glories of collective action in the face of oppression, the scene almost suggests “Les Misérables” for the whole of urchin America.
The show is a creation of Disney’s 1992 film based on the house mouse, a box office bomb that grew into a kind of worship through home viewing. The musical was a success in Paper Mill Playhouse in 2011 before going straight to Broadway next year. Our hero is Jack Kelly a Newsie 17-year-old, who is the de facto leader of the group. It becomes an impromptu union organizer when evil (as shown here) chief Joseph Pulitzer newspapers raises the price that children have to pay to buy batteries Wholesale newspapers each morning. If that sounds a bit Picayune conflict and the eventual commitment made to feel more transactional culminating in the moment just present everything as “oppressed children vs. adults greedy”, and it works.
As Jack, Dan DeLuca has a busy night. He has given a bit of a step with respect to the choreography of gymnastics, but is offered in eight songs, not to mention all the rave-ups sets. DeLuca has a lot of charisma under the cap seller of newspapers, and manages to convey seriousness and without coming off as cloying. His romantic interest in brave reporter (Stephanie Styles) Katherine is sweet as pie, and when it receives the full purchase offer inevitability of their enemies, there is never much afraid he will go all the Judas of his comrades. Styles friendly hits all the notes we expect from their familiar character. At first she is defensive, then the doubts herself in a man’s world, and ultimately proven his mettle.
Davy Jacob joins Jack Kemp and Katherine one of the few characters that are allowed to grow through their experiences in this clash in black and white and character types. Kemp is lovely as a young man whose form, the book-intelligence and clear enunciation immediately mark it as a stranger in the crowd. It is a pleasure to see you leave the uncomfortable intruder reluctant stirrer. Davy’s little brother Les (played at the opening of Vincent Crocilla) lands necessary for one line and is cute without exaggeration.
The book by Harvey Fierstein (the film was written by Bob Tzudiker and Noni White) spent a surprising amount of verbiage talking about the virtue of the unions, and makes more-than-casual note of the various forms of labor exploitation. (The leader of the strike by 1,899 newsagents’ in which “Newsies” is based, a child known as Kid Blink, offered a remarkable echo, conversational Thomas Paine when he was quoted as saying: “Dis is a time that is hearts of men. Dis is currently we’se have to stick together like glue. “) But if the world of these children is grim objectively, that looks like a happy bunch subsisting on handouts of water and of the church, living on the street.
Music by Alan Menken and lyrics by Jack Feldman are less memorable, with almost all pretty bland despite his exhortations flag waving. (“King of New York” and “The world will know” are more successful.) And if you do not get the idea for the first time, there is usually a repetition or two around the corner. But maybe this is just the thing for young Disney fans love to sing their favorite songs over and over.
“Newsies” would be a great option for the first visit of a curious child to the theater, or young dancers who can excite the bits of ballet and tap to continue to emerge, to go with a lot of cartwheels and somersaults tandem. (The choreography is by Christopher Gattelli.) Opening night in the touring production brought to the city on Broadway in Boston, there seemed to be many young couples who maybe fell in love with the film to be seen again and again on DVD after from school.
For all the movement that otherwise fills the stage, Styles almost steals the show with a solo number, “Watch What Happens.” Alone in his office, Katherine struggles to summon the muse to find the confidence in their vulnerability. It is a human moment, and makes a big impact with small strokes.
If “Newsies” had more than right now, it would be a richer experience. But as it stands, it is an overwhelming crowd-pleaser. And that seems enough to shout about.
Newsies The Musical 