Newsies is a foot-tapping, hand-clapping, rip roaring good time of a show. Based on the book Children of the City by David Nasaw, Newsies brings the story of the 1899 newspaper strike to the stage with the magic of music and lyrics by Alan Menken and Jack Feldman. The story of the little guy taking on the giant of publishing, Joseph Pulitzer, will leap and dance its way straight into your heart. With a limited one-week engagement in Seattle, Newsies should jump to the top of your list this week.
At the turn of the twentieth century, news stands and newspaper boxes didn’t exist. If you lived in a big city such as New York, you bought your paper from a newsboy on the street. The Newsies were poor, often orphaned, and made barely enough to get by. From the opening scene, we meet two Newsies who are the heart of the story: Jack Kelly is their fearless leader, and Crutchie is their heart. Their friendship and dreams for a better future make for an immediate connection with the audience.
The other Newsies that make up many of the minor characters and the ensemble bring a great variety of personality and ethnicity to the stage. The history of immigration to the U.S. is subtly but well portrayed as my keen-eyed daughter noticed. However, the power of the Newsies and the ensemble is not in their individuality but their impact as a unified group.
While many shows have good dancing, Newsies is a show built almost entirely around dancing. The athleticism displayed on stage is nothing short of breathtaking. My twelve-year old daughter admitted to scanning the stage floor over and over thinking that there must be a hidden trampoline somewhere. Seriously folks, the elevation the dancers got on their leaps, jumps and acrobatic flips was simply spectacular. Even the small movements were performed with such precision and power to make them equally impressive. The show was truly a feast for the eyes.
Of course, you can’t have great dancing without great music, and Newsies has plenty of that too. Both my daughter and I were completely unfamiliar with the show, not knowing its story or its music at all. As theater lovers, I have no idea how we missed this train for so long. The music is powerful and catchy. Walking through the parking deck to our car, we heard multiple groups of people still singing songs from the show. On the car ride home, my daughter was able to sing the chorus of two different songs – songs that she has just heard for the first time. That kind of instant connection with a song rarely happens. Only the top tier shows, the ones that are or will become classics have music that seeps into your pores, and stays with you. Newsies is definitely in this category.
It’s hard to put into words the amount of energy that is exuded on stage during the show. The dancing is only one part of it. The main sets, designed by Tobin Ost, consist of three automated towers with three levels each rising twenty-four feet high. The towers move forward and back and revolve in place. The actors are climbing up and down the stairs between the levels, jumping over gates, swinging off overhead bars and making the whole stage look like the most fun jungle gym ever. I couldn’t help but wonder if one of the actors ever wore a fitbit to see how many steps he gets in a show!
Newsies is a Disney production, and Disney recommends the show for ages six and up. That sounds about right to me. The show runs two hours six minutes, plus a twenty-minute intermission. For the 7:30pm show, the first night ended at 10:00pm on the dot. While there are a couple of slow songs sung as solos with only one or two actors on stage, the show is paced extremely well, and those slow moments are really just enough time to catch your breath (and possibly for the ensemble to get oxygen treatments backstage) before the high-energy, full-cast numbers return to the stage. The plot is simple, straightforward and easy to follow. However, taking a few minutes to explain what a strike is might help young kids. The old printing press was also something that intrigued my daughter and other kids may want to learn about as well. The only other term that may require clarification is a worker’s union. As always, remember to grab a seat cushion for your kiddos as soon as you can. While some of the action takes place up high on the towers, you don’t want to miss the fantastic tap dancing at stage level.
Working together, seeking justice, protecting the poor – these are all themes at work in the show. So many opportunities for good conversations are present. The struggle between the good guys and the bad guys is clear. Luckily, the good guys win, and everyone walks away feeling stronger, empowered and full of hope. Newsies embodies the best of entertainment with a dose of moral goodness, and that is the recipe for show magic. This show has a large group of dedicated followers called Fansies. By intermission, my daughter and I were both ready to join. This show is electric, amazing, and touching. Don’t miss out – get your night of magic this week!
IF YOU GO:
Where: The Paramount, 911 Pine Street, Seattle, WA 98101
When: Wed., April 27th – Sunday, May 1st
Cost: Tickets starts at $30
Contact: stgpresents.org, tickets.com, or 877-STG-4TIX
Kelly Rogers Flynt is a freelance write based out of Lake Forest Park and the mother of two budding thespians of her own.
