MARK AUERBACH
HARTFORD – Newsies arrived in Hartford this week with a solid reputation. It’s a recent Broadway hit with two Tony Awards to its credit. It’s a Disney Theatricals production, which means the design and production elements are as top notch as they were on Broadway. It’s well staged and choreographed, beautifully-performed, and it comes from quality material. Newsies is adapted for the stage from a well-received film with music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Jack Feldman, and book by Harvey Fierstein.
Newsies tells the story of a group of newspaper delivery boys, who rise up against Joseph Pulitzer, the newspaper tycoon, to demand fair wages and working conditions in 1899 New York City. Fierstein’s book adaptation is solid, and the Newsies score by Menken and Feldman has a melodic Broadway score, enhanced by superb orchestrations by Danny Troob.
Newsies North American tour. (Photo by Deen van Meer)
Many people have mourned the loss of the Big Broadway dance musicals, since Bob Fosse and Michael Bennett have passed and Tommy Tune has stopped staging musicals. Not to worry, though. A new class of Broadway choreographers are reinventing the showstoppers that make Broadway unlike any other art or entertainment form there is. Joshua Bergasse (On The Town), Christopher Wheeldon (An American in Paris), and Christopher Gattelli, who snagged a Tony Award for his steps for Newsies, are the new dance guys in town.
Gattellii’s choreography is the reason to rush to The Bushnell to see some high-kicking, energetic dancing that turns a nice adaptation of a film into a continuouw showstopper. His staging of the show’s anthem “Sieze The Day” is thrilling, and the second-act opener “King of New York” is one of those dance numbers that cries out for thunderous ovations, which it got. And the Newsies cast moves; they leap, they jump, they pirouette flawlessly, athletically, and balletically.
Jeff Calhoun’s direction is slick, and Tobin Ott’s sets with Sven Ortel’s projections are terrific. I liked the period costumes by Jess Goldstein and the lightin by Jeff Croiter. My only quibble was the sound design, which was almost as loud as a rock concert, leaving little subtelty in moments that deserved it.
All of the performances are superb. I had an advantage of having seen enough photos to recognize Westfield native Joshua Burrage early on in the ensemble. He’s a nimble dancer with great extensions and a charming stage presence. I hope Newsies is the beginning of a great career for him. I liked Joey Barreiro as Jack Kelly, the leader of the newsies, and his love interest, Katherine, played by Morgan Keene, who offered a wonderful rendering of “Watch What Happens”. I also enjoyed Zachary Sayle as Crutchie, and Aisha de Haas as Medda Larkin, a club singer.
Newsies is a must for people who like their musical ensembles energetic and dynamic, and their choreography one showstopper after another.
The Bushnell presentsDisney Theatricals’ production of “Newsies”. Book by Harvey Fierstein. Music by Alan Menken. Lyrics by Jack Fedlman.Music direction by James Dodgson.. Choreography by Christopher Gattelli. Direction by Jeff Calhoun. Scenic design by Tobin Ost. Costume design by Jess Goldstein. Lighting design by Jeff Croiter. Sound design by Ken Travis. Through Octiober 18. The Bushnell, Hartford, CT. For tickets: 860-987-5900 or www.bushnell.org.
Mark G. Auerbach studied theatre at American University and the Yale School of Drama. He’s worked for arts organizations and reported on theatre for newspapers and radio.
