ensemble members in Newsies: The Musical
Quad City Music Guild’s Newsies, directed by Erin Platt, is an inspirational depiction of the power of community and solidarity. Based on the 1992 Disney movie of the same name, the musical is a dramatization of the New York Newsboy Strike of 1899. Jack Kelly (Joey Dryoel) steps forward to lead the protest against newspaper magnate Joseph Pulitzer (Nathan Bates) and his attempt to squeeze yet more money out of the already destitute newsies. The struggle quickly expands beyond Jack’s immediate circle and situation, as it becomes a universal rallying call for better working conditions. We attended the show’s opening night on July 5.
Mischa: Even though Jack does take a leadership role, I’d say all the newsies together are the true stars of the show – they filled the stage with enthusiasm and energy. So much youthful animation. And so much great ensemble singing!
Kitty: Absolutely. I think some people are hesitant to attend shows that feature a lot of young actors, but this group never comes across as inexperienced. Honestly, the young ensemble was a highlight for me. They played off each other well; the camaraderie was very believable. Also, the gender mix was great. Even though this is written for a very male-heavy cast, I loved that Platt decided to cast newsies of all genders. I thought the casting subtly made the plot more universal.
M: Again on the collective front, I felt the moments of mass action were often super-effective, such as the stage-wide mêlée between the newsies and the hired troublemakers. We got a kind of controlled chaos with all sorts of things going on at the same time. Kudos to fight choreographer Lily Anna Blouin.
K: This show definitely had a lot of moving parts. Obviously, there are several big dance numbers – ably choreographed by Shana Kulhavy.
M: Yeah, and I liked that they incorporated tap dancing in “King of New York” – everyone doing tap together produced a thunderous effect, but the back-and-forth mini-dance-off performed by Specs (Avery Sondergroth) and Albert (Will Emerle) was even more impressive.
K: Oh! And the acrobatics performed by the “tumblers” credited in the program (Brynna Slankard, Laiylah Denkert, Maeve O’Keefe, and Avery Kampmann) were pretty amazing. They provided a big “wow” factor and really stole the show whenever they appeared.
M: We are going to talk about the leads, though, right?
K: Yes! Dryoel’s Jack had charm and charisma. He won us over from the start. Jack is a real Artful Dodger kind of character, but Dryoel found the balance between miscreant and hero. We see Jack with all his flaws, but we still root for him.
M: Jack’s sidekick Crutchie was portrayed with heart by Blue Roland, and her performance culminated in a touchingly hopeful “Letter from the Refuge.” Cody Dutton gave a solid performance as Davey, the new kid who winds up as an almost accidental union leader. And outside the world of newsies, but looking in, is Katherine Plumber, played by Hillary Erb. She has a fantastic singing voice and presence, but the love story in Newsies seems kind of tacked on.
K: Dryoel and Erbs were good, individually, but their characters' romance seemed a little bit forced. Then again, as you said, the love story wasn’t particularly key to the overall plot.
M: I will say that their voices worked really well together in their big duet “Something to Believe in.”
K: On the evil side of things, Bates presented a solid “villainous” persona, and he used his powerful voice to great effect as much in acting as in singing. I was a little bit distracted by his stage makeup. It was clearly intended to make Bates look older, but it needed to be blended a little more to make it more realistic.
M: Another acting highlight for me was Stephen Scott, who convincingly played multiple, well-differentiated roles including the mayor and a dancing newsie.
K: I also want to shout-out Amber Whitaker’s performance as Race. She was animated, and constantly engaged with ensemble members in moments that helped establish her character as a fun-loving rascal. Now, as a Theodore Roosevelt stan, I really need to talk about his portrayal in this show. We get a brief cameo of a pre-presidential Teddy Roosevelt as the governor of New York. Kirsten Myers definitely captured the jolly nature Roosevelt was known for. But I felt like he could have taken it even further, and everything could have been bigger. I know it was a small role, but it’s also an iconic historical figure, so I think this is one time in which it’s okay to really play it up.
M: Regarding big-picture topics, besides the excellent singing, the music as a whole (directed by Amy Trimble) came together strongly, with a nice, energetic pit orchestra.
K: I thought that CW Howard’s set was very good. It rightly had an industrial look, and while sparse, was functional in providing many levels and areas to play with, and also visually complemented the theme. The backdrop of giant newspapers was a nice design touch, but I do wish that they'd used more of the headlines that are mentioned in the show. It would have been a good reference point for the audience.
M: I loved Jacob Laufenberg’s lighting, which produced a lot of different moody effects – especially the different-colored lighting used on the backdrop and the few times footlights were used, providing an eerie contrast. Final thought?
K: Worth seeing, for sure. Newsies would make a fine summer family activity. I was happy to see several kids in the opening-night audience.
M: Agreed. And the message of how strong people can be when they act together is always timely.
Quad City Music Guild's Newsies: The Musical runs at the Prospect Park Auditorium (1584 34th Avenue, Moline IL) through July 14, and more information and tickets are available by calling (309)762-6610 and visiting QCMusicGuild.com.
