"Scarlata’s brisk pacing and bold blocking, especially effective in the crowd scenes and large ensemble numbers, gives 'Newsies' an epic quality yet allows space for several intimate closeups"
~ Michael Grossberg, The Columbus Dispatch
Theater review
‘Newsies’: Gallery Players’ exhilarating production captures spirit of youth
By Michael Grossberg, For The Columbus Dispatch
Full of youthful resilience, plucky personality, syncopated song and dazzling dance, “Newsies” is a terrific production, one of Gallery Players’ best. The large and largely young-adult cast leaps, swoops, taps, pirouettes and resonantly vocalizes through a series of rousing song-and-dance numbers in Disney’s teen-oriented Broadway musical about turn-of-the century New York news boys who go on strike for better pay. At Saturday’s sold-out opening in the Jewish Community Center’s Roth/Resler Theatre, Gallery Players’ exuberant and endearing production wowed the crowd enough to spark repeated applause – perhaps a vicarious reflection of the impulse many theatergoers felt to leap to their feet, too.
Director Ryan Scarlata and choreographer Nicolette Montana bring out the best of the well-knit ensemble – especially in composer Alan Menken and lyricist Jack Feldman’s most stirring songs, such as “Seize the Day,” “The World Will Know” and “King of New York.” Cory Velazco, a believable working-class New Yorker and a vibrant singer (especially in the
wistful “Santa Fe”), deftly leads the “newsies” and the cast as dreamer Jack Kelly. Initially awkward at public speaking and reluctant to endanger his band of brothers, Jack eventually finds the courage to confront newspaper publisher Joseph Pulitzer (Brian McCafferty), who has raised the price the boys must pay to resell bulk papers.
Bella Glaser sings beautifully and earns admiration as Katherine, an independent-minded and ambitious young woman eager to prove herself as a reporter for the New York Sun. Katherine wasn’t in the 1992 Disney film that inspired the musical, but the addition of this pivotal character balances the predominant male energy with welcome femininity and proto-feminism while adding sparks of romance. Kyle Channell elicits sympathy as Crutchie, a disabled newsboy who doesn’t let his crutch impede his convictions or soulful camaraderie, nicely summed up in “Letter from the Refuge.”
Scott Wilson (oozing corruption as the Refuge’s warden), Amy Marie Lang (as feisty vaudeville- theater proprietor Medda Larkin), Eric Neuenschwander (as ebullient Governor Teddie Roosevelt) and a half-dozen other adult actors provide solid support, but this musical was designed to put the spotlight on the irrepressible spirit of youth.
Scarlata’s brisk pacing and bold blocking, especially effective in the crowd scenes and large ensemble numbers, gives “Newsies” an epic quality yet allows space for several intimate closeups under Kurt Mueller’s lovely lighting and red sunsets.
Montana’s buoyant choreography, meanwhile, lifts the show to many peaks while carefully tailoring the demands of the dance to fit the varying talents of different dancers, often by showcasing just one tricky step or spectacular somersault. Here, less can be more.
The 10-member pit orchestra, conducted by Allan Finkelstein, enhances the lilting score without obscuring the lyrics even in complex group harmonies.
Rosemary Cullison’s apt period costumes establish class distinctions and different levels of wealth while allowing ample scope for the athletic choreography.
Scarlata’s metamorphosing scenic design - dominated by several movable two-story cubes with platforms, staircases and ladders evoking Manhattan’s tenements – offers impressive flexibility for the many locales while extending the show’s propulsive movement. At its best, Gallery Players’ winning “Newsies” fuses the dancing, acting, singing, direction and
design into an exhilarating entertainment for all ages.
Director Ryan Scarlata and choreographer Nicolette Montana bring out the best of the well-knit ensemble – especially in composer Alan Menken and lyricist Jack Feldman’s most stirring songs, such as “Seize the Day,” “The World Will Know” and “King of New York.” Cory Velazco, a believable working-class New Yorker and a vibrant singer (especially in the
wistful “Santa Fe”), deftly leads the “newsies” and the cast as dreamer Jack Kelly. Initially awkward at public speaking and reluctant to endanger his band of brothers, Jack eventually finds the courage to confront newspaper publisher Joseph Pulitzer (Brian McCafferty), who has raised the price the boys must pay to resell bulk papers.
Bella Glaser sings beautifully and earns admiration as Katherine, an independent-minded and ambitious young woman eager to prove herself as a reporter for the New York Sun. Katherine wasn’t in the 1992 Disney film that inspired the musical, but the addition of this pivotal character balances the predominant male energy with welcome femininity and proto-feminism while adding sparks of romance. Kyle Channell elicits sympathy as Crutchie, a disabled newsboy who doesn’t let his crutch impede his convictions or soulful camaraderie, nicely summed up in “Letter from the Refuge.”
Scott Wilson (oozing corruption as the Refuge’s warden), Amy Marie Lang (as feisty vaudeville- theater proprietor Medda Larkin), Eric Neuenschwander (as ebullient Governor Teddie Roosevelt) and a half-dozen other adult actors provide solid support, but this musical was designed to put the spotlight on the irrepressible spirit of youth.
Scarlata’s brisk pacing and bold blocking, especially effective in the crowd scenes and large ensemble numbers, gives “Newsies” an epic quality yet allows space for several intimate closeups under Kurt Mueller’s lovely lighting and red sunsets.
Montana’s buoyant choreography, meanwhile, lifts the show to many peaks while carefully tailoring the demands of the dance to fit the varying talents of different dancers, often by showcasing just one tricky step or spectacular somersault. Here, less can be more.
The 10-member pit orchestra, conducted by Allan Finkelstein, enhances the lilting score without obscuring the lyrics even in complex group harmonies.
Rosemary Cullison’s apt period costumes establish class distinctions and different levels of wealth while allowing ample scope for the athletic choreography.
Scarlata’s metamorphosing scenic design - dominated by several movable two-story cubes with platforms, staircases and ladders evoking Manhattan’s tenements – offers impressive flexibility for the many locales while extending the show’s propulsive movement. At its best, Gallery Players’ winning “Newsies” fuses the dancing, acting, singing, direction and
design into an exhilarating entertainment for all ages.
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