Review: NEWSIES Delivers at Broadway At Music Circus

You would never guess it, but Newsies was originally a flop when it came out as a Disney movie in 1992. It gained credibility and a cult following after being released to home video. The stage musical came several years later and opened on Broadway in 2012, where it was nominated for eight Tony Awards. Newsies ended up winning two, Best Choreography and Best Original Score. You will understand why when you hear the exhilarating numbers by Alan Menken, who also created the music for Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, and Sister Act.

Based on the actual newsboy strike of 1899, "newsies" are the rag-tag band of boys who sell the newspapers for a pittance. Many are orphaned and homeless and make just enough to feed themselves. When moguls Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst decide to keep the price of the papers as high as it was during the Spanish-American War (despite the public's waning interest in the news), and have the newsies front the cost, they have had enough and demand the same price that newsboys at other papers are getting.

With many veterans of the Broadway and national touring productions of Newsies, the cast is comprised of no less than triple threats. Joey Barreiro reprises his role of Jack Kelly from the national tour and intoxicates us with the gruff exterior covering his artist's soul. Paul Schoeffler is the antithesis as Joseph Pulitzer-slimy and ruthless and altogether detestable. The ensemble numbers such as "Carrying the Banner," "Seize the Day," and "King of New York" are brimming with supercharged gymnasts and rousing energy with the original Broadway choreography. The dancing is as hot as the presses!

In a time when we all need a feel-good story, Newsies delivers the goods. It reminds us all that big things can happen when small, regular people band together for the greater good. Orphan boys changed the way that America did business, so there is no excuse for us to sit idly by while history is being made. As they said, "The world will know." We're paying attention.

Tickets for Newsies start at $45 and are available by phone at (916) 557-1999, online at www.Tickets.com, or in person at the Wells Fargo Pavilion Box Office, 1419 H Street in Sacramento. Evening performances are Tuesday through Saturday, July 10-14, at 7:30 p.m.; matinee performances are Thursday, July 12 and Saturday, July 14 at 2:00 p.m., and Sunday, July 15 at 3:00 p.m. For more information, visit www.BroadwaySacramento.com.

Photo credit: Charr Crail

To post a comment, you must register and login.