Based on Disney’s live-action 1992 film, Newsies unveils the historic turn-of-the-century story of a group of brave young men who band together to overcome the money-hungry newspaper publishing lord, Joseph Pulitzer (Steve Blanchard). Despite the inevitable hardships facing the low-paid “pape”-selling group, their charming and scrappy Noo Yawken leader, Jack Kelly (played by Dan Deluca), manages to rally the boys and “seize the day” with a strike that turns fierce.
Throughout the show, a full cast of tone-armed athletic “ragamuffins” belt out countless bottom-of-the-belly ensemble numbers, accompanied by Christopher Gattelli’s impressive balletic and energizing choreography including multiple group pirouettes and gravity-defying leaps and free-handed flips. In particular, the wool-hat wearin’ group’s tap-dancing, spoon-playing rendition of Jack Feldman’s “King of New York” left Tuesday’s audience exploding with applause and smiles.
With its predominantly young cast and family-friendly storyline, Newsies is no doubt entertaining to all audiences, but it’s certainly the show of the season for the tweens and teens in your life. And, no need to worry with whether you can afford the orchestra level seats, as no tier is left out of the show with the towering three-story-high, relentlessly rotating industrial steel set.
If you’re feeling your nerdy cultural side, get there a little early as TPAC is partnering with the Tennessee State Museum to present an educational exhibition of Newsies-related items, including a first-ever costume display from the Broadway production. Don’t worry if you spend too much time with your beau before the show and miss it; the exhibit will be on display in the G-level gallery through June.
Adapted from writer Harvey Fierstein’s book, Newsies is the winner of the 2012 Tony awards for “Best Score” and “Best Chorography” and is closing out the HCA/TriStar Health Broadway season at TPAC’s Jackson Hall with a full week of performances, May 26-31, 2015.
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