By Kimberlee St. Clair
Newsies, a musical based on the 1992 Disney film and beautifully converted to a Tony award-winning, Broadway musical with music by beloved Alan Menken, lyrics by Jack Feldman, and book by Harvey Fierstein, is being stunningly presented by the SCERA Shell Outdoor Theatre in Orem.
Newsies begins at the turn of the century in 1899, covering the New York City newsboy strike. It highlights the exploitation of children and their victory over big New York businesses. Before the opening overture, M’liss Tolman’s set design shines through, filling the stage with beautifully painted back-drops, windows that light up, and buildings reminiscent of old New York City. Lighting designer Elizabeth Ottley Griffiths uses her impeccable skills throughout the night to ensure each moment is perfectly captured, difficult under the ever-changing lights of an outdoor night sky.
The show opens in a rundown area of New York City with the beautiful harmonies of Jack Kelly (Paul Cave) and Crutchie (Lance Merrell) as they dream about moving away from the chaos of the big city to Santa Fe. Jack lives on the street with the other newsies, most of whom are homeless and orphaned.
As the sun rises, the newsies gather to begin another hard day of work. Brothers Davey (Cole Souza) and Les (Alex Stringham) perfectly balance each other in personality. Souza is more serious, hard-working, and driven, while his younger brother contradicts his every move with stellar comedic timing and antics familiar to younger brothers.
Always a villain, Joseph Pulitzer (Mike Handy) decides it’s time to raise his bottom line and increases the price of newspapers for the newsies. He is easy to dislike, playing his role of wealthy tycoon with precision. Played with equal distaste is the corrupt Snyder (Marc Gibson) of the Refuge, a rundown juvenile detention center that is always a threat for orphaned boys.
Commanding the stage with her swooning, powerhouse voice is the lovely Medda Larkin (Rachel Ricks), owner of a burlesque-style theater where the boys often seek refuge from Snyder, and where Jack begins to fall head over heels with the ever-stunning Katherine Plumber (Avonlea Simons) and attempts, quite unsuccessfully, to gain her affection as he sketches a portrait of her. As flawless as Avonlea is in her role as Katherine, she steals the show from the moment she begins “Watch What Happens,” captivating the audience with her performance. Although both Cave and Simons are phenomenal on their own, as the two share the stage alone, their voices pair together in beautiful harmony with “Something to Believe In.”
Brilliantly orchestrated by choreographer Tyne Valgardson Crockett, the ensemble numbers fill the entire stage with the newsies’ strength in “The World Will Know.” It is impressive to see such a diverse age in the cast, as all perform seamlessly with various tumbling runs and stunts. After Jack fails to spark the newsies, Davey steps in and rallies the forces as they perform “Seize the Day,” perfectly capturing the energy of this powerful song and bringing the audience along for the excitement.
The entire ensemble again shows their talent as they all don tap shoes (one in a pair of cowboy boot taps!). It is always impressive when large ensembles tap dance and this production of “King of New York” was no less incredible; with the use of deli mugs and other props, the energy was palpable and everyone was stomping right along.
Surprising everyone by joining ranks with the other newsies, Spot Conlon (Brenner Finch) of the Brooklyn newsies brings his full support to the protest as well as his vocal strength in “Brooklyn’s Here.” Although all the costumes are perfect for the era, this song reflects the brilliance of costume designer Deborah Bowman. The song builds as each burrow enters from the wings, each wearing a different scarf color to represent their group and showing how strength is truly in numbers.
This is another phenomenal production by SCERA Shell Outdoor Theatre not to be missed, as Newsies “Seizes the Day!”
Appropriate for families, mild use of language.
The SCERA Shell Outdoor Theatre Presents Newsies, Music by Alan Menken, Lyrics by Jack Feldman, Book by Harvey Fierstein
The SCERA Shell Outdoor Theatre, 699 South State Street, Orem, Utah 84097
June 7-22, 2019 8:00 PM
Tickets: $10 – $18
Contact: 801-225-ARTS
SCERA Center for the Arts Facebook Page
Newsies Facebook Event
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