‘Newsies’ at the Academy of Music (second review)

There was a real newsboy strike in 1899, and poor children were treated abominably. Making musicals about challenging times is something Broadway does well. Consider 9 to 5 at the Walnut Street Theatre, which tackles women’s liberation equally tunefully.

The story follows Jack Kelly (Dan DeLuca), a homeless newsboy, a talented artist, and a runaway from the Refuge, a center where delinquents are badly treated. When the newspaper publishers — including William Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer — raise the price the newsboys pay for the papers they sell, Jack, with the help of new friend Davey (Jacob Kemp) and his little brother, organizes a strike that ultimately leads the newsboys to defeat at the hands of the ruffians who work for the publishers.

A spunky addition

Meanwhile, Jack meets Katherine Plumber (Stephanie Styles) and falls instantly in love. She’s a fledgling reporter looking for a story, and in Jack and the newsboys, she sees her chance. Her story is the only one to appear in the papers before the publishers quash any further reporting. But the course of true love never runs smoothly, and Katherine is not quite whom she seems; she and Jack have to learn to trust each other before they can attain a happy ending with at least the promise of a future.

Needless to say, the newsboys will triumph, although the book limits them to the actual deal the real newsboys got from the publishers over a century ago, higher prices with a buyback promise. Katherine, who was added for the show, fills the traditional role of a love interest, a spunky female who helps the hero, and an independent woman with a mind of her own.

Part of what makes this show fun to watch is the set. The 24-foot high towers, weighing over seven tons, move as gracefully as the dancers who clamber up and down their steps. They represent the fire escapes of the tenement buildings in turn-of-the-century New York as well as other locations. The boys, most of whom are homeless, climb the steps to see the sky and dream of going someplace better, like Santa Fe. The set also provides a backdrop to effectively display what the characters are doing on stage — sketching a face, printing newspapers.

The other scene-stealer is Davey’s younger brother, Les, played on opening night by Vincent Crocilla, (who alternated with Anthony Rosenthal in the role). His stage presence and singing voice filled the vast space of the Academy.

High-energy action

The dancers were constantly in motion, with movements that felt more balletic than Broadway, evoking memories of Agnes De Mille’s Rodeo and Michael Kidd’s Seven Brides for Seven Brothers choreography. That they had the energy to perform one final curtain call number showed off their stamina and kept the energy going.

Despite the very vocal audience enthusiasm for the show, the show’s book was less than completely successful. The story of the strike came across, but it was a story driven more by events than by character, so Jack’s personal development got lost. The love story felt contrived, and his decision to stay in New York seemed more a way to end the show than a real choice.

That women are lacking in this story — except as love interests; vaudeville theater owner Medda Larkin, a woman who has known her fair share of men; two burlesque dancers; and some nuns — may have been historically accurate but seems a bit backward today.

Nevertheless, it’s a fun show that makes you leave the theater with a smile.

For a review by Steve Cohen, click here.