(seen at the preview performance on 7th December 2022)
It is quite a shock to remember that even at the turn of the last century, children as young as 7 or 8 were part of the workforce. They did the most dangerous jobs, the lowest paid and could be the only ones supporting an entire household.
On 18th July 1899, the child newspaper sellers of New York City rebelled against an increase in the price to them of the newspapers they sold on the streets each day. A Disney movie of 1992 told their story, this musical is the next evolution of the tale.
It’s a typically strong score from Alan Menkin, with Jack Feldman’s lyrics providing some touching moments. Perhaps “Seize The Day” isn’t quite “Do You Hear The People Sing” as a fight song, but it had the monkey absent-mindedly waving a scrap of newspaper thrown from the stage in sympathy. “Letter from The Refuge” is a well-conceived tear-jerker of hopeful hopelessness, “Once and for All” its antithesis when the battle is won.
Harvey Fierstein’s book is clear, if a little long – the story has a triumphant conclusion before the show ends somewhat less upbeat than it could have.
Director and Choreographer Matt Cole makes the most of the enormous space available. The opening number sets the tone in a “Jellicle Songs for Jellicle Newsies” kind of way, and from then on the darting around the place is unrelenting – those in the front rows will be dodging trapeze (John Maddox in charge) in extreme moments. The pace has the energy of youth yet can close to more adult scenes as required, quite an achievement on the vast stage.
Morgan Large’s set allows a clever transformation into a burlesque theater, interior and exterior newspaper office and various evocative street scenes thanks to the ironwork on three sides.
For those seated centrally, platforms over the stalls entrance doors block sightlines at times for all but those in the centre. The main set does not work well either for those seated in the side blocks - crucial scenes and visual clues missed when they happen on the opposite side of the building works. Incidentally, it is worth exploring the area leading to door 2 either before the show or during the interval.
Tony Gayle’s sound also becomes muddied in the corners beside the stage, those seated there can expect to miss a few lyric moments. Mark Henderson’s lighting is reliable as usual, the odd preview cue missed demonstrating how good it is when it appears and changes a sequence mood entirely.
Natalie Pryce has the 1899 outfits figured out. The drab rags of the newsies, the battered glamour of the burlesque girls and the suits of the bosses – black for the “baddies” / lighter for the “goodies” are in keeping with the younger mindset. More impressively they function as dancewear, a difficult achievement.
And this cast test that to the limit. As Jack Kelly, leader of the strikes, Michael Ahomka-Lindsay has a formidable challenge. More boy than man at the start, a position reversed by the end, he weaves each new experience into his emotional development. Weakness and uncertainty only adds to his appeal.
Bronte Barbe as journalist Katherine Plumber has a more awkward role as a woman crusading in a male world. The part itself seems slightly written, making Barbe’s breaking through even more remarkable. Her moments with Ahomka-Lindsay are among the most powerful and surprising.
Equally given small but important plot developments, Moya Angela as Medda Larkin is mother and booster to the Newsies, as well-executed in sharp reality as the backdrops Kelly paints for her theater.
Likewise, Matthew Duckett as Crutchie has his strong second act song and the sympathy of the audience, personifying the vulnerability of every young street survivor.
It is a surprise to know that Press Baron Joseph Pulitzer – of the Pulitzer Prizes – is the rotten core of the piece. Cameron Blakely manages to keep him the right side of caricature and his later humiliation is convincing. Sidekick Wiesel (Jamie Golding) is the image of his boss, with lesser intelligence and drive to take the main chair.
If the show lacks a little humour at times and this production has a few wrinkles to work out in its space, no real matter. A very strong story well told, proof that bravery and banding together are the way to get things done.
4 stars.
For help on which seats to buy or avoid in the Troubadour Theatre, Wembley Park for this show, click here.