Capital Region Performance Gallery

by Dick Frantzreb

Tonight I saw a masterpiece of musical theatre unfold at the Harris Center in Folsom. It was opening night of El Dorado Musical Theatre’s (EDMT) production of Disney’s Newsies, a production that was originally scheduled for the spring of 2020, but delayed for two years because of the pandemic. The story is based on a real event, the New York City Newsboys’ strike of 1899. But it’s a story that has recurred throughout human history: the weak and dispossessed rising from exploitation by the powerful and selfish. It’s a story of rights and respect won through persistence, of strength found through unity of purpose, of friendship sustained through trial ─ and of love. And when the story is told with the skill and honesty and passion of EDMT, it grabs you and lifts you up along with the downtrodden you have been rooting for.

As the theatre lights went down, the curtain rose on a striking scene. First, there was the 2-level, 2-part scaffold, each section roughly 12 feet high, 15 feet wide and 4 feet deep. Then there was the projection of a city skyline in subdued colors. The stage lighting suggested nighttime, and there was a kind of thin stage fog coming down from the flytower that ever-so-slightly softened colors and shapes. A laundry line stretched the length of the stage in front of the scaffold.

(Click here to open the program in a new window.)

The action began with two of the main characters waking up on the top of the scaffold: Jack Kelly played by Brayden Bambino and his crippled best friend, Crutchie, played by Cameron Renstrom. They’re essentially homeless teenagers ─ street urchins in some people’s minds ─ who scrape out a living selling newspapers that they have to buy in advance. They’re joined by a dozen fellow “newsies,” a group which eventually grows to 43. As the plot develops, they learn that Joseph Pulitzer, the owner of the New York World, has raised the cost of their papers, and they rebel, eventually forming a union and going on strike.

So what made this story such compelling theatre? It was in EDMT’s telling of it. First, there was the vision of Director Debbie Wilson and Choreographer Anjie Rose Wilson, who together planned and supervised the many elements of the show. Then there was the talent and dedication of this company of actors. The newsies were teenagers, and here they are being played by teenagers. And to this unfolding story, they brought the energy of youth. In their acting and singing, and especially in their dancing, I saw the passion that comes from anger, the passion that comes from commitment, and the passion that comes from pure exuberance when good things happen.

There was so much about this show that was unforgettable, but the most compelling memory for me will be the choreography and dancing ─ and how they made me feel. There were stage-filling ensemble dances with as many as 43 performers executing moves in what looked to me like perfect synchrony. And every move in these ensemble dances seemed fresh and different. Then, to emphasize the energy in many of the numbers, there was the technique of having small groups come forward (or from the sides) in waves ─ 5 or 6 dancers executing the same impressive moves, followed by other groups executing even more impressive moves ─ one after the other. These were often punctuated by individual acrobatics: a stunt “throw,” a series of forward flips, even an aerial. Sometimes these stunts drew on-the-spot applause from the audience. Then, as with every EDMT show, there was a tap-dancing number ─ “King of New York”. (This was choreographed by Debbie Wilson; remaining choreography was by Anjie Rose Wilson.)  I’m still smiling at the exuberant dancing in that number.  Sometimes the performers seemed almost possessed: tapping on tables, even tapping on trays above them while the dancer was on his or her back.

(Click here to open, in a new window, a photo montage of live images of the show.)

The singing in this show, individual and ensemble, was some of the best I’ve heard from EDMT. When these performers were singing as a chorus, I often heard stirring harmony along with the solid melody line. Then there was thoughtful attention to dynamics, with crescendos that were often absolutely thrilling. In all of this was the guiding hand of Vocal Director Chris Meissner (an EDMT alum). But beyond the ensemble singing, I was amazed time and again at the consistent quality of the individual voices.

Let’s take a look at the singing and acting of all the principles. To me, their performing was nothing short of extraordinary.

• Brayden Bambino was the perfect leading man, coincidentally the same age as his character, Jack Kelly ─ 17 years old. His stellar good looks were complemented by his easy, confident acting that made everything he said or did completely believable. And after listening to his excellent singing voice for 2 hours, I believe there isn’t a stage, amateur or professional, on which Brayden couldn’t perform.
• Cameron Renstrom as Crutchie was a delight to watch, the spirited sidekick with a bit of vulnerability, ready humor and a singing voice and style that won the audience’s heart when he performed “Letter from the Refuge.”
• Mackenzie Haar had a similar effect on the audience in her role as Katherine Plumber. The lyrics and dialog in her manic scene at the typewriter were witty and expertly delivered, bringing cheers at the end. Watching her dalliance with Jack blossoming into love made me feel there was real chemistry between them. Chemistry or not, when it all culminated in a lingering kiss, the audience registered its enthusiastic approval.
• Alexandra Peer (as impresario Medda Larkin) just glittered in her big number, “That’s Rich.” Sure her costume was elegant and sparkly, but she also glittered in her singing and in the effective way she put that song across.
• Alex Levy is an EDMT alum with professional performing experience. And it showed in his portrayal of Joseph Pulitzer. Not only was he delightfully evil and scheming, but we knew it was a pro singing “The Bottom Line,” with that memorable last note sustained for an impossibly long time.
• EDMT veteran Zach Wilson played Davey, Jack Kelly’s number-two-in-command, bringing his professional-quality acting and singing (and dancing, of course) in providing emotional balance as the plot developed.
• Then there was 9-year-old Hatcher Cockrell as Les, who played the kid brother role and gave the audience more laughs than just about any other character.

I’ve commented on the ensemble singing, but let’s talk about the acting of those 43 newsies. Whether they were driven by anger, frustration or exhilaration, it was reflected in their body language, and each face told the same compelling story. I was sitting in the first row, so I saw those emotions ─ and I felt them. It was often anger they were expressing, but their anger was my anger. And when they acted it out in their singing or dancing, the resulting catharsis was mine. Sometimes the singing was punctuated by shouts, with an overpowering energy that was simply transfixing.

You’d have to say that the casting was perfect: teenagers playing teenagers. The trick, though, was casting girls as boys. Four of the 11 lead newsies were girls, and more than 2/3 of the remaining newsies were girls. But all we in the audience saw were boys: tough boys, strong boys, energetic boys, each one a comfortable member of a loose street gang. I’ve seen most of these young women in very feminine roles, but I bet they had a lot of fun acting so credibly as boys. And let me not overlook the 4 adult actors, whose good acting in adult roles made every situation more believable.

(Click here to open a photo montage of the entire cast in a new window.)

I thought this show was full of good writing and realistic dialog. And like any good drama, this show had its emotional ups and downs. To a large extent they were carried by the musical numbers, but there were some great speeches ─ mostly given to Jack Kelly. We listened to him talk about the unfairness of the powerful, about the resolve of the downtrodden, and what he believed, we believed.

I started off calling this show a “masterpiece,” and it deserves that description because there was excellence in so many details of the production. Take the elements of stagecraft. There were well-crafted set pieces, realistic props, and detailed projections that gave each scene of the show such a rich setting that it was easy to forget that you were even looking at a stage. It was all so realistic and absorbing.

The costumes of the newsies were appropriately drab, but Costume Designer Karen McConnell turned her creativity loose in the stunning outfit of Medda Larkin. And Joseph Pulitzer was another whom I recall being dressed elegantly. Even the sound system was impressive. I heard every word and every lyric clearly, and I believe the same was true for those in the back of the house.

The overpowering energy, the stirring singing reached us in the audience on a visceral level. “Sieze the Day” is the theme song of this show ─ and it was often reprised. But in the big number when it was first presented, the inspired singing and the incredible choreography was such that the audience just didn’t want to stop applauding when it concluded. And the audience was so moved by the first act that they clapped in time to the overture of the second act.

This story has been told before by others, but never with more passion, commitment and energy than by the young performers of EDMT. When those 48 actors were filling the air with their voices and the stage with their extraordinary choreography, you might feel a catch in your throat and maybe an empathetic tear in your eye. It was soul-stirring experience for me. I dare say we all left the theatre feeling a little taller, a little lighter, more hopeful about the human experience ─ and probably humming some of the great music we had heard.

(Disney's Newsies will run through July 17, 2022.  For tickets or information about EDMT's next production, A Christmas Carol: The Musical, visit EDMT's website, www.edmt.info.)