Newsies The Musical is a musical based on the 1992 musical film Newsies, which was inspired by the real-life Newsboys Strike of 1899 in New York City. Led by the charismatic Jack Kelley (Micah Schuessler) and his band of scrappy Newsies they find themselves taking on Joseph Pulitzer (Kasson Emery) and his Newspaper “The World.”
As the show opens, Jack and his disabled sidekick, Crutchie (Max Nolan), dream about escaping the difficulty of growing up in New York City for the picturesque rolling hills of Santa Fe, New Mexico. Race (Emily Corrente), Albert (Claire Heaphy), Finch (Anna Borsz), Specs (Emily Page), Romeo (Toby White), Henry (Audriana Bestul) Elmer (Emily Foody), Mush (Layla Meany), Tommy Boy (Anabelle Cleaver), Buttons (Molly Fisselbrand), JoJo (Lila Severson) and the rest of the Newsies Ensemble wake up and hits the streets to sell their “papes” in “Carrying the Banner!”
Davey (Riley Bullock) and his little brother Les (Laura Anastasio) join the Newsies as their father has been injured on the job and he doesn’t have a union to help support the family. The World employees, Mr. Wiesel (Chayton Gibson) and the Delancey Brothers (Ella Greene & Kyle Hagadorn) give the Newsies a hard time and break the news that Pulitzer has decided to raise the cost of 100 papers from $.50 to $.60.
With the help of a spunky hard-nosed reporter, Katherine Plumber (Elizabeth Dunham), and the Bowery Theatre owner, Medda Larkin (Natalia Fiacchi), New York Governor Theodore Roosevelt (Alexander Ewanyk), the Newsies go on a STRIKE to fight for the rights, safety, and equal pay for the working-class children of New York City and around the world.
Members of the ensemble include: Hannah Abert, Abby Adams, Liam Battaglia, Anna Cassavant, Alysia Castro, Frankie DeLair, Grace Gaffney, Jolene Grooms, Esme Hougaboom, Margaret Humphrey, Natalie Karl, Jack Lyga, Evelina Mauro, Madlynne Moore, McKenna Vallely, Dylan Wainwright, Liam Winters and Aidan Zirbel. Members of the stage crew include: Eddie Coles, Maeve Derbyshire, Gabriella Graham, Eliana Lamanna, Isabella Licameli, Nic Lynch, Olivia Nabewaniec, Layla Paventi, Brenna Poppe, Lucinda Skinner, Abigal Simmons and Dominic Talucci.
Newsies has music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Jack Feldman, and a book by Harvey Fierstein based on the film’s screenplay by Bob Tzudiker and Noni White. The musical opened on Broadway in 2012 and won TONY awards for Best Original Score for Alan Menken and Jack Feldman and Best Choreography for Christopher Gattelli.
The CMS Musical Production Team include; Don Schuessler (Drama Director/Music Director/Lighting Design/Producer), Heather Molina (Choreographer/Assistant to the Director), Cindy Kissane (Costumer/Properties), Jeff Bowe (Set Design/Builder/Painter), Corey Hobin (Sound Design) Jenny Gettino (Production Assistant), and Selma Salmons (Seamstress).
Performances will be held on Thursday, November 3 and Friday, November 4 at 7:00 p.m. and Saturday, November 5 at 2:00 p.m. Doors open 30 minutes prior to the show. Tickets are $10 general admission.