Victory! Guts and glory! They’re a front-page story— they’re the kings of— Frederick! You heard it here first, folks, and the papes don’t lie! Newsies at Other Voices Theatre is a real smash sensation! OVT is on a mission, kill the competition! And they’re doing it right! Directed by Ashely Gerhardt with Musical Direction by Tyrus Mataban-Ward, and Choreography by Kiersten Gasemy, this exuberantly energetic production is carrying the banner of excellence and engaging the audience with their enthusiasm and heart from start to finish.
The intimate black-box space poses quite the challenge for a large, splashy production like Newsies but Director Ashley Gerhardt and her design team not only rise to the challenge but they soar over it with flying colors (quite literally as far as Lighting Designer Steph Knapp is concerned!) While there may be a few more rainbow pops and splashes of color in Knapp’s lighting design than one might expect from a turn-of-the-20th-century about the gritty street conditions of child labor, you get the feeling that Knapp’s overall approach to illumination is on par with the rest of the cast and creative team’s enthusiasm. (The lights are angled a bit oddly for my personal audience-to-stage-ratio preference, given you get a lot of those bold, beautiful colored light pops shining directly out into the audience, but maybe if you sit back further up the risers this is less of an issue? All that said, if the biggest problem you have with your production is the slightly-off angling of the lighting, then you are leaps, bounds, and worlds ahead of the game!)
Tackling a two-tier design, Director Ashley Gerhardt and Jamie Gerhardt create a perfectly practical yet simultaneously charming and magical play space for Newsies to unfold upon, which is impressive considering the physical and spatial constraints of the stage. Gerhardt & Gerhardt use their space carefully, which is well-reflected not only in the scenic design but the show’s blocking and choreography. Having open-slat windows across the lower tier of the staging unit is clever; filling them with decoupage-yellowed newsprint on one side and chalk-sketches of New York City on the other is genius. Gerhardt & Gerhardt keep the set simple and its simplistic nature is effective! The rolling-platform-square, which triples up as a stage at Miss Meda’s Bowery Theatre, Katherine’s typing platform, and the bed-spot at The Refuge, is handled with flawless ease by various cast members whenever it has to move around, which adds to the overall swiftness and expedience with which the scene changes happen. Special nod to Jamie Gerhardt and Narcy Klag for set construction, as well as to Chris Levy and Jeanne Lloyd for Scenic Artistry.
Some rumpled, too-long pant-legs aside, Costumers Calle Colbourn and Breton Stailey have outdone themselves in regard to capturing the aesthetic of Newsies, particularly when it comes to giving each newsie a unique look whilst making them all look quite similar. There’s a lot of argyle-pattern socks and I don’t think any two newsboy caps are identical. It’s rich! The outfits seen on those inside Pulitzer’s office are quite the flared affair and the costumes featured on Miss Meda Larkin would give any gal wardrobe envy (I know I’m dying to get my hands on that mocha-chocolate-bugle-bead number she wears at the end.) You feel like you’re in the right century, the right locale, and everyone looks the part thanks to the tremendous efforts of Colbourn and Stailey, respectively.
The knock-down drag-out fights during “The Fight” (at the middle of “Seize the Day” and then the tail-end of it) are cohesive and believable. All too often, especially in community theatre you see ‘delayed-fight-choreography’ where the intentional sloth of the delivery, which implements safety, ends up looking hokey and artificial. Not the case with Miranda Trautman’s fight choreography. You get swift movements, practiced meticulously so you get a polished caliber of fighting happening during these dust-up scenes, particularly when the newsies are first beating up on the Delancey Brothers. It’s attention to detail like this (and other little things— like Gerhardt staying on top of continuity and consistency…like once the newsies take their beating, their bloodied/bruised faces stay that way through the end of the show) that gives this production of Newsies at OVT a professional caliber feel to it. Trautman is an excellent fight and intimacy choreographer, a perfect addition to the creative team.
What’s truly astonishing about this performance is the show’s choreography. Given the spatial constraints of the stage, one might expect limited dance routines or overly crowded staging with the dancing, but neither are the case with Kiersten Gasemy’s choreography. There’s a very Disney-feel to the show’s dancing and movement. Anyone who has ever seen a Disney-show at a professional level will know exactly what that looks and feels like. Lots of galloping swings, tons of high-octane movement, great mixing of windows and characters spinning all around one another with indefatigable energy and enthusiasm— and it’s all precise and clean!!! It’s rare that you get the high-energy and the crisp aesthetic especially at the community level, especially in such a confined space. The tap routine, “King of New York” is particularly impressive as the newsies almost silently slide their way into the scene that precedes the song so that the breakout tap dancing is a ‘surprise’ (if you don’t know the show.) Major props to Nora Zakielarz (Buttons), Jaxon Garner (Elmer), and Madeline Soypher (Finch) who are featured with brooms during this number and are the trio that do the tapping-only reprise at the end of the song. Gasemy brings an athletic and almost aerobic energy to most of the show’s choreography, which is perfectly suited for numbers like “The World Will Know” and “Seize the Day.”
Musical Director Tyler Mataban-Ward is giving strong sound for miles with this cast of 27. You get glorious harmonies, top-option belts— particularly from Pulitzer, which is a welcomed surprise— and a sound that equally reflects the emotional integrity and intensity which these performers are pouring into the roles. You get literal goosebump-chills when these newsies are pouring their hearts out into “Once And for All” and the entire ensemble feels like they’re ready to burn the house down for “The World Will Know” and “Seize the Day.” Adding to the musically sublime sound, Director Ashley Gerhardt has laid the groundwork for strong character connections and relationship developments; you feel like the show is being acted through thoroughly and not just sung (which is a risk and trap that often comes along with bigger, splashier musicals.) You feel the camaraderie amongst the newsies and the bond that they form, each one bringing their own little quirks to the table. You get a slightly more learned and educated sound on Davey (makes sense, he was in school right until tragic circumstances forced him and little Les out on the street to sell papes) and you get these really nuanced moments between different characters— it would be impossible to describe them all— but they make the show that much more engaging, that much more refreshing, and totally believable.
In the ensemble you have character performers like Bill Bisbee who doubles up as Nunzio and a Cop, but most importantly as Roosevelt (with an exquisite mustache) and a perfect patois, cadence, and overall vocal affectation for the historically iconic Governor. There’s also Nick Yarnevich, playing Snyder the Spider, who is featured briefly but with such menacing tenacity in the way he lumbers and snarls around the stage you can’t help but be a little frightened of him. Sean DiGiorgio as the smarmy Wiesel, who has brief glimpses of humanity— like when his eyes are fixed on Jack Kelly when Jack is trying to talk the scab-newsies down as the strike gets underway and you’re not sure if Wiesel has a heart because he hears what Jack is saying or if he’s scheming and plotting behind those eyes— and the loud-mouthed Delancey Brothers, Oscar (Ben Strigel) and Morris (Michael Simpson) who are brutish rough and tumble sorts from jump street; all of these individuals put their moments in action and make for a truly versatile and engaging performance.
You won’t be able to take your eyes off of Alissa Suser in her role as Bunsen, which is just meant to be some sort of office assistant inside Pulitzer’s newspaper. Suser chews scenery like nobody’s business and is too hysterical for effective words. You get this gooey-eyed, simplicity that’s always a half-step behind the beat of the scene (intentionally so and it’s hilarious) that just has you snickering and chuckling at all her background antics. Watch her fawn and bat her eyes over Pulitzer, Jack Kelly, Roosevelt, literally everyone (Suser doubles up as a newsie scab and a Bowery Beauty— just one of two, with the other being played by Miranda Trautman, who is also a secretary/assistant figure in Pulitzer’s office) all throughout the performance. She’s an undeniable hoot. And for scenes where Suser is off-stage, you’ll find your eyes gravitating toward Mush (Zachary Cook) or Finch (Madeline Soypher.) Cook has wild and zany facial expressions that will just tickle your fancy to no end…especially when he makes his grand exit during “The Fight.” Cook also has an exceptional voice that is a sublime addition to the singing ensemble. And Soypher has an authentic perpetual smile that never quits. Even when she’s pulling ‘frustrated face’ (during appropriate moments) you can see that engaged light just refracting out of her eyes that shows you she’s smiling deep inside like she’s genuinely thrilled to be on stage living in the moment of this Finch character. (And trust me, in an intimate space like the black box of OVT, facial expressions and overall performance intention is noticeable, does matter, and can make or break a performance. Every single person on that stage for Newsies is serving theatrical realness, with grounded integrity, and full-on joyful intensity every step of the way.)
Of course there’s a whole host of named newsies— Tommy Boy (Sean McCombie), Albert (Nico Thompson), Billy (Mia Colbourne), Spot Conlin (Angelica Ramos who is so sassy and brassy— particularly when kicking her feet up on Pulitzer’s desk it’s just wild!), Specs (Elle Miles with the electric-jerk-routine during “King of New York”), JoJo (Breton Stailey), Buttons (Nora Zakielarz), Elmer (Jaxon Garner), Romeo (William Warwick), Henry (Miachel Duffy), Race (Andy King) who are all putting polish, pluck, and panache into the big newsie-numbers like “Carrying the Banner”, “The World Will Know”, and particularly “Once and For All.” You get exquisite solo singing lines out of most of these performers and their dancing matches their vocal prowess. It’s nothing short of stupendous.
You get a surprising vocality fro William Cox as Joseph Pulitzer, particularly when it comes to taking that higher-note belted option at the end of “Bottom Line.” You also get equal parts smooth-villainy from his character. It isn’t over the top (that’s completely covered by the caricature-chaos that is absolutely hilarious to enjoy provided by Alissa Suser) but it isn’t flat either. Cox plays Pulitzer as a victim of his own situation rather than a true villain and it blends just fine into the overall verve of the production. Another pleasant vocal surprise is the belting powerhouse that resonates from Leah Chiaverini while she’s tackling the role of Medda Larkin. “That’s Rich” is pitched at the audience directly— it’s a gentle shimmering dissolve of that fourth wall, very briefly, and very delicately— as we become her captive Bowery House Boys eager to see her sing and dance. And it’s handled sublimely. Chiaverini has quite the personality to be pitching into this role as well and its entertaining to watch her flirtations with Teddy Roosevelt.
Working that limp like it might be real, Jake Schwartz is living his best life in the role of Crutchie. With a subtler New York street accent than some of the other newsies, you get the sense that his Crutchie has had a rough go of things. He handles his prop-crutch superbly, and even gives you that wobbly-one-legged-stance when throwing the crutch up in triumph for the “strike” photo. Schwartz’ vocals are strong, a solid addition to the group numbers and you get an earnest sense of misery wafting out of his character during “Letter From the Refuge.” His sense of comic timing is also exceptionally well placed.
Cute and precocious, despite being quite tall for the character, Caroline Smithhisler is an adorable addition to the cast in the role of Les. With wildly expressive eyes and a pitched-up voice to match, you get the sense that she really could be this delightfully naïve not-quite-ten-year-old character who is just along for the ride, trying to talk big, act tough, and be a part of the action. It’s endearing and her vocals are on par with the rest of the cast. Matching her up against the somewhat reserved though extremely polished big brother Davey (Henry Jeanneret) creates for a most entertaining dynamic, particularly when Jeanneret’s character is trying to keep Smithhisler’s Les in line. With an eloquent fashion to his speaking voice and a radiant resplendence in his singing voice, you feel like Jeanneret is the perfect choice for Davey, particularly when he’s attempting to inspire confidence at the top of “Seize the Day.”
Giving a delightfully varied performance as Katherine Plumber, Malia Smaha makes the ‘Disney-ingenue’ intriguing and fascinating to watch. The cold-shouldered, edgy-chip mentality that she presents to Jack upon their initial few encounters melts into something excitable pretty quickly, but it doesn’t drop and stay there, rather grows showcasing a fuller character arch than you might expect from Katherine. Watching her sing-patter her way through “Watch What Happens” is truly invigorating and extremely refreshing— her timing and delivery in this number is brightly inspiring; you get the sense that she’s living each of these discoveries— even the self-deprecating ones— in earnest live-time, like she’s hearing the words she’s singing for the very first time and responding accordingly with her vocal inflection, her facial expressions, and her overall body language. Smaha just jitters with an internal effervescence that really makes the character enjoyable every step of the journey.
I have never seen a Jack Kelly chew gum through the entire performance, including while singing. And as much as I wanted to hate that character choice, Ryan McNee made me love it. It never compromises the quality of what’s coming out of his mouth, if anything I think it enhanced the consistency of his vocal affectation, accent, and overall delivery. You get this gritty New York street sound that just toes the line of being cartoonish but is so sincerely in place you’d be surprised to learn that this isn’t McNee’s natural speaking voice. And he carries the accent through his singing voice as well, which is a true treat for this show. One of the most stunning moments that you get from McNee’s Jack Kelly isn’t even when he’s singing, which I want to be perfectly clear, he’s got a great voice and it really carries “Santa Fe” and “I Never Planned On You”— but his moment that just shakes you to the core is when Davey is confront him in Medda’s theatre in the second act. You get real tears, real emotional intensity, and this sense of full-heart eruption that just screams with sincerity; it’s amazing. Of course he’s got all the punchy and zippy clapbacks, all of the attitude you want from a Jack Kelly and all the physicality too, particularly when it comes to charging up the dance routines.
So the world will know— and Frederick County too! They’ve got an amazing show they’re putting on for you! Don’t miss your chance to seize the day— and seize up some tickets to Newsies at Other Voices Theatre this summer.
Running Time: 2 hours and 20 minutes with one intermission
Newsies plays through August 18th 2024 with Other Voices Theatre Other Voices Theatre at The Performance Factory— 244-B South Jefferson Street in Frederick, MD. Tickets are available by calling the box office at (301) 662-3722 or by purchasing them in advance online.
