Hot on the heels of The Croswell’s production of School of Rock in July comes Newsies, running Aug. 9 through Aug. 18. Based on the 1992 film of the same name starring a young Christian Bale, Newsies was a musical, loosely based on the New York City newsboys strike of 1899 which featured 12 original songs by Alan Menken (The Little Mermaid) and Jack Feldman.
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Adapted for the stage
Although the film version was seen as a box office failure, it has gained a considerable cult fan base on home video. In 2011 it was made into a musical for the stage with Harvey Fierstein adapting the script for the show. Newsies played for two years on Broadway from 2012 – 2014. Its dance-heavy style makes it an exciting and ambitious production for The Croswell.
Director Debra Ross Calabrese is exactly the kind of seasoned professional to helm a show like Newsies. Calabrese has worked as a director at The Croswell and The Toledo Repertoire Theater for a number of shows, including Beautiful, Elf, Ragtime and Shout. Calabrese had been a stage performer and transitioned to directing in the early 90s. The first show she directed at The Croswell was A Chorus Line.
According to Calabrese, “This theater is the closest to professional theater in the Toledo area. They have a great reputation and pull talent from all areas. I’ve been working there for ten years and it’s my favorite place to work.”
Putting it together
Production meetings on Newsies began at the beginning of the calendar year, with Calabrese and her production manager, stage manager, vocal director and set designer. “We all get together and brainstorm. What’s exciting about this production,” says Calabrese, “is that Tobin Ost is co-designing the sets from New York.” Ost was nominated for a Tony for Best Scenic Design of a Musical when Newsies was on Broadway. Ost happens to be from Adrian and is a former ‘Croswell kid.’ It was such a beautiful, natural thing. He’s a joy to work with and I can’t wait to see what my set looks like.”
Dance is one of the things Calabrese loves about this musical. There are 23 ‘newsies’ along with the rest of the cast and it’s an extremely dance-heavy show, so being a great dancer is just as important as vocal performance. “King of New York” is one of Calabrese’s favorite numbers. “It’s a great tap number, and I’m a former tap dancer, so it’s close to my heart. Even during the set changes, there’s dancing and acrobatic flips on stage. It’s never a dull moment,” she says. Indeed, since the Broadway shows of the 90s, musicals have all upped their dance game, so dancing and singing skills must be equally strong if you want to work.
It’s a BIG show
If you’ve seen the movie or the Broadway show, the sets include three stories of scaffolding. Says Calabrese, “Not many theaters can fit three stories of scaffolding, so we have to modify. The original Broadway set was iron, but the Croswell has a two-week turnaround time, so we had to break down the set quickly afterwards. We have a wood set painted to look like the streets of New York, and we have a huge printing press, large enough for the lead character to sleep on and hold weight. Once our choreographer came in, we started heavy dance rehearsals.”
There are some big fight scenes in this show, which Calabrese notes are important to get right. A fight coordinator will arrive next week to show the cast how to make those fight scenes look realistic while keeping actors safe from any actual physical harm. Fight scenes during acrobatic dance numbers require impeccable timing on everyone’s part.
It’s a testament to the Croswell along with the entire cast and crew, and a great director, that they’re set to pull off this exciting show.
Newsies runs at the Croswell Opera House, 129 E. Maumee St., Aug. 9 through Aug. 18. 517-264-7469. croswell.org
