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Born as a movie two generations ago and reborn as a stage play in 2012, Disney’s musical tale based on the 1899 newsboy’s strike is tumbling and flipping its way to the Saenger Theater in New Orleans, in a tour version that promoters say is a unique and freshened-up version that does more than merely recycle an already tried-and-true Broadway production.
Newsies debuts Dec. 1 and runs through Dec. 6 as part of the theater’s Broadway in New Orleans series, and if reviews of the North American road company’s presentation are accurate indicators, audiences will be treated to some first-rate entertainment.
The Tony-winning show, with music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Jack Feldman and a book by Harvey Fierstein, Newsies tells the story of a charismatic paper peddler who leads a rag-tag band of teen paperboys in a strike against the biggest publishing moguls of the day, after they raise the cost of the papers they sell.
The story is a fictionalized and compressed account of true turn-of-the-19th Century events. The movie on which the stage-show is based made a bit of history itself, as a major innovation by Disney studios to revive the concept of the movie musical.
The strike leader, Jack Kelly, was played by Christian Bale in the movie. The film, a box-office flop, spawned a major cult following through home video. At the center of the story is the David and Goliath tension between Kelly and the villainous publishing icon Joseph Pulitzer.
The Broadway show was originally scheduled for a three-month run but continued successfully for two more years. Fierstein made significant changes to the story for the play, including the introduction of a stronger romantic boy-girl sub-plot.
Veteran actor Steve Blanchard, whose Broadway credits include Beauty and the Beast, Camelot and A Christmas Carol and has been with the road production since its inception in the role of Pulitzer, says tour audiences are seeing a production that does more than mimic the original stage show.
“Disney Theatrical said okay, we are going to launch a brand new tour and if you want to change anything now is the time to do it,” Blanchard said, explaining how the creative team behind the show used the opportunity to make changes – some subtle, some not – that make the road show a finely-tuned production.
“The storytelling is fantastic,” Blanchard said.
Blanchard said his preparation for the role of Pulitzer was accomplished through deep historical research. Knowledge of the character, he said, helps bring added life to the show’s signature villain.
“I used a lot of media sources and read books on him, newspaper articles,” said the Baltimore native. “I watched the movie “Gangs of New York” even though it is set 20 or 30 years prior to the story in our play.
It gives an indication of how the New York streets were.”
Blanchard has, in that sense, likely gotten better in touch with an understanding of life at the bottom of New York’s Nineteenth Century heap than the real Pulitzer.
“My portrayal has a lot to do with how Pulitzer truly is in his little ivory tower and rarely goes down to the street,” said Blanchard, who has no illusions that anyone will come away thinking of his character as a hero. “I provide the goliath for David to conquer.”
Jack Kelly will be played in New Orleans by Florida native Joey Barreiro, who joined the cast during the show’s October performance in Providence, and already has won rave reviews.
Dan DeLuca of The Wire had previously handled the role.
While Blanchard enjoyed working with DeLuca, and misses him, he says he is equally impressed with Barreiro’s performance.
“He is a terrific actor with a beautiful voice, an astounding voice,” Blanchard said. “I have been blessed with two good Jack Kellies. If you don’t have a good partner throwing the ball back at you it is a one-sided affair.”
The show is a family affair for Blanchard, who travels with his wife, Meredith Inglesby and their 3-year-old daughter, Wren. The couple met while on a road tour, and Wren was born while they toured with “How The Grinch Stole Christmas.”
“She travels everywhere with us and is going to be an incredible musician or artist,” Blanchard said of his daughter. “When she hears music that affects her, she starts crying. With this show, she’s got 20 older brothers and she knows them all by name.”
A Tony-winning show loaded with music by Alan Menken and lyrics by Jack Feldman, Newsies comes to the Saenger Theater in New Orleans on Dec. 1.
