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GROSSE POINTE WOODS — A plucky band of impoverished kids trying to eke out a living selling newspapers on the streets of New York in the 1800s take on the corporate Goliaths who own said papers when they raise prices and pinch the already paltry sums the youths earned.
If it sounds like a Disney story, it is — but it’s also rooted in reality. Disney’s “Newsies the Musical” was inspired by the newspaper strike of 1899 in New York. And now this story is making its way to a local venue thanks to Grosse Pointe Theatre, which is staging “Newsies” May 3 to 12 in the Parcells Middle School auditorium in Grosse Pointe Woods.
“It’s so inspirational,” said Patricia Ellis, of Grosse Pointe City, the publicity and community engagement chair for this show. “The audience is going to be able to relate. Who doesn’t want kids to come out on top?”
In the show, a magnetic newsboy named Jack Kelly — played by Charles Kruse, of Grosse Pointe City — leads the charge of the newspaper sellers to unionize after the price hike. Along the way, he becomes smitten with Katherine, an ambitious young female reporter played by Kristina Kamm Mardlin, of Warren, who’s trying to prove she can handle what was then considered a man’s job.
Alex Quinlan, of Royal Oak — who was in GPT’s production of “9 to 5 The Musical” earlier this year — plays Crutchie, one of the newsies. His wife, Kristin Pagels-Quinlan, is also in the “Newsies” cast.
“The music’s great,” Quinlan said. “I’m not much of a dancer, but my wife is.”
Quinlan was in a 2019 production of this show in Lansing.
Ryan Roetker, of Royal Oak, who plays Davey, said he’s known about this show for years as well.
“It’s got fantastic music,” said Roetker, who was in GPT’s “The Addams Family: A New Musical” this past fall. “When I saw that Grosse Pointe Theatre was doing it, I had to audition.”
Kyle O’Donnell, of Grosse Pointe Farms, who plays newspaper owner Joseph Pulitzer, said he would have been happy just being part of the chorus. Instead, he’s one of the main characters.
“It’s an incredibly exciting show,” O’Donnell said. “It’s a story that takes place a long time ago but is relevant today.”
Not everyone in the cast was familiar with “Newsies,” however. Rachel Williams, of Grosse Pointe City, who brings dynamic vocals and sass to nightclub entertainer Medda Larkin, said she’d never seen it before getting cast. She quickly became a fan, though, preparing for the role by watching it on film.
“I got so into it,” Williams said. “It’s a great story and it really draws you in.”
Director Tim Higgins, of Royal Oak, insisted on renting a special set made for “Newsies” — with moving platforms and moving staircases — to give it the production value he feels this show needs. He’s holding his “awesome” cast up to the same high standards.
“The choreography that we see in the Broadway version — it’s just incredible,” Higgins said. “We’re trying to replicate that.”
Higgins is co-choreographing the show with Christine Campbell-Cormier, of Columbus.
While the show has its heartbreaking moments, the unity and spirit of the young workers keeps “Newsies” from being a depressing show.
“The camaraderie is what got these kids through this,” Higgins said.
While most musicals have one or two showstopping numbers, O’Donnell said “Newsies” has one after another.
“It’s a show for anyone,” Roetker said. “It’s a show for all ages. It’s very entertaining. … It’s one of my favorite shows because of how enjoyable it is.”
In conjunction with the show, GPT is collecting items for The Old Newsboys’ Goodfellow Fund of Detroit. The Detroit Goodfellows distribute Christmas gift boxes to children in need. Show attendees can support this endeavor by bringing new items to GPT’s “Newsies” performances: children’s winter hats, gloves or mittens; children’s winter socks; children’s coloring books; lip balm; small packages of colored pencils, crayons or washable markers; and stuffed animals no more than 8 inches tall.
“The Detroit Goodfellows is thrilled to partner with the Grosse Pointe Theatre for their production of Newsies,” Goodfellows President Rick Pacynski said in a press release. “The show is relevant to the history of our organization which started when a group of old newspaper boys gathered together at their old corners to sell newspapers to raise money for kids’ Christmas presents. They did so for the first time on the Monday after Thanksgiving in 1914, and the tradition has continued for over one hundred years.”
Parcells Middle School is located at 20600 Mack Ave. (at Vernier Road) in Grosse Pointe Woods. For tickets or more information, visit gpt.org or call (313) 881-4004.
