WASHINGTON — The Tony Awards may be over — but Broadway fans still have reason to cheer.
Disney’s “Newsies” rocks the National Theatre from June 9-21 as part of its national tour.
The hit musical is based on the 1992 live-action Disney film, which starred a 17-year-old Christian Bale in a chronicle of the 1899 Newsboys Strike of New York City. The stage version similarly follows Jack Kelly (Dan DeLuca), a charismatic newsboy who leads a strike against publishing titans Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst — and wins the heart of Katherine (Stephanie Styles).
“It’s this true, raw story based on this historical event that actually happened, but we have the Disney twist,” Styles tells WTOP. “It’s a David and Goliath story, but you have that musical theater element. A spectacle of the human body. A spectacle of these amazing, soaring songs that just trigger your emotions. I don’t know what you could possibly want more in a Broadway musical.”
Harvey Fierstein (“Kinky Boots”) adapted the Disney film for the stage in 2011 and it made its Broadway debut in 2012. “Newsies” was intended to run just 101 performances, but its popularity lasted for 1,005 shows, grossing more than $100 million, putting more than a million butts in the seats and earning eight Tony nominations, including two wins for choreography and score.
It was this stage version that captured the imagination of DeLuca, who was born the year the film came out. The Pittsburgh native didn’t see the Disney flick until high school, prompting him to check out “Newsies” on Broadway for a standing-room-only show at the Nederlander Theatre.
“I had to stand at the back of the theater because it was so sold out,” DeLuca tells WTOP. “I remember just leaning on the bar back there … and just being like, ‘oh, that is something I have to do.'”
As for Styles, she saw the show four times on Broadway, including twice with DeLuca after being cast in the national tour. DeLuca won tickets in the lottery rush and invited Styles to come along.
“It was when we knew we were playing the roles, but we couldn’t tell anyone,” says Styles, who grew up in Houston. “I was still in college while I was auditioning. … Our final auditions were between my last day of school and my first final. So it was my big, first New York experience auditioning.”
“We’re very lucky that we’re the third in line to tackle these characters,” DeLuca says. “Only two people had played them on Broadway, and here we are … originating the roles on the tour.”
The self-proclaimed “Disney freaks” relish the fact that they’ll be singing show tunes penned by Jack Feldman (lyrics) and Alan Menken (music), who won eight Oscars between “The Little Mermaid” (1989), “Beauty and the Beast” (1991), “Aladdin” (1992) and “Pocahontas” (1995).
The songs — including “Seize the Day” — are accompanied by the Tony-winning choreography by Christopher Gattelli, featuring 31 back flips by dancers wearing 150 different period costumes.
“The choreography and acrobatics are unparalleled,” Styles says. “We’ve seen the show 230-something times, and I still watch … these young men, what they do, my jaw is on the floor.”
The national tour opened in Philadelphia with subsequent stints in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago and Orlando, as well as both of their hometowns of Pittsburgh and Houston. Eight months in, the show finally hits D.C., where the cast recently visited for the White House Easter Egg Roll.
“I’ve been looking forward to D.C. for so long,” Styles says. “I love this city.”
If any city knows the grind of daily newspapers, it’s Washington. But “Newsies” is so much more.
“It’s not about newspapers. It’s about a young generation standing up for themselves,” DeLuca says. “Just a group of people standing up for what they believe in and holding their ground and noticing that you need your friends. … It’s a really empowering story.”
Click here for ticket information.
