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THE ARTS
THE STANDARD
The Walt Disney Company
The Theater Department Presents Newsies: The Musical
The Sierra Canyon Theater Department’s newest Musical: The Newsies
by Robin Park There is no denying the fact that the pandemic has disrupted all our lives greatly over the past year. Many of us here at Sierra Canyon experienced firsthand how COVID-19 prevented us from doing various things, including going to school, meeting our friends, and taking AP tests in person. However, out of all of us, those who were part of the Theater program were arguably the most unfortunate— the pandemic hit mere days before their next scheduled theater performance and put a stop to all the hard work they had been putting into their production. Thankfully, as Sierra Canyon and the rest of California take a giant step towards a post-pandemic world and embrace a “new normal,” Sierra Canyon’s prized Theater program is preparing to launch its most ambitious production to date-- Newsies the Musical. This year’s first production will take place in early November, and for the first time in Sierra Canyon history, will be performed at the Madrid Theater. The theater production will also feature a live musical ensemble led by Mr. Davis. Newsies the Musical is based on the 1992 musical film Newsies and inspired by the 1899 New York City newsboys strike. The play is based off of the book written by Harvey Fierstein and contains music and lyrics produced by Alan Menken and Jake Feldman. The musical had its world premiere in 2011 at the Paper Mill Playhouse before moving to Broadway in 2012, where it played for over 1,000 performances before touring. The main character, Jack Kelly, is a mash-up of several historical figures from the 1899 Newsboys’ Strike; most notably, Kid Blink (who appears in the
film but not in the musical), a captivating speaker the Newsboys Union held a large rally at the New and leader of the younger boys. Other real strikers Irving Theatre, a vaudeville venue on the Bowery featured in the show include Racetrack Higgins, (reimagined in the musical as Medda Larkin’s theatre). The rally was extensively covered by the Mush Meyers, and Spot Conlon. Katherine Plumber, despite being a fictional New York Sun (the fictional employer of Katherine character, is named after Joseph Pulitzer’s daughter Plumber) and included comments from union Katherine Ethel, who died of illness at the age of officials. During the strike, Kid Blink is said to have two in 1884. Many newsgirls joined the strike, secretly begun working for Pulitzer and William which is frequently overlooked in both the film Hearst, resulting in a violent clash of strikers versus and the musical. In the script that is now available scabbers, similar to Jack’s near-betrayal after Pulitzer gives him a full ride to for licensing, new stage Santa Fe. adaptations are said to have We invite you to join the more female roles, as well Sierra Canyon theater program as many characters who are as they take us through the gender-neutral. tumultuous streets of early In the musical’s plot, 20th century Manhattan, newspapers raised their Theodore Roosevelt’s Big prices in response to the Apple, and the Gilded Age pressure to sell more papers drama of labor unions, strikes, following the Spanish child labor, yellow journalism, American War. However, and greed. The Sierra Canyon in actuality, the price of Theater Department cordially publications was raised from 50 cents to 60 cents The cast of Newsies performs for Lower Campus invites you to join them at the Madrid Theater on November during the Spanish-American students on October 27th. 5th, 6th, and 7th. War, not afterward. The Tickets are available now. Student tickets are strike was triggered by the fact that the newspaper publishers refused to lower the exorbitant price after $5.00 and GA tickets are $10.00. The theater requires the conflict ended. The newsboys revolted because proof of vaccination or a negative Covid test within they believed it would be more difficult to sell 48-hours before attending the performance. newspapers without the exciting war news, as well as the additional pressures of price changes. On July 24, 1899, at the height of the strike,
