I'm a bit late to the party with Newsies, but now I see what all the original fuss over Jeremy Jordan and his Tony-award winning band of newsies was all about. At the helm today, making his Broadway debut, is the effortless talent of Corey Cott (Jack Kelly).
As a matter of fact, I was surprised to see just how many Broadway debuts there were in the cast. Young is the understatement here. But unbelievably talented may be the runner up for that award. The boys gave it their all and the results were clear - a technically challenging dance-show (Christopher Gattelli) with powerful tunes and toe-tapping melodies (Alan Menkin) and an unbelievably masterful and crisp delivery of the book (Harvey Firestein).
It didn't appear that Disney's money is the real secret to the success either. The sets were surprisingly basic. Lighting appeared masterfully focused and sound was decent. What put this show over the top was the energy, heart, and all-in dance effort by each and every talented member of the cast.
Broadway veteran John Dossett (Joseph Pulitzer), a master in his own right, even takes a back seat to the boys and LaVon Fisher-Wilson (Medda Larkin) and Kara Lindsay (Katherine) both get to belt out a tune or two alongside the boys. Nothing can match the adorable Joshua Colley (Les) - a mere 10 years-old and on stage almost as much as the elder boys. Mild-mannered Andy Richardson (Crutchie) and charming Ben Frankhauser (Davey) aptly hold up their leading roles with aplomb.
I'm sure the Disney brand kept me away this long, but I'm sure glad I finally gave into the hype and plunked down some cash for this one. It's worth every penny to see these Kings of New York grace every square inch of the stage at the Nederlander Theatre.