NEWSIES by joel martens Like many theatrical tales, Newsies is based
on a true story pulled from history’s pages. In this case, it’s a story directly associated with the pages of New York’s two most powerful news sources The New York World and The New York Journal, owned by tycoons Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst. The setting is 1899 and child labor laws aren’t even a conception, young newsboys, made up of mostly poor orphans and runaways fill the streets of New York, hawking papers for cash. Monies made selling those papers had to be used to purchase the next day’s edition and when Pulitzer and Hearst raised the prices the newsboys paid per bundle, it made it virtually impossible for them to profit from their work. In protest, the boys refused to distribute both the World and Journal and demon- strated across the Brooklyn Bridge for several days, effectively bringing traffic to a standstill. An action that forced Hearst and Pulitzer to negotiate. Newsies tells this story in Broadway’s grand tradition, with notable embellishments of course, added by book writer Harvey Fierstein, along with beautiful choreography by Christopher Gattelli and set to the incredible music and lyrics of Alan Menken and Jack Feldman. Joey Barreiro, who plays the show’s main character, Jack Kelly, sat down with The Rage Monthly to discuss the realities of Newsies and now, we in turn can, “Read all about it!”
Tell me a little about yourself. The where, what and how of your start in theatre. I’m from Miami, Florida and I started singing because my sister, who is two years older than me, was a singer. I did the natural, younger brother thing when you have only one older sister... And that’s “I’m going to outdo her.” (Laughs) I was in chorus programs until I got to college and
started playing musical instruments in high school, piano and guitar. I decided then, “Well, I know how to sing and I like movies and even though I’ve never acted before, I guess I’ll try for some musical theatre programs and I got in to the University of Miami.” After that, I just fell in love with the craft of acting. Music is my first and true love and I really have a deep passion for it. I actually enjoy figuring out a character, the map behind their human traits and all of that kind of stuff. It’s really awesome that
left: joey barreiro (jack kelly). right: joey barreiro (center) and the north american tour company of disney’s newsies. photography by deen van meer.
I’ve been able to build a career around it. One of the things that really impressed me about Newsies is how incredibly physical it is for the dancers and cast. It really is. Even though I really don’t dance that
much compared to the ensemble, I’m off stage very little. During my tracks I have to run up and down these set towers with stairs all the way to the top. I’m constantly up and down the entire length and it’s an absolute workout. I feel like every section of the show is a marathon and I’m going, going, going. Then I’ll take a break for like a minute and then go, go, go again. That’s just me and like I said, I’m not one of the dancers. Their lung capacity must be unusual to say the
least...They are incredible. What’s your favorite scene or song from the show? It always kind of fluctuates. Pretty steadily though, there’s a song called “Once And For All,” near the end of the show. It’s when all the boys come together and realize, “If we work together and use all our resources, we can actually accomplish this.” The scene is staged so beautifully too, the towers move down and it’s one of those electric moments in theatre that you don’t get all the time. The lyrics of the song are so beautifully written by Jack Feldman, who is a real talent, as is Alan Menken. My favorite scene, is with Katherine. We’re on a rooftop and Jack is confronting a secret about her that is illuminated during the show. Jack isn’t happy about it. We actually end up confronting each other and it becomes this really sweet moment where I get to delve into the many layers of Jack. You get to see him across a wide spectrum; both furious
and feeling like he can’t trust anyone, to “There’s a pretty girl here that I like, what do I do?” What’s the most surprising thing about playing Jack Kelly for you? How honest he is. Jack is seventeen in the show
and the way I saw him in my head, he was more of an angry, angsty James Dean, young, fiery Marlon Brando malcontent type of guy. What I have found playing and getting to know Jack, he is younger and more honest in his frame of mind than I thought. I think he is funnier, too. The guys from the actual strike were known for
being honest, so it’s kind of iconic. They represent a time and particular set of characteristics and Jack, even though he’s putting on a front, he’s just a young kid too. The show gives him the space to really show that. There are so many levels to being a human and I think the show—thank you Harvey Fierstein for writing this book—allows for those qualities to come across. Fierstein has a particular skill when it comes to showing a character’s humanity, while infusing them with humor, doesn’t he? Absolutely. What I like about the way Harvey
writes books, is that he doesn’t follow a formula. When you write a book for musical theatre, it has to be concise, because all of the book scenes are basically leading up to a song. You are trying to express everything in the scene as fast as possible. What I love about Harvey is that he finds a way to get to the truth very quickly, without any clutter. All of the things I’ve mention about Jack are implied in the book, but aren’t expressly there. If an actor can discover those moments through the story, a book is really successful . Harvey’s are that way, they allow you to discover the character. I’m such a big fan of his work. I have to say these words every night and they are such good words. I never get tired of repeating them.
Newsies California route begins in Costa Mesa at Segerstrom Center for the Arts, 600 Town Center Drive from Tuesday, May 17 through Sunday, May 29. For tickets and more information, call 714.556.2787 or go to
scfta.org.
The next stop on Newsies route will be at downtown San Diego’s Civic Theatre, 1100 Third Avenue from Tuesday, May 31 Through Sunday, June 5. For tickets and more information, call 619.564.3000 or go to
broadwaysd.com.
WATCH WHAT HAPPENS
MAY 2016 | RAGE monthly 49
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