Monday, July 23, 2018

Review of Disney's Newsies @AuroraTheatre #BravePRAtl #ATNewsies


Inspired by the real-life Newsboy Strike of 1899, this high-energy musical soars with rousing dance numbers and non-stop thrills. In New York City at the turn of the century, publishing titans Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst look to take advantage of newsboys to increase profits. Enter charismatic Jack Kelly who unwittingly leads a ragged band of teenaged "newsies," across the city to strike for what’s right. This Tony Award-winning musical, based on the timeless Disney film, is toe-tapping fun for the entire family.

Running Time: Approximately 2.5 hours
Dates: July 19-September 2

As soon as my daughter heard this one was coming, she let me know.  Fortunately, we were invited by the Aurora Theatre to check it out in exchange for our review.  I have to say that I was impressed by the cast.  Many are returning from the Aurora Theatre's production of  Mamma Mia! so I knew what they'd be capable of.  There were many that I hadn't seen perform before and I have to say they did awesome!  As impressive as the cast was together, I always seem to find that one person that stands out.  This time around it was Mahalia Jackson (Medda Larkin).  I loved her sass and her voice.  I just loved the way she portrayed her character.

There were quite a few younger actors that my daughter enjoyed as well - some of them being high schoolers.  The young actor playing Les was younger than that.   Her favorite scene, though, was "King of NY", mostly due to the choreography.

The cast's performance with a combination of singing and dance was well done.  The audience seemed to be highly impressed with some of the tumbling and leaps.  There were many in the audience that showed a lot of enthusiasm during portions of the performance that indicated they were being well entertained.

Overall, I'd say a performance well done.  If you're interested in attending, I'd suggest purchasing your tickets soon. Some shows are already sold out.  Ticket information is found here.

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