“What really gets the blood flowing is the showmanship and the staging.”
One cannot fail to see the serendipitous irony of Newsies: The Musicalβs UK premiere. The official website, in sepia tones of old newsprint, has the format of a daily rag. βNewsies Go On Strike! Read Moreβ is the headline splashed across the homepage. Similar headlines dominate the front pages of the evening tabloids that litter the street corners as we make our way to the theatre, negotiating the travel chaos caused by the current strike action. If nothing else, the timing of βNewsiesβ is spot on.
The struggles of the protagonists; the issues of homelessness, exploitation, security, solidarity and capitalism are going to resonate strongly, even though the plot, based on historical fact, is over a century old. As the dawn of the twentieth century approaches, the ubiquitous bands of teenage newspaper sellers dream of a better life away from the hardship of the streets of New York City. These young men, and women, come together to fight the exploitation of the wealthy publishing tycoons who are callously hiking up the prices they pay for the papers they sell.
The realism is spot on. Morgan Largeβs impressive scaffold set immerses us right into the heart of Manhattan. The grim fire escapes and sidewalks soon burst into the cacophonous chorus as the βNewsiesβ come scampering from all corners of the auditorium to explode onto the stage in a glorious, rush hour frenzy. It seems they are celebrating their misfortunes. Indeed, lead player Jack Kelly (Michael Ahomka-Lindsay) is portrayed as having chosen his fate. Consequently Ahomka-Lindsay lacks the fire of the real life βKid Blinkβ on which the character is based. Kid Blink was not yet a teenager when he addressed over two thousand strikers to lead them in the battle against the publishers. Jack Kellyβs character replaces fire with charm and courage with charisma, throwing in a roving eye for the daughter of the enemy.
If the plot is sweetened somewhat (this is based on a Disney film after all), the execution is a sharp, exhilarating and sometimes overwhelming spectacle. Director Matt Coleβs choreography is both bombastic and balletic. Not always in tune with the subject matter, it nevertheless thrills us and coaxes us into repeated standing ovations β even before interval. The space is as wide as it is high and at one point the dancers even occupy the airspace during the stunning number βKing of New Yorkβ at the opening of Act Two. The more plaintive ballads do not fare so well, with the lyrics occasionally getting lost in the cavernous auditorium. Likewise, the subtleties and subplots lose their way amidst the sheer, larger-than-life displays.
βKeep your eyes on the stars and your feet on the groundβ is a piece of advice given to the strikers, βand you will winβ. Itβs no spoiler to reveal that they did indeed win. But these stunning triple-threat performers won our standing ovation too β even though they rarely kept their feet on the ground. They are the stars that we, the audience, keep our eyes on.
In 2001, writer Amanda Brown wrote about her experience as a blonde at Stanford Law School in various letters to friends which later became a novel and the box office success that was βLegally Blondeβ. The musical, with music and lyrics by Laurence OβKeefe and Nell Benjamin and book by Heather Hach, opened on Broadway in 2007 to mixed reviews. Itβs West End run, starring Sheridan Smith, won three Olivier Awards, including Best Actress in a Musical for Smith.
βSixβ alumni Courtney Bowman commands the stage as the central character, Elle. Heartbroken after being dumped by her boyfriend Warner (Alistair Toovey) for not being serious enough, she decides she can win him back by showing she can achieve the same ambitions in the legal profession as him. In a plot line that loses touch with any form of credibility, she is accepted into the law school, rises high against odds and prejudices and eventually surpasses Warner. Along the way, everybody is put in their place, including misogynist law professors, jealous perjurers, closet gays. In fact, the characters who come out on top are the underdogs. The seemingly vacuous who ultimately reveal more depth than those who mock them.
Despite being hindered by a predominantly unmemorable score, the show still wins us over with its anergy and infectious comedy. And a couple of musical delights. The wit of OβKeefe and Benjaminβs lyrics shine through in particular during βSeriousβ, βBlood in the Waterβ and βGay or Europeanβ which is surely the highlight of the night. It is miraculous how the words are sung so clearly with tongues so firmly set in the cheek. Homophobia, jingoism, and a whole host of other βismsβ are shot to the ground in a joyous few minutes of musical theatre snap, crackle and pop. Act Two opener, βWhipped Into Shapeβ showcases Ellen Kaneβs slick choreography, pushing the all singing, all dancing ensemble to the limit.
βLegally Blondeβ retains its comedy and loses none of its subversiveness in this brash and thoroughly camp production at Regents Open Air Theatre. It is a joy ride, although it does sometimes feel like youβre riding on a bus full of teenagers. Whilst there is little room for subtlety against the backbeat and spectacle, the current MT trend to introduce a Disney, cartoon-like, nasal shrillness to the delivery does grate over a couple of hours. But itβs worth it to reach the happy ending, buoyed up by the feel-good sensations that bounce the evening along.
