MAPLEWOOD / SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — Columbia High School’s theater department will be back in the school’s auditorium for its annual musical after a two-year COVID-19–induced hiatus. Triumphantly twirling across the stage, newspapers in hand, the students will bring “Newsies” to the stage, opening March 11. It’s the first big show to be staged since they were able to put on “Matilda” outside at Floods Hill in South Orange last June, which was rescheduled from March 2020 after the pandemic cancellation. But now, real theater seats will be filled again.
“They’ve honestly worked harder than I’ve ever seen them work,” co-director and co-choreographer Bethany Pettigrew said in an interview with the News-Record at a rehearsal on March 2. “I think they’re just so happy to be back in person.”
She and co-director and co-choreographer Tricia Benn made sure they were able to make “Matilda” happen last year, but the outdoor venue set limits on the set size and lighting design. The musical is normally performed every winter; in 2021, they featured a virtual retread of past CHS shows rather than a new show. This year, it’s full steam ahead.
“It was emotional,” Benn said in an interview with the News-Record on March 2 about finally putting on a performance again. “When the orchestra first played and they took off their masks to sing, we were almost in tears.”
While the majority of the cast members wear face masks even during rehearsals, it’s a small price to pay for the students, who have been itching to get back on a real stage for two years.
“It’s really exciting,” senior Cyrus Shields, who is playing the lead role of Jack Kelly, said in an interview with the News-Record on March 2. “We did ‘Matilda’ outside, which was great, but it was a limited set. It’s exciting to finally be able to do this, even though we’re still wearing masks right now. But there’s a very good chance that this will happen and it won’t be taken away all of a sudden.”
“Newsies” tells the story of New York City newsboys who form a union and go on strike. when newspaper owners Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst raise the price of their newspapers for the newsies, forcing the newsboys to pay more for them but not able to make their money back. In the show, Jack Kelly becomes the leader of the movement. The story is based on the real history of the newsboys strike of 1899.
When deciding what musical should be staged each year, Benn and Pettigrew evaluate the cast members they know will probably return to audition and take their strengths into account. Seniors are asked for their input, and then a choice is made. One of the reasons “Newsies” was chosen this year is because the majority of the characters are children and teenagers.
“It’s always good to choose a show where they’re playing their own age,” Pettigrew said. “It makes it more authentic. And this actually happened, so it’s something they can attach to in that way.”
The show began as a live-action Disney movie released in 1992, before being turned into a stage musical that debuted just 3 miles away from CHS at the Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn in 2011. It moved to Broadway in 2012, where it ran for more than 1,000 performances until 2014. Two of the original Broadway cast members live in South Orange and worked with the CHS cast in workshops: John Dossett, who played Joseph Pulitzer, and Kara Lindsay, who played Katherine Plumber, a reporter who covers the strike.
“For a lot of them, this was the first show they saw,” Benn said, mentioning that many cast members saw “Newsies” when it was at the Paper Mill. “To be doing it onstage is exciting for them.”
Rocky Ancinette is playing Medda Larkin, a saloon singer who befriends Jack and offers her theater as a safe place for the newsboys to stay. A senior this year, she’s thrilled to be able to perform in a full-on high school musical in her last chance to do so.
“COVID messed things up so much that when you talk about it, it kind of feels like, ‘Wait, that happened?’” she said in an interview with the News-Record on March 2. “I feel really grateful and lucky to be able to do it, because they could have said we weren’t going to.”
Besides that, “Newsies” is just a really fun show to be in, according to Ancinette. After a large group of dancers graduated last year, the producers got CHS’ Special Dance Company to be in the show, bringing more experienced dancers to the ensemble. They’ve also been teaching the novices how to dance.
“They really stepped up and showed people what to do,” Ancinette said. “Dancing is always fun, and this whole show is basically a big dance number. It’s an ensemble-heavy show, so everyone gets a chance to shine. The best songs are the ensemble ones.”
Shields has been in the CHS musicals all four years, but this is the first time he’s had larger than a supporting or ensemble role. He spends most of the show onstage, and is learning how to conserve his voice so that it stays in shape for all six shows, including the five days in between the first and second weekend.
“It really feels like I have to be fully engaged the whole time,” he said. “If I don’t give it my all then that sets a precedent for everyone else. And I have to conserve my voice, with all of the singing and shouting I’m doing.”
As exciting as it is for performers to be back onstage, Ancinette said she thinks the audience will be just as eager to see a show.
“Going from Zoom to hearing it live, it probably will give them chills,” she said. “I think the crowd will be excited too. They haven’t seen a show in just as long as we haven’t. They’re in for a treat.”
“Newsies” is family friendly, so children will be able to be in the audience. But Shields said it doesn’t detract from the messaging in the show.
“It deals with real issues of class,” he said. “It’s designed for families, but it still has an important message hidden in the flashy dancing and singing. It’s nice to see a musical cover that with a hopeful tone.”
Performances of “Newsies” are on March 11, March 12, March 18, and March 19 at 7:30 p.m. and on March 13 and March 20 at 2 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at www.chsmusicals.com but sell out quickly.
Photos Courtesy of Bethany Pettigrew
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