Trinity High School’s production of “Newsies,” which will run Nov. 22 through Nov. 24, will unite the history of New York City’s newsboys’ strike of 1899 with timeless messages of empowerment and compromise.
Trinity senior Kathleen Burns, 17, plays Jack Kelly, who leads a strike after newspaper price increases threaten their livelihood.
“Jack puts on this really intense macho face, but he’s a really sweet guy deep down,” said Burns, of Riverside. “He’s doing all of this to help his pals.”
As the strike spreads, Kelly’s influence grows.
“One of the things I like is Disney allows you to change some of the Newsies to girls,” director Pat Henderson said. “The leader of the Brooklyn Newsies is allowed to be made into a female, and they needed Brooklyn to strike.”
Trinity High School is a private, Roman Catholic, college preparatory school for girls.
Les Jacobs, a young Newsie, takes courage from Kelly.
“He’s not worried about it,” freshman Ruth Fangmann, 14, said of her character. “He’s into the strike and looks up to Jack, who’s leading the strike, as a role model.”
“[Jacobs]’s young and energetic, so he gives that little bit of extra life to the strike and helps keep everyone’s spirits up,” said Fangmann, of Berwyn. “He’s like everyone’s little brother.”
In the musical’s second act, Kelly has a pivotal scene negotiating with Joseph Pulitzer to end the strike.
“It’s a compromise we can all live with,” Henderson said, is one of her favorite lines, and another central message.
“He’s actually very smart, although he has no education because he didn’t have the money,” Burns said. “He can talk to businesspeople and people who run the newspaper.”
Kelly, Burns said, also struggles with internal conflict and self-blame. He’s ambitious, yet yearns for love. Early in the musical, he wants to leave the big city for a life out west, yet realizes later the importance of making a life wherever he is.
A set design of multi-level platforms, steps and ladders in shades of gray and brown, lends an urban, gritty, feel.
“It was the turn of the century and the Industrial Revolution was taking place,” said junior Kaalyn Daughrity, 16. “It’s very realistic.”
Daughrity, of Chicago, is the backstage manager and head of crew.
“I like the atmosphere. It’s great people, who want to work,” she said. “I don’t like being on stage, so backstage is where I’ve focused on developing myself.”
“You want to make sure your set pieces have room on stage and are big enough for multiple people to be on and stay safe,” Daughrity said.
The lighting is “kind of smoggy; not clear,” she said, partly thanks to a new software program that allows for different lighting for different parts of the stage.
Henderson said the musical involves about 70 Trinity students and 29 elementary school students.
“A lot of these Newsies were little kids,” Henderson said. “They weren’t teenagers even.”
Dance numbers drive the plot. There’s “Santa Fe,” a song of idealism.
“He talks about his dreams and ambitions,” Burns said of Kelly. “He’s created a dream world.”
There’s “Seize the Day,” a song of hope.
“Live in the moment, take charge and go for what you want,” Henderson said.
There’s “King of New York,” which Henderson described as a tap number and song of defiance.
“They’re into this now, and realize they can make a difference,” Fangmann said.
Both Fangmann and Burns said the biggest challenge was playing male characters.
“It’s difficult to get those mannerisms correct,” Burns said.
“You definitely had to think about the historical context, and think about how they would have dressed and how they were expected to act by society,” Fangmann said.
But Burns predicts audiences will find something of themselves in the Newsies.
“Most people in the audience haven’t led strikes, but he’s [Kelly’s] a relatable character,” she said.
WHAT: “Newsies,” a 120-minute musical with one 15-minute intermission.
WHERE: Trinity High School, 7574 Division St., River Forest
WHEN: 7 p.m. on Nov. 22 and Nov. 23, and 2 p.m. on Nov. 24.
COST: $10 general admission, $5 for students.
