SJS News

On February 20, 21, and 22, the SJS Mummers’ Society presented the winter musical, Newsies, in Kellam Auditorium. 

The show is based on the 1992 musical film of the same name, which in turn was inspired by the real-life newsboys' strike of 1899 in New York City. The show centers around Jack Kelly, leader of a ragged band of "newsies," who dreams of a better life. When publishing titans Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst raise distribution prices at the newsboys’ expense, Jack rallies newsies across the city to strike.

Melanie Regan ’00, Director of Fine and Performing Arts, directed the show and said the students felt emotionally invested in telling this inspirational story. 

“It was fun to do a musical that’s historical fiction because we could connect the dots about who was who and how this affected the future of newspapers and unions,” she said.

Newsies is known as a dancing show with high-energy choreography that involves the entire ensemble.

“It was such a challenging dance show, and Ms. Ruark (choreographer) and I did wonder at the beginning if it was too ambitious," said Mrs. Regan. "As the rehearsal process went on, it became more and more clear that not only is this not too ambitious, but these kids are rising to the challenge in a way that we didn't anticipate.”

Sofia Phalan ’25 (who played Davey) said she has been dancing and performing since a young age, and that experience was a huge benefit as she served as a dance captain along with Dora Wang ’25. 

“We would both run rehearsals on Wednesdays, and we would help people if they were having trouble with a step or with timing,” she said.

Valerie Zumbrun '25 has played various roles during her time at Saint James but Newsies might just be her favorite.

"Newsies is probably number one for me because I could connect with Katherine Plumber the most out of all of my other roles," she said. "The acting wasn’t too difficult because I felt like our personalities were very similar: sassy and fierce."

The show has roles for more than 70 people, but there were 27 students in the cast, meaning they all played multiple roles.

“We spent a lot of time helping each one of these individual students develop their characters as people who mattered in their own world,” Mrs. Regan said. “A lot of the newsies weren’t based on real people, and so the students had to give themselves their own names and create their own stories.”

Harry Imarhiagbe ’25 said playing Jack Kelly on stage was challenging but rewarding. 

“My solo ‘Santa Fe’ was one of my favorites due to the hard work I put into it," he said. "The song WIPED ME OUT, yet looking back it also gave me joy.”

The lighting, sound, and stage upgrades in Kellam Auditorium also enhanced the production.

“The investments the School has made in the theater, particularly in the sound and the wireless mics, were a game changer,” said Joseph Regan, music director. “The mics and the new sound system meant that the balance was no longer something that the kids had to worry about; they could just focus on singing.”

Bravo to the entire cast and crew!

View the photo gallery.