Review: NEWSIES at The Belle Theatre

NEWSIES at the brand new Belle Theatre in Cape Coral took place June 10-19, and I saw one of the final few performances. NEWSIES is one of my favorites, so I was looking forward to experiencing this production in a new way.

Harvey Evans played Jack Kelly, and he did a great job. Though faced with some mic issues that resulted in feedback, he was excellent at bringing the character to life. I enjoyed his acting and singing. His relationship with Katherine (Aubrey Barnhouse) was sweet to watch. I also really enjoyed her performance and thought she was a great Katherine. Davey was played by Keith Williams and Les by River Reed, and I thought they did a good job as well. Crutchie, played by Matthew Brice, gave a thoughtful performance. Some of the newsies that stood out to me also included Race (Macy Magas) and Mush (Athena Belis). They were a lot of fun to watch and put a lot of passion into their performances. Marianna Young was a lovely Medda Larkin, and she dazzled the audience.

NEWSIES at The Belle Theatre was directed by Dana Alvarez, with choreography by Sami Doherty and music direction by Matt Koller. The choreography was energetic and the singing blended well, creating a cohesive performance.

There were a few technical issues in the performance; aside from the mic feedback, the videos that played on the side wall next to the stage that were supposed to feature certain wording in various scenes did not have the correct wording many times, or it would appear a while after that part was discussed by the characters. I also found it distracting that one of the curtains that curved around the stage from the side to the back was left open several times, allowing the audience to see the cast mingling backstage.

Despite those issues, this production was very earnest, and the cast was very evidently passionate about the story as well as theatre. NEWSIES has a great message, excellent songs, and is a lot of fun. It is impossible not to become invested in this story, and you can't help but dance in your seat during some of the fun musical numbers.

The Belle Theatre has an exciting season set for 2022-2023, with shows including Into the Woods, Next to Normal, and Little Shop of Horrors. It is always exciting to see a new theatre in Southwest Florida, and I suggest checking them out!

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