By Alex Cox || coxalexj@gmail.com

A review of the January 2025 Amherst Community Theater production of Disney’s Newsies

Amherst Community Theater’s (ACT) Newsies defies expectations and serves as a testament to the talent of the Valley. 

The musical tells the story of Jack Kelly (played by PVPA Alumnus Greyson Lynch), the cowboy-esque leader of a rag-tag group of child newspaper sellers (newsies) who band together to resist unfair working conditions in 1899 New York City. Along the way, Jack joins forces with Katherine Plumber (Emma Yee), an aspiring journalist who is desperate to break into reporting hard news despite the sexism of the time, and David “Davey” Jacobs (Clay Gregory), who, along with their little sibling Les (Cosette Grout), is selling papers to help their family make ends meet. As Jack, Katherine, and Davey become the torchbearers of a movement for equality, the kingmakers of New York resist them at every turn, leading to a suspenseful, funny, and heartwarming story of labor, love, and family.

Under the debut ACT direction of Megan Healey, actors Lynch, Yee, and Gregory lead a cast of 63 actors in bringing the story of the newsies to life. With soaring voices, passionate delivery, and dynamic choreography, the cast activates every part of Bowker Auditorium. The set, an intricate adaptation of the iconic broadway scaffolding, includes five 2-story wooden towers that rotate, move, and support dozens of newsies running, jumping, and dancing along to the music (written by Alan Menken, lyrics by Jack Feldman).

Tech Director David Mullins spoke to the complexity of the set, citing both the weight and the structural complexity as unique challenges for this show. “The biggest challenge… is to make them structurally stiff enough that they’re not going to rock all over the place.” With design assistance from Chris Riddle and John Lord, Mullins developed a plan to construct the towers, which took over 2300 people-hours to complete, with volunteers from the community.

Due to the complexity of the set, the cast was not able to rehearse on the towers until they moved into the auditorium on January 4th—less than two weeks before opening night and months after the first rehearsal. 

Co-Producer Samuel Karlin reflected on the challenges of this timeline in an email to the Current: “Cast had to adjust as they had to safely navigate two story ladders. This required additional rehearsal time, added safety protocols and three cast members who serve as ‘Structure Captains’, whose added job is to be in charge of warming up on the set, and monitoring safety on the ladders during the run of the show.”

Healey, in a separate email thread to the Current, also referenced the flexibility and talent of the cast in responding to this accelerated timeline. “The actors and the creative team really had to create space in their imaginations when walking through the show, blocking the scenes and choreographing the dancing. Oftentimes, I would be telling actors on which tower they would be, and they would really have to just go to a space on stage and visualize!”

Healey, Karlin, Mullins, and the entire production team’s dream was realized on opening night, when a packed audience witnessed what will surely be remembered as one of the best opening nights in ACT’s 30+ year history. The set, choreography, and direction flawlessly supported the talented performance of so many community members. Standout performances by Kimberly Karlin (in the role of Medda Larkin), Will Gracik (“Racetrack” Higgins), Greyson Lynch, Emma Yee, and countless others led to a standing ovation, misty eyes, and another feather in the cap of ACT. 

ACT’s Newsies will run through Sunday at Bowker Auditorium at UMass. Tickets are available online at amherstacts.org/buy-tickets/ and at the box office, which opens one hour before every performance. If you are interested in joining the Amherst Community Theater production team, email chair@amherstacts.org. 

Alex Cox (he/him) is a current graduate student at UMass- Amherst studying Regional Planning (MRP) and Public Policy and Administration (MPPA). He currently serves on the Amherst Affordable Housing Trust Fund and as the Graduate Director of the Student Union Art Gallery. He has been a member of the Amherst Current editorial board since 2024.