This week is our Upper School/Middle School Spring Musical Production of Disney’s “Newsies.” The show, set in 1899, is a retelling of the historical 1899 Newsboys’ Strike. Following Jack Kelly and his rag-tag gang of Newsies, we watch as they stand up to the oppressive forces of Joseph Pulitzer and his paper “New York World” with the help of up-and-coming journalist Katherine Plumber and newly-joined newsies Davey and Les Jacobs.
Leading up to the show, I asked our cast of “Newsies” their thoughts on the ways the story of the musical is important given the current state of our government and media landscape and the story elements they see reflected in our modern society.
The Wildezine recognizes that in our modern times, discussions of political issues are often polarizing, however as “Newsies” is an inherently political show it is an important discussion to be had. We recognize and respect all members of our SSFS community, even if political opinions vary. The responses below have been edited for clarity and to best reflect the opinions of the individuals.
Benji Cherukuri (Jack Kelly, 11th grade): I believe the newsies’ fight for better working conditions and equal opportunity for the little guy reflects what’s happening in New York City, with the election of Zohran Mamdani, a democratic socialist whose political unrest stems from people trying to shame him out for speaking things that carry no label of liberal or Marxist; just the pursuit of benefiting and supporting the little guy. The unfairness with Pulitzer and Hearst, the rich and the greedy raising prices on the newsies who have no power to fight back alone, mirrors the billionaires monopolizing New York and pricing out the very people who make the city run. Just as the newsies organized to demand what was fair, Mamdani’s push to tax the wealthy to make living better for the people of New York is a testament to that same fight.
Julia Roach (Davey Jacobs, 12th grade): I think “Newsies” is still relevant today because of the message that anyone can make a change. Young people protesting will never not be a part of our democracy, and I feel like “Newsies” really demonstrate that principle.
Zarina Aronson (Crutchie, 10th grade): Unity among people is important in a divided country, and workers’ unions provide some of that needed unity. When many people work for a common goal, there is little they can’t achieve. While Jack serves as a focus point for the audience as the leader of the Newsboys’ Union, it’s all the newsies together that makes their goal possible. We still today see unions fighting for equal rights for workers and safety on the job, as those qualities in many spaces are still not fulfilled.
Mia Rosenthal (Joseph Pulitzer, 10th grade): “Newsies” is a story about a group of underdogs who rose up to defeat an economic giant, exploiting the workers for his own gain. In a world in which quite literally billions suffer and starve due to the greed of the few, the story of “Newsies” – that when we truly work together as a group, nothing can stop us – is an incredibly important story and message to internalize as hope for the future.
Vivien Denniston (Albert/Finch/Hannah/Bowery Beauty, 10th grade): “Newsies” is important as it encourages young people to stand for what they believe in and truly act on it. It pushes people not to just hold their opinions close and back down when those ideas are challenged and to find community in people our age in fighting back against long oppressive rules set by the people before us. In modern society I see a lot more movement amongst people my age to tell their friends and adults in their life what they think is wrong with what’s going on in our current society. One example that comes to mind in school specifically reflects this with the student-created Difference Makers club and Families for Families. These organizations coming from the students themselves as their own form of a ‘union’ to help make the world a better place is a great reflection of the ideals displayed in “Newsies.”
Margo Chmil (Henry/Bowery Beauty, 9th grade): I feel like “Newsies” is important as a story to the current state of the US government and media landscape because of the fact that so much has been cut out of the news because its been deemed “unimportant” by the superiors and the fact that the news has started to decline in how reputable it is because of the changes made by the government. In our modern society, I see how the people in higher power try to silence both those with less power and the news itself, along with people beginning to rebel against the attempt to silence.
Anonymous Newsie: “Newsies” is important given the current state of the government and media landscape because it places a heavy emphasis on workers’ rights and the oppressed experiencing success when working together. This type of success story is especially meaningful because right now many movements and protests are built by building strong bonds and fighting injustice as a community rather than an individual.
Come see our Upper School/Middle School production of “Newsies” on Friday, May 29th at 7:00 and Saturday, May 30th, at 2:00 and 7:00!
