Local production of ‘Newsies’ features original choreography by dancer in the original film
Published at | Updated at
CHUBBUCK — For the Palace Theatre’s production of “Newsies,” a trained dancer and choreographer was brought in to work with dancers who aren’t professionally trained.
The Choreographer is Mic Thompson, one of the dancers in the original 1992 Disney film. The movie is loosely based on the real life Newsboys’ Strike of 1899. It didn’t receive critical or audience acclaim when it was first released, but has gained a cult following over the past three decades.
Co-directors Tiffini Briscoe and Abbey Newell feel one of the reasons why it gained that following is because of the relatability of the story.
“It’s a universal story of the underdog and I think everyone can relate to that in some way or another,” Briscoe said. “It’s this fantasy of being able to stand up … to say we have rights, we have each other and that gives us strength.”
“You see a bunch of kids who are at the bottom of the food chain being taken advantage of for the gain and greed of those in power,” Newell said. “And you see them rise up against that. There is a huge found-family aspect that a lot of people relate to.”
And that’s why Jenna Davies, the theater’s owner and artistic director, recruited Thompson for the production.
Davies first came to know Thompson when she was working as a latin and ballroom dancer nationally and internationally. Thompson was her choreographer. After working professional gigs and finishing school, she transitioned into owning the theater.
Last year, Thompson visited family in Pocatello. He and Davies crossed paths when he came to the Palace Theatre to see one of its shows. Davies asked Thompson if he would choreograph the upcoming production of Newsies, to which Thompson agreed.
Instead of having skilled local performers do the choreography from the original show, he would create new choreography that complimented the skills of the cast.
“I took it upon myself to begin and listen to the music and get inspired from what the music is doing,” Thompson said. “My cousin was cracking up because I just put the music on down in her basement and turned the camera on and just did whatever.”
The end result is something he calls musical storytelling animation, a high energy form of storytelling through movement. Animation in this context is animating body movements to communicate the story.
Briscoe observed that Thompson was able to “listen to the music and feel it in his body and then, using his years and years of experience, bring something new to it.”
While Davies held true to the original story, she says there are some slight differences.
“We made it really unique and different … We broke tradition,” she says.
Thompson hasn’t seen the performance in person yet, but based on the video clips, he’s proud of the cast.
“We want them to be newsies that are real,” Thompson said. “They’re kids that are moving to the beat of the music and they’re giving us a story from this.”
“The best part is always seeing it come together once all the pieces are ready,” Newell said.
Briscoe’s favorite part of the performance was “watching all the actors come up with new ideas for their own characters. As directors, we give them the movement, we give them a lot of advice … but it’s really fun once the actors start taking their own liberties with the characters and the characters become their own.”
Live performances of “Newsies” run Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Monday nights through the end of April. Showtime is 7 p.m. Dinner is included with Friday and Saturday performances.
To purchase tickets or learn more, click here.