"Newsies" Opens at Village Theatre
The Village Theatre’s production of Newsies opens on Friday night.
The musical is based on a Disney film from the 1990s, which is in turn based on an actual New York paper boy strike in the late 1800s.
The characters in the play wear slouch caps and suspenders as they spin and sing their way through the streets of the Big Apple to become underdog heroes.
The Village Theatre promises to deliver on the theatrical goods. As previously reported, they make all of their sets and costumes in house.
The show's balletic choreography is coordinated by Katy Tabb on what she calls “a jungle gym-like set.” The stage mimics the urban landscape of old NYC.
“I couldn’t be more excited to have Newsies as one of my final shows as Artistic Director at Village Theatre,” says director, Steve Tomkins. “We have a truly exceptional cast that is going to blow everyone away. While we’re certainly looking to honor and celebrate the film and the Broadway show, we’re creating our own unique Village Theatre production.”
EVERETT NATIVE TAKES THE STAGE
The show features homegrown talent.
Milltown-based dancer Lukas Poischbeg will be playing the part of newspaper boy Buttons in the production, as well as one of the "scabs" who seeks to thwart the newspaper strike.
Lukas got his start in the Village Theatre’s children’s education program KID STAGE. He was a member of the Everett High School Drama Club. He’s pursued dancing classes at the ARC School of Ballet, and Westlake Dance Studio.
That's Lukas Poischbeg dancing on a barrel.
"I think that we are very fortunate in Everett to have a diverse range of drama, theater, visual arts, vocal performance, and dance," he says. "There are opportunities here for everyone to start at level one."
Lukas also works in choreography, audio engineering, and scenic design.
Besides his work in Newsies, Lukas is now studying dance and education at the University of Washington.
"I would love to move to Germany and study dance after graduation," he says. His family comes from Hamburg. He wants to explore the German culture that he grew up with and he's interested in using art to create opportunities for social justice.
"Newsies is a high energy dance show," Lukas says. "Our cast is very diverse. That's what makes the show really powerful."
Lukas is in the promotional shot for the Village Theatre's production of Newsies. He says it's been exciting to see the posters up around the city of Seattle, where he resides.
Newsies has been extended to run through February 4th at the Everett Performing Arts Center.
When planning your visit, please take note that the play run time is 2 hours and 15 minutes. As always the theatre serves wine, beer, coffee, tea, and other snacks during intermission.
There are a few more Village Theatre productions scheduled for this season so stay tuned for more Live in Everett coverage.
EVERETT PERFORMING ARTS CENTER
2710 Wetmore Avenue
Everett, WA 98201
(425) 257-6393
Richard Porter is a writer for Live in Everett.