‘Newsies’ brings underdog spirit to Fountain Inn's Younts Center

When 70 young newsies raise their voices together at the Younts Center for the Performing Arts, the effect is more than musical.

“The building literally feels like it’s shaking,” said Tim St. Clair II, director and music director of Ignite Theatrical’s production of “Newsies.” “It’s powerful. It’s amazing.”

The production, opening Sept. 11 at the Younts Center in Fountain Inn, is the largest show Ignite has mounted in its three seasons as the center’s in-house theater company. The cast numbers about 75, with performers ranging from children to adults.

“Newsies” follows a group of young newspaper sellers in 1890’s New York who organize a strike against the powerful publishers who raise the price of the papers the newsies must buy to sell on the streets.

For St. Clair, the show’s appeal lies in its combination of story, character, music and dance — and especially its underdog spirit.

“I love the music. I love the storyline. I love the characters,” he said. “I think it connects with a lot of people and I think it’s everything that musical theater’s about.”

The production also emphasizes the historical reality behind the story. Although the musical focuses primarily on boys, St. Clair said girls also worked as newsies during the period, and Ignite’s cast reflects that history.

Ambitious choreography

The show’s large cast also allows for some ambitious choreography. Co-director and choreographer William Brown, who plays the newsie Finch, brings eight years of dance experience — including five years competing in multiple styles — to the production.

One sequence features about 45 performers tap dancing onstage at once.

“It’s wild and amazing,” Brown said.

Romantic leads Jack Kelly and Katherine Plumber are played by a married couple, Jack and Caroline Spearman. Both have worked with Ignite as vocal coaches and performers, but this marks an opportunity for them to play opposite each other.

For Ignite, “Newsies” is ultimately about the power of people coming together. Brown said he loves the way characters from different parts of the city eventually unite behind a common cause.

“At the very end of the show,” he said, “everybody just comes together in one unified moment to make a big statement.”