Seize the day

Courtesy artsBHAM

Beginning July 7, Red Mountain Theatre Company will present “Newsies,” a high-energy musical about a ragtag band of young paper boys who take on the exploitative labor practices of their employer in a classic David-versus-Goliath tale. 

Rehearsals are underway, but cast member Caleb Clark said the show is taking shape already. Clark is an Alabama native and Birmingham-area resident who was last seen by RMTC audiences as Chef Louis in last summer’s “The Little Mermaid.”

Clark will play three characters in the show: Nunzio the barber, a harassing police officer and Teddy Roosevelt. He enjoys exploring each character to find how each one adds to the texture and tapestry of the show. “It’s one of the most enjoyable situations in which a character actor can find himself,” he said. 

As for playing Teddy Roosevelt, he added, “It’s always particularly exciting to try and find the truth in playing an iconic historical figure.”

“Newsies” is a family experience with elements that aim to spark joy in every audience member. 

“It’s a historical account, a love story and an adventure tale rolled into one,” Clark said. Fans of the original Disney 1992 film will also love it, he thinks. “The film is stunning, but there is nothing like … a live musical. To be confronted with the wall of sound that this score calls for, and to see the actors execute the iconic musical numbers in real time — that’s a very different thing.”

Performances run July 7-30 at the Alabama School of Fine Arts’ Dorothy Jemison Day Theater, and a sensory friendly performance shows July 11. More information is available at redmountaintheatre.org/our-season/newsies.