The Marathon High School drama club’s shows have never lacked star power in lead roles. In “Newsies,” the club’s latest musical, that power extends across the entire cast.

“It’s not just one or two standouts. We have a lot of talent in this show,” said director Carrollyn Cox when asked about her choice of the musical. A large male-dominated cast would typically present a challenge for the club, but as Cox said, “I had the cast for it this year, so we just went for it.

“We were able to take the Thespian group up to Fort Lauderdale to see it on tour four or five years ago. Two of the Newsies talked to the kids about how they got into Broadway and gave their personal stories. On the spot, we loved it so much.”

Though rehearsals for the show have ramped up in the new year, initial preparations began more than nine months ago with choreographer Cami Holdinga. “She pretty much taught this entire cast how to tap dance,” said Cox. “She’s getting paid zero for this, and she has been rehearsing the dancers two days a week since August.”

Inspired by the Newsboys Strike of 1899 in New York City, “Newsies” follows a group of homeless newsboys led by 17-year-old Jack Kelly (Joseph Cabrera) as they unionize and protest price increases decreed by New York World publisher Joseph Pulitzer (Sawyer Bisson). 

Enlisting the help of reporter Katherine Plumber (Rylee Seligson) to publicize their strike and recruit the rest of the city’s newsies, Jack and Lower Manhattan gang wage war against Pulitzer and other publishers’ treatment of poor child laborers.

“It’s a lot of boys being boys, even though we’re not all boys,” said Cabrera. “That’s one of the most fun parts for me personally, doing guy stuff.”

With such a massive cast and crew featuring more than a dozen seniors, several of the under- and upperclassmen are taking the stage at MHS for the first or second time after years of backstage involvement with the club. Even so, audiences would never know. 

Take, for instance, Raymond Paul, a long time stalwart spotlight operator. “He’s tearing it up,” said Cox, laughing as she watched Paul chew on a prop cigar during a post-rehearsal dance tune-up session. “He’s even in character sitting there now, just taking instructions from Cami.”

Preserving their on-stage characters is a strength of the entire cast, as there is always plenty to watch on stage even outside of the principal action. When asked about the importance of their “background acting,” the show’s seniors had a simple mantra.

“Always do more.”

A beautifully lit three-story set impressively recreating city scaffolding provides a backdrop for high-octane fight scenes and dance numbers, including the popular tunes “Carrying the Banner,” “Seize the Day” and “King of New York.” Once again, the cast shows off the depth of their talents as they handle multilayered harmonies with ease. Quick scene changes preserve the pace of the two-and-a-half-hour show that is sure to have audiences cheering for the enraged union by the end.

“Newsies” runs for one weekend only, on Friday and Saturday, April 15-16 at 7 p.m.. Tickets are $10 at the door.

Alex Rickert made the perfectly natural career progression from dolphin trainer to newspaper editor in 2021 after freelancing for Keys Weekly while working full time at Dolphin Research Center. A resident of Marathon since 2015, he fell in love with the Florida Keys community by helping multiple organizations and friends rebuild in the wake of Hurricane Irma. An avid runner, actor, and spearfisherman, he spends as much of his time outside of work on or under the sea having civil disagreements with sharks.