There’s a Youtube video of the backstage action when Christopher Gattelli won the 2012 Tony for his choreography of “Newsies.”
The cast of the musical, waiting to perform in the show, huddles around a television. When Gattelli begins his acceptance speech, they shush each other and fall silent. At the end, Gattelli says: “The boys (dancers) are the beating heart of the show.” Those boys burst into raucous cheers.
The cast members’ adoration of the choreographer is part of the secret of the success of “Newsies,” which Broadway in Tucson brings to Centennial Hall Tuesday.
“I’m big on that,” said Gattelli about developing a strong relationship with his dancers.
“If you have a great relationship with the cast, that comes out onstage,” he said, speaking from New York City, where he has just finished choreographing the Lincoln Center Theater’s production of “The King and I,” and was about to work his magic on the musical “Top Hat.”
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“It really was like family.”
“Newsies” is based on a true story about a band of newspaper boys who went on strike and demanded fair wages from all-powerful publishing tycoons in the early part of the last century. Gattelli’s choreography involves athletic leaps and intricate moves.
You’d think that his work on “Newsies” would be behind him — after all, the Broadway production closed last year.
But that’s not the way Gattelli works.
He has set the choreography on the cast of the national tour stopping here, and steps in whenever there are new cast members who are part of the band of young, scrappy newspaper boys.
“It’s very physically demanding,” Gattelli says of the dance in “Newsies.” “I want to make sure it’s a show they can do eight times a week and that the audience gets a good show each time.”
“Newsies” ran on Broadway for two years — more than 1,000 performances. It’s based on Disney’s 1992 musical film, which never drew the audiences Disney had hoped for.
But the company wasn’t ready to give up. An impressive group of behind-the-curtain artists were lined up — in addition to Gattelli, there’s music by Alan Menken with lyrics by Jack Feldman, and a book by Harvey Fierstein. And where the big screen failed Disney, the stage triumphed. By the time the musical closed on Broadway, it was estimated that more than a million had seen it.
While it was nominated for several Tonys, it was the score and dance that took the awards.
“I’m just really honored people have responded to the show,” says Gattelli. “And those boys out there do me proud. It’s been a special show from day one, and I’m so happy we can send it on the road. I’m really proud of the production.”
