BWW Q&A: Steve Bebout on Disney's NEWSIES at STAGES St. Louis

It’s time to make headlines with Disney’s Newsies, the smash-hit, crowd-pleasing, Tony Award-winning musical that marks the first Disney production to be featured in STAGES’ mainstage season! This rousing tale takes us to New York City where a band of newsboys, led by the charismatic Jack Kelly, become unlikely heroes as they stand up to the titans of the publishing industry. Along the way, they learn what it means to come together, fight for what they believe in, and truly seize the day. Disney’s Newsies is an uplifting story fit for every member of the family and packed with non-stop fun and a timeless message.

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STAGES St. Louis is the region's foremost not-for-profit company committed to preserving and advancing the art form of Musical Theatre through excellence in performance and education. In 2023, STAGES celebrates its 38th year of producing Broadway-quality theatre, as well as its second full Season at its artistic home, the Ross Family Theatre at The Kirkwood Performing Arts Center.

STAGES St. Louis cultivates an inclusive environment which welcomes differences of ethnicity, religion, sexuality, income or any other divisions with generosity and openness among its artists, audiences, leaders, and community. Through support and understanding of our differences, we are able to recognize our commonalities

Steve Bebout (Director) Steve is happy to return to STAGES, after directing Clue last summer. He’s served as Associate Director for Company (Tour), Some Like It Hot (Broadway, Tour), Disney’s Aladdin (Broadway, Tour), Something Rotten! (Broadway, Tours), The Book of Mormon (Broadway, Tours, West End), Sister Act (Broadway), The Addams Family (Broadway, Tours, International). Directing credits include UnCivil (World Premiere), I Got Fired (NYMF World Premiere, Korea); Regional productions of Newsies (Raleigh), Annie (Fort Worth), Elf (Atlanta), Buddy (multiple), Little Shop of Horrors (multiple). NYU Tisch School of the Arts alum. Thanks to Gayle, Andrew, and all the great people at STAGES. Love to Holly & Gus.

What inspired you to direct Disney's NEWSIES?

I actually directed NEWSIES once before. I gained a real affection for the show while doing that production, so when Stages offered me the chance to do it again, I was excited to spend some more time in NYC circa 1899. I think I have a real feel for the period and the people, and I was interested in some further exploration of some aspects of the play that I'd touched on the first time I directed it.

Can you share some insights into your creative process while working on this production?

Like everything I do, I hope it's a collaborative process. I do a ton of work with the team before the first day of rehearsal. From the designers, to the choreographer, to the PSM...I want us all to be highly-prepared for the actors and on the same page. And then that collaboration continues with the actors as we "fill in the blanks" together: motivations, backstory, what happens offstage, etc. Building those real people, and their high-context relationships, is a group-effort.

How did you approach the historical context of the Gilded Age in your interpretation of NEWSIES?

That was a big part of our work, actually! I have a big book about the Gilded Age on my tech table right now. The shift from the Gilded Age to the Progressive Era lines up with the change from the 19th Century to the 20th Century which lines up with the passing of the "generational torch" in our play. These kids are driven to improve their own lives, but it was important to our production to find the ways in which their movement, and others like it, broadened and affected larger change beyond the newsies. That becomes the motor of Act II.

What elements did you focus on to distinguish your production of NEWSIES from others?

We wanted to build a world that honored the NEWSIES that audiences love and expect but gave it a fresh feel. Among other things, that led to an updated vocabulary for the movement, approaching the play with the actors in a way that truly tracked where they were and what they wanted scene-to-scene and beat-to-beat, and approaching the period with an eye toward how it relates to today. It's easy to play at preconceived ideas and attitudes in this one, so I wanted to be sure we treated like a new work and figured out the people and the events for ourselves.

How did you work with the choreographer to enhance the narrative and emotional impact of the story?

Very closely. Obviously, with this show, the dance is a clear culmination and expression of the action and emotion of the story. This is a world in which the toughest people express their swagger and anger through movement. That needs to be handled carefully so it seems organic, believable, and inevitable. Lindsay's choreography feels like it comes from their guts...which makes it personal and emotional. And very satisfying.

What message do you hope the audience takes away from this production of NEWSIES?

A galvanized group of young people can change the world.

Why must audiences come and see the show?

For the thrill. It's a fast-paced, moving story that spans less than a week. We're honoring that pace in every way. Every department plays a part in that. We want it to have an energy that doesn't ever let the ball drop. When I was a kid, summer meant entertaining, exciting, action-packed movies. Hopefully we dish out a little of that type of thrill -- in live, musical form -- for our audiences this summer.

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