On August 20th, cast members from Newsies reunited on stage at 54 Below to sing some of the songs of Alan Menken.
The evening began with a medley of songs from Little Shop of Horrors and "Carrying The Banner" from Newsies, followed by Joshua Colley singing "Go the Distance" from Hercules. As the evening continued, we were treated to a variety of Alan Menken songs, including "Be Our Guest", sung wonderfully by Giuseppe Bausilio and Stuart Marland; "Pink Fish", sung by Damon J. Gillespie; "Colors of the Wind", sung by Jess LeProtto; a medley of "Santa Fe" from Newsies and "Out There" from The Hunchback of Notre Dame sung by Ben Fankhauser; and "Once and For All" sung by everyone, also including Kevin Carolan, Caitlyn Caughell, Zachary Unger, Iain Young, Alex Wong, and Stuart Zagnit.
As each cast member came up to the stage they shared fun stories with the audience about their experiences with Alan Menken, which ranged from wondering why he had several shows with three story towers, trying to meet him over several years, to having a strange audition process for Newsies.
The fan base for the show hasn't slowed down since the closing on Broadway or the end of the national tour. Newsies is alive as ever, and the fact that this was the fifth reunion concert proves that. It was an incredible experience to share in the love that the cast and the audience has for this show, the same love that I have myself.