March 16, 2026 by Olivia Clemmensen (‘26)
On March 12, 13, and 14, Saratoga Springs High School Drama Club graced the Loewenberg Auditorium stage with its passionate and electrifying performance of Disney’s Newsies the Musical. Year after year, the SSHS Drama Club continues to impress, especially with its annual musical productions. The club had a very high bar set after their amazing performance of Legally Blonde in 2025, but boy did they meet it. The school was abuzz with chatter all week with students making plans to see the shows Thursday through Saturday, and Friday night (the show I attended) was a packed house. Family members, SSHS teachers and staff, friends, and students alike all came to support and experience the talent and energy of the SSHS Drama Club.
Newsies was first a 1992 film produced by Michael Finnell and directed by Kenny Ortega, inspired by the 1899 New York City newsboys’ strike, that brought attention to child labor conditions, the working class, and the lives of the “newsboys”, often young orphaned children living on the streets of NYC. SSHS Drama Club took this musical head-on with music by Alan Menken, Choreographer Grace McCafferty, and Director Bob Berenis successfully producing a powerful and impressive remake of this Disney classic.
Before I get into the acting and performance of the club itself, I would like to mention the work of Musical Directors Ben Quinones and Derek Bull and members of the Saratoga Springs High School Orchestra and Band who skillfully brought the music of this performance to life. Their sound was so well integrated into the show I forgot there was live music. I was very impressed with their work as well as with their ability to merge so well with the drama club. From the tambourine to saxophone, all the students in the pit were able to highlight the work of the actors and pair it with a great score.
The opening scene was a great way to kick off the night. SSHS senior Max Mittler as Jack Kelly gave the audience a strong and sentimental opening in his song “Santa Fe”. Mittler’s vocals throughout the whole night were extremely dynamic and rich. He greatly portrayed the fervent and headstrong leading role of Jack Kelly, as he displayed every emotion tastefully and with passion. After this scene, the opening number for the ensemble in the Newsies’ lodging house and square brought exciting energy to the stage and was very engaging for the audience. The set of pipes and ladders was a simple yet thoughtful way to allude to a city-like setting, and the backdrop of “The Sun” newspaper issue was very versatile and stayed consistent throughout the whole show. The costumes of all the cast were extremely cohesive yet showed individuality with each character, which I greatly appreciated. From suspenders to knee-high argyle socks and cigars, the cast was very well dressed for the production.
Sophomore Alicen Brown was an amazing Katherine Plumber, executing her role as the strong-willed female journalist to a T. She exuded composure in the beginning of the musical, showcasing a message of the power of journalism, but then was able to allow the audience to get a glimpse into her character’s feelings as romance develops between Katherine and Jack through not only her emotional acting, but through her quality performance in her song with Mittler in “Something to Believe In” in Act Two. All of Brown’s songs were polished and showcased her versatility not only in her acting but with her voice as well. She was a standout performer in this musical and most certainly has a lot ahead of her as a rising upperclassman at SSHS.
We can’t mention the romance of Brown’s character Katherine Plumber and Mittler’s character Jack Kelly without discussing Brown and Mittler’s on-set chemistry. They were the perfect duo for this, executing Katherine and Jack’s banter and messiness that comes with unrequited love perfectly. And props to them for performing not one, not two, but three kisses per show; it had the audience awestruck.
SSHS senior Sarah Pipino was wonderous as Davey, Jack Kelly’s right-hand man and brains of the Newsies. In addition to her contribution to the musical’s Davey, Pipino also painted the set panels which Jack “paints” in the plot. These panels were a great addition to the set and were a great way to showcase another of Pipino’s many talents along with her strong singing and acting.
SSHS senior Ella Warden was flawless in her role as Medda Larkin, achieving a character profile that was confident, elegant, and very diva-coded if you will. Warden’s range in her solo “That’s Rich” was exactly that. Her vocals were rich and refined, perfectly showcasing Warden’s abilities as a singer and actress.
Anna Bonner, a junior at SSHS, took on the role of Crutchie so well. I was extremely impressed with her ability to maintain a sickled ankle for the whole show and hobble around with a crutch with such agility, not to mention her standout solo in her song, “Letter from the Refuge”. Her voice expressed a true heartfelt energy, and her vocals were clear and crisp.
Dante DePaulo, another senior at Saratoga, was a great Joseph Pulitzer, bringing the perfect amount of snarkiness and prestige to the character. His song, “The Bottom Line” was great, and DePaulo even managed to stay in character through the loss of his mustache halfway through the show.
Another standout character in SSHS’s Newsies was freshman Haley Hammer’s character Les, Davey’s younger brother. In my opinion, Hammer’s Les was the energetic glue of the show. Hammer was explosive and playful, fully immersed in her role and clearly had the little-sibling energy down. She maintained this energy throughout the entire performance and not once dropped the accent and high-pitched voice of a 10-year-old NYC boy.
The entire cast did a wonderful job impersonating rough and tumble city boys, and all kept a New York accent fairly well. I was very impressed by their work in tap; I could never sing and dance like that at the same time. This was a true testament to all their abilities, and the audience thought so too. After their tap number, numerous audience members were on their feet clapping. “The World Will Know” in Act One was my favorite song of the show, as the whole cast truly showed power and passion in this piece, and the song fully embodied what the plot of Newsies was all about. With an entire cast of unified, strong, and extremely animated performance quality, powerful vocals, and energetic choreography, the SSHS Drama Club delivered a production of Newsies that will not be forgotten.
Congratulations to the SSHS Drama Club for a great performance of Disney’s Newsies!
all photos taken by Max Greenblatt (’26)