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46 December 10 • 2015 arts & life t h e a t e r Read all about Josh Assor, heading to Detroit with Newsies. J osh Assor had lots of specif- ics to learn when he joined the team touring with the musical Newsies — 15 different roles in what has been called "a cult phenomenon" among fans. Besides being assistant dance captain, Assor agreed to be one of three swings, ready to take on any of the newsboy roles on a moment's notice. He also became acquainted with Fansies, this show's uncommon group of organized admirers who generally appear outside the stage door after each performance. Newsies — and very likely Fansies — can be seen Dec. 15-27 at the Detroit Opera House. "I think this is one of the most fun shows I've done because it's so athletic," Assor says in a phone conversation from Fort Lauderdale, one of the many tour stops. "It's a dream job for any male dancer. "It's also a well-respected show because of the themes of sticking together and standing up for what is right. "Being part of Newsies also is special because of the Fansies. They're so devoted, and we're so thankful for them. I've never done a show with so much of a follow- ing. We finish a performance, and there can be hundreds and hundreds of fans at the stage door. They give us so much energy." Newsies, set in New York City during the early 1900s, tells about Jack Kelly, leader of the newsboys — hundreds of boys, often home- less or orphaned, who sold news- papers in New York City — who dreams of a better life. When pub- lishing giants Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst raise distribution prices at the expense of the teenage workers, Jack orga- nizes a strike. The show is inspired by an actual newsboy strike in 1899, when Kid Blink led orphan and runaway newsies on a two-week- long action against Pulitzer, Hearst and other powerful pub- lishers. "I think the most powerful moment in the show is when all the Newsies make their decision to strike," Assor says. "The way it's told through the choreography has everybody dancing in unison. I feel such a rush by doing that number." The musical was inspired by the 1992 Disney film starring Christian Bale. The film, with a soundtrack that soared with music by Alan Menken and lyrics by Jack Feldman, was a box-office flop, but the classic underdog story of poor kids challenging the greedy industrialists, straight from the pages of history, gradually gained steam with a devoted cult follow- ing via video and DVD. The devotion increased when, in 2012, the film was adapted into a play written by Harvey Fierstein (La Cage aux Folles), directed by Jeff Calhoun and choreographed by Christopher Gattelli, who won Extra! Extra! "[Newsies] is a dream job for any male dancer," Josh Assor says. Suzanne Chessler Contributing Writer