Newsies Jr by Stage Skool at Surgeon’s Hall Review
Written by Jacqueline for Theatre & Tonic
When it’s before 10am in the Edinburgh Fringe, there’s only one thing for it: children’s theatre! This morning, I headed to Surgeon’s Hall to see Stage Skool’s production of Newsies Jr.
Newsies is a Disney musical loosely based on the 1899 newsboy strike in New York. During the strike, the Newsies stood up against the Newspaper companies when they increased the price of the papers. This led to the Newsies becoming headline news themselves! Disney’s film adaptation of the story was released in 1992, starring Christian Bale, and the Broadway musical premiered in 2012. The show also had a very successful London run in 2022-23. Newsies Jr. is an hour-long abridged version of the stage show. Almost every song from the original score is included, though these are shortened to be more manageable for younger performers. Scenes are summarised and lines are distributed more evenly among ensemble characters, ensuring that as many performers as possible get their own moment in the spotlight.
Stage Skool is a Scottish theatre company that runs a range of children’s productions at venues throughout the year. Newsies Jr is their intensive summer holiday production, which was pulled together in just two weeks! The performers onstage ranged from age 5-16. The team behind the show clearly put a lot of care and consideration into ensuring that all of the young people were fully included in the show. There were some lovely moments of choreography where the older ensemble members were working with the younger children, really solidifying the cast as a united group. Having said that, I also adored the moments where the younger ensemble had their time to shine, singing “Carrying the Banner” with great big smiles on their faces. The children also did really well with their accent work, delivering their lines like true New Yorkers! Their enthusiasm was boundless and charming, and was a joy to watch.
All in all, Newsies Jr is an enthusiastic and exciting way to Seize The Day at Fringe 2025! If you want to see some of the best local youth talent that the Fringe has to offer, you can catch the closing performance tomorrow at 9:50 am.
Newsies Jr runs at 9:50am from August 1st - 9th at theSpace at Surgeon’s Hall - Grand
★ ★ ★ ★
