“Disney’s Newsies” is a dance show, and there is no better place to see a dance show than The Muny, whose current production is a gem.

The style of the dancing is a perfect fit for the young newspaper vendors who are the show’s title characters. Richard J. Hinds captures the Newsies’ unbridled exuberance in choreography that exploits the size of the stage and cast at The Muny. The joy is spread among an ensemble of 20 and a youth ensemble of 27. Emily Rebholz’ costumes and Tommy Kurzman’s wigs have the same authenticity.

The musical numbers sound as great as they look thanks to the cast and the Muny orchestra under music director Annbritt duChateau. The sound design is by Joshua Hummel. The lyrics are by Jack Feldman, and the music is by Alan Menken, who has written 10 original musicals for Disney.

The show was inspired by the Newsboys’ Strike of 1899. The youths who sold newspapers on the street went on strike for two weeks after publishers raised the wholesale price of newspapers from 50 to 60 cents per bundle of 100. The strike ended with novel compromise.

The show is adapted from the 1992 Disney film, “Newsies,” which was a box-office failure but a hit on home video. Disney created the musical to satisfy the show’s cult followers, who wanted a version they could perform themselves. The resulting show was not intended for Broadway, but it ended up running there for two-and-a-half years, beginning in 2012.

The most significant departure from the film’s story in Harvey Fierstein’s book is a fictional romance between the strike leader, Jack Kelly, and Katherine Plumber, a report covering the strike. Her penname hides the fact that her father is Joseph Pulitzer, the publisher of the New York World and the face of the publishers in the musical.

Jack Roden captures Jack Kelly’s brooding intensity, and Kayla Pecchioni’s Katherine is a charming and committed proto-feminist. These actors make it easy to root for their characters as their romance encounters trouble.

The excellent cast includes Nolan Almeida as Crutchie, Jack’s unwavering friend and lieutenant; Michael Park as a menacing Joseph Pulitzer; Bryce Williams as Davey and Jaron Bentley as Les, the brothers who start selling papers to support their family because their father is injured; and Anastacia McCleskey as Medda Larkin, the vaudeville star and theater owner who is a loyal friend to Jack and the strikers. In “The Color Purple,” “Rent,” and now “Disney’s Newsies,” McCleskey has quickly become a Muny favorite.

I continue to marvel at the way Muny directors take advantage of the stage’s second century upgrades. This time, Denis Jones makes especially good use of the lifts in a staging that takes full advantage of the splendid integration of Tijana Bjelajac’s scenic design, Caite Hevner’s video, and Paige Seber’s lighting.

“Disney’s Newsies” continues through July 22 at The Muny in Forest Park.

—Gerry Kowarsky

Photo © Phillip Hamer Photography
The company of “Disney’s Newsies.”