Interview: Extra! Extra! Read all about Zachary Sayle and NEWSIES in New Orleans!

Of all the shows that I have seen throughout my lifetime, absolutely none... and I do mean none... nada, zip, zilch... have excited me more than Disney's NEWSIES. It's honestly surprising upon meeting someone new if I don't mention this show within the first twenty minutes of our conversation. I love it that much, and I can't wait for this tour to get to New Orleans next week!

My love for NEWSIES goes way back to the 6th grade when my music teacher (shout out to Mrs. Guillory!) walked into our classroom and said these magic words... "We're going to watch a movie today." Little did I know that she was about to change my life forever. Seriously, though. I always enjoyed musicals; but, after we watched Newsies, I knew that I would be a "fansie" for life. In fact, that movie, despite the fact that it was a box office flop and pretty unknown, made "fansies" out of my whole family. When I finally saw the show in New York, I about cried. It far exceeded any expectations I could ever have. I was completely stunned. There really aren't words. The dancing, the singing, the story, the excitement, the electricity... unreal.

In light of my favorite show finally making its way to the Big Easy, I had the incredible honor of speaking with Zachary Sayle who plays the beloved character Crutchie in the current national tour of NEWSIES. Zachary is no stranger to the acting world, and this isn't his first tour rodeo. He started acting at a young age, was a part of THE SOUND OF MUSIC Asian tour, and hasn't stopped since. Keep on reading to hear what Zachary has to share about his personal story, and his journey with NEWSIES.

There are two things on your resume that I completely geeked out over other than NEWSIES of course. The first one was that you played Ralphie in the premiere production of A CHRISTMAS STORY, THE MUSICAL. That is a family favorite of ours, my dad actually has a leg lamp. The other one was that you did an episode of White Collar, which is one of my favorite TV shows of all time. What was it like working on both of those sets?
A CHRISTMAS STORY was absolutely awesome. It was the first time I ever got a chance to work on a new musical because when I did it, it was brand new. We went through many music changes and script changes, and it was still very much developing as a musical when I was working on it. That was really cool, and it's something that I've... it's probably one of my favorite things about working on theatre is when you get to work on something that's changing and new and you kind of get a say in it, and you feel like you're helping mold it. It's a really awesome experience. White Collar was awesome. I was just like a small walk-on part in the background, but it was really neat to be on a TV set and to see those guys... I'm not sure of their names off the top of my head, but the two stars of the show [Matt Bomer and Tim DeKay] were there and I got to meet them. It was a fun day.

Have you always been involved with theatre or known that you wanted to be an actor?
Not really. I did my first community theatre production when I was I believe ten-years-old. I'm from Birmingham, Alabama, so not too far from New Orleans, and my mom is actually a dance teacher. She owns a dance studio in Alabama, and one of her teachers was choreographing a local production of SCROOGE: THE MUSICAL, and they needed a Tiny Tim. They asked if I wanted to audition, and I said, "sure," because I had also been in a boy's choir for maybe a year, so I had been singing a bit longer than I had been performing. So I auditioned. I did the audition, and I got the role, and from then on I was hooked and I just kept doing more and more community theatre stuff around my hometown, and then I decided I wanted to go bigger so I went to New York and kind of kept going, and here I am.

And, what made you want to audition for NEWSIES?
Well, I have a manager, and so basically how it works is the manager will look and see what projects are out there, and if they see something that fits my type or my description or what I can do, they'll send it to me and say, "Hey, do you want to go in for this?" And, I said, "of course!" because at the time NEWSIES was still on Broadway. It was a very well-known show, and very successful... critically acclaimed and all that stuff. It was a big deal and I was like, "Of course I'd love to go out for that." Never in a million years did I think that I would come anywhere near close to booking it, but it was just a new show to be able to go in for, and an awesome role, too. So, I went in for it and I got a call a few days later saying that I had a callback, and I was like, "Really?!" So then I went in again, and I went in a few more times, and every time I went in it was increasingly more surreal that I was getting closer and closer, and then I got the call that I booked it. It was kind of unbelievable, but it was an awesome experience.

That's awesome! So, you mentioned that you had several callbacks. What is the audition process like for a show that's this big?
Yeah, so for me, I read... this is my first audition... they give you what is called "sides," and that's basically just a snippet from a scene in the show, and so they see how you read the lines, and for this show how you do the accents. I also sang a song from the show, and then also they gave me the opportunity to sing a song from my own book so that I could kind of show off some other skills that maybe weren't displayed in that one song they sent me from the show or whatever. So basically, so that first audition you're only in front of one or two people and they kind of weed people out, and they decide who they want to see further. Then as you get deeper into the callbacks more, more and more people are there... more people from the creative team. Eventually the director's there, and so you get a chance to work one-on-one with him so he can figure out if he wants to work with you and if you work well together. Then eventually you get to a point where you read with other actors who are in for other roles. I read with a few different Jack Kellys, and they want to see how the chemistry works and if we read well together. They're basically just... they've got a bunch of puzzle pieces and they're trying to fit their puzzle together.

How did you react when you found out that you got the part?
I was pretty shocked. The first thing I did was call my parents. But, it was awesome. I was in school at the time, so I also had to be like oh well I guess I'm not going back to school next year. It was absolutely fantastic; it was an amazing thing especially because when you're a child actor you kind of reach a point where you're no longer a child actor. Your voice changes and you get taller once you start to become a teenager, and the business is pretty unforgiving for teenagers, especially musical theatre. I think there's more if you're in LA and you're a TV actor; they use more teenage actors. But, in musical theatre a lot of the time they don't use real teenagers, so there can be kind of a dry spell between when your voice changes as a kid and you hit eighteen and you're actually an adult. It had been a while since I had done a big job, and it was really nice to kind of have that self-assurance like yeah, ok I can keep doing this even though I'm kind of a different product than I was when I was a child actor. You know, my training has paid off, and I still have the ability to do this as a career, which is really, really monumental for me.

Well, I've got to tell you since you mentioned being a child actor... I've been a fan of NEWSIES for a really long time, and when I went through graduate school I had to take an employment law class. While I was taking that class we got into child labor, and so I started thinking about NEWSIES just because of the nature of the story and then I was like, "Ok how can I incorporate this show into my research?" I wound up doing my paper on child labor laws in the United States specifically pertaining to the entertainment industry [#nerd]. Now, I can't imagine that there are any theatre fans out there at this point who haven't heard of NEWSIES yet; but, for those who may not know, can you give a summary of the show?
Yeah, it's based on the real, live newsboys strike of 1899, which was when the newsboys of New York City banded together when the price of distribution was raised at their expense. They decided that, you know, this was their well-being. This was how they ate, this was how they survived, and they decided it was unfair, and that they were going to band together and fight for their rights. They went on strike, and it was a big deal because this was unprecedented at the time. There was no band of young people that had ever come together for something, and... spoiler alert... won at the end. It was very monumental, and like you were saying with the child labor laws, it kind of sparked that movement and that's what started being like, "Oh, maybe we shouldn't be treating kids like this." It was a very important moment in history, too. And, it's also just a really fun show with amazing music, amazing choreography. It's a really good time.

You play Crutchie, who is Jack's best friend, and they're almost more like brothers than friends. They're very close. Can you tell me a little about your character and his friendship with Jack and the rest of the guys?
Yeah, totally. Crutchie is one of the younger newsboys, and he, as you can tell by his namesake, he has to walk with the aid of a crutch because of polio. So, he's not doing really well. He's crippled, he's homeless, he's an orphan, and he has to work to survive. He has to work all day, every day just to be able to eat just like the rest of the newsboys. But, despite all the hardships in his life, he maintains an extremely positive attitude throughout even when things get really rough for him about halfway through the show. That's what's really admirable about him... he's just a ray of sunshine through and through, and he never lets anything get to him. He's the definition of always looking on the bright side of life, and he's a really positive energy. As far as his relationship with Jack and the other newsies, you're totally right, there's a brotherhood type feel to it, and not just between him and Jack. They're all... they're like one big family because they have to be. They don't have families of their own. They don't go to work and then go home to their mom and dad at night. They all sleep in the same place... in the lodge house. They live together. They're the closest thing to family that they have. It's such an awesome, pure, and innocent relationship that they all have with each other. They're just really good friends, and they look out for each other, and they take care of each other because they have to. That's how they survive.

So, I hear there's a new song that was written for your character that was not in the show when it was on Broadway. What is the song about, and what do you think it adds to the new production?
Yeah, so at the end of Act I something happens to Crutchie, and he gets taken away. In the original Broadway production he kind of just went away, and you didn't hear from him until the very end of the show. They actually did kind of a focus group study type situation from the Broadway production for the tour to see what people were maybe missing and what they thought they could improve in the show, and a lot of little kids thought that Crutchie died at the end of Act I because they took him away. He came back at the end, but it was very brief, and it wasn't really fully flushed out. So, they decided to add this number towards the beginning of Act II to kind of show... well, to remind the kids that he's still alive, and to kind of show that even though he's away from the bulk of the newsboys at that point they can show what happened to him and what he's going through. It kind of helps complete his character, too, because you get to... before you just kind of assumed that this place where he is, is really bad, but now you kind of get to see it. And, it's a nice contrast, too, because it comes right after "King of New York," which is like arguably the most celebratory moment in the show, and then you kind of come from the highest moment in the show to immediately rock bottom of the character. So, it's a nice contrast.

Yeah, I did see the show when it was on Broadway, and I did find that Crutchie was missing a little bit from show. He had a little bit more of a story in the movie, and that was kind of lost in the stage production.
Yeah, there's definitely more of the refuge in the movie.

I was definitely a fan of the movie when I was a kid, and I was very excited when they decided to turn this into a musical for the stage. I remember in high school trying to get my theatre director to let us do NEWSIES, and she always told us no because it was a movie and there was no script for the stage. But, I started noticing when it was announced that they were going to do the show at Paper Mill Playhouse, right away there was already a strong fan base. NEWSIES [affectionately named "fansies"] were coming out of the woodworks, and the NEWSIES cast has been one of the best about interacting with their fans, which I think makes people feel like they are part of the show even though they're not in it. What is it like from your perspective as an actor in this show to interact with these fans?
I mean, well, to be honest, it's really... for a Broadway musical, the fan base is kind of unprecedented. WICKED and THE BOOK OF MORMON kind of have a similar following, but no musicals just generate this absolute buzz. We're almost like... the cast members are almost like a boy band. It's really crazy, and, like I said, it's unheard of anywhere else. That's not a thing that happens to any other Broadway show, so it's kind of a phenomenon. I think what it is, is it's the age of the cast members, you know? It's about a group of teenagers, and I think that really speaks to it, and because the movie has such a cult following. When they licensed the musical version, they were just going to put on a production so they could get a script license so they could put it out to schools. They had not intended to ever go to Broadway or on tour. It was supposed to have a limited run at Paper Mill Playhouse in New Jersey, but the fan base exploded and it got so much attention so they ended up in an open ended run on Broadway. It was just crazy because no one thought that a musical of a movie that flops in the 90s... it didn't do well at the box office... would become one of the most successful Broadway shows in history. So, yeah, but the fan base is absolutely amazing. They're so supportive. They send us letters, and they give us gifts at the stage door like of art they've drawn of the characters. I think the story also speaks to them a lot because the story of young people being treated poorly, unfortunately, is still very applicable today to places all over the world in varying levels of extremity. I think people can connect to that whether they're being bullied at school or they're struggling at home. They can take the message from that show and incorporate it into their own life, and I think that builds a really strong connection with the show and that's why the fan base is so awesome.

Definitely. And, you mentioned age. I was looking at the difference in the Broadway cast and you guys and just different people who have been a part of this show, and it does seem like your tour cast is closer to the age that you're supposed to be playing, which is actually kind of nice because a lot of times you get older actors playing those younger roles and it doesn't quite resonate as well.
Well it's like what I was saying was when you're a teenager after being a child actor, the teens are being played by people who are eighteen and plus. But, yeah, we do have a significantly younger cast than the Broadway cast. Most of us are under the age of twenty-one, and I think you're right, that does bring more of a youthful energy that the show needs.

Do you have any crazy fan stories, or weird things that you've been sent?
Not really, it's not quite like a rock star where you'll get... people will send you like locks of their hair and things like that. They're normal kids. They're normal people around the world who are just really passionate about it, and the things that we do get are very sweet. We'll get letters about how the show affected their life or they'll send us drawings that they've done of the characters in the show. A lot of the kids are really talented artists. It's really awesome, and it's a very healthy experience throughout.

What do you think it is about this show that makes people so zealous about it? It... you know, we had talked about how it just blew up so fast. What do you think it is that made it blow up so fast?
I think it was the cult following with the movie definitely helped instigate it. And, there's the whole thing with it being so relatable, because I think that people already have an emotional attachment to the show. Plus, the show was done really well. The music is amazing, the choreography is amazing, and the storytelling is amazing. Even if you remove it from the movie and the fans and remove all that stuff, it's still a really amazing show. I think that piled up with the whole fan base is what really kind of instigated it and shot it to the top.

Did you get to see the show when it was on Broadway?
I did, yeah; I saw it once during previews when it was first around when I was much younger. Then, when I booked the role, I went back and saw it a few times for study.

What was your reaction to it, or the thing that impressed you the most about it?
Well, funnily enough actually, when it first came around it was kind of... people in the child actor community got really excited about it because we thought it would kind of be like an ANNIE for boys type situation. And then it came around and it ended up being a slightly older cast, but I remember when I saw it the thing that stood out to me was all the dancing. I was like, "Oh, well there's no way I'm ever gonna be in that show. I can't do all that dancing." And lo and behold 5 years later... but, yeah the dancing is what really stood out to me when I first saw the show.

Well, let's talk about that choreography. It's Tony Award Winning choreography first of all, so we know it's amazing just because of that. But, I've seen a whole lot of musical theatre productions, but there is nothing that has matched the dancing that is in this show. You've got kind of a combination of everything. There's some jazz, there's some tap, there's I guess elements of ballet but not whole numbers, there's gymnastics... all kinds of things. I know you don't dance a whole lot in the show, but what's it like to be on stage and seeing this choreography being done?
One of my favorite moments in the show is when I get to be in "Seize the Day," which is the biggest dance break in the show. I'm on stage kind of behind the dancers. I get to see them from behind, and it's just amazing to me the choreography that these guys do. I think Christopher Gattelli really captured the essence of these newsboys in the youthfulness because it doesn't look... you know, it's kind of similar to a WEST SIDE STORY type thing where they're dancing but it doesn't look not manly. It's all very powerful choreography, and there's a lot of jumping, and like you said the tumbling is fantastic. I think that the awesome thing about it is not only are the dancers on the stage extremely, technically wonderful and amazing, but the actual choreography really fits in with the show because it doesn't seem out of place. You're never like, "Now why are these newsboys in New York doing dancing?" It's like oh, no it makes sense because the choreography is that intertwined with the story. It adds to the storytelling a lot.

Is there anything other than the new song that you have that was adapted for the tour?
There are some small script changes throughout. Nothing monumental but tweaks and changes here and there, but the song is definitely the largest addition or change to the show.

And what about the set? How do you guys tour... I know the Broadway stage had those huge scaffolding set pieces almost. Do you guys have all of that on tour with you?
Yeah, we're... basically set-wise we're an exact replica of the show. It's the same exact design used, same set designers, all that stuff. If you saw the show on Broadway, and you come to see the show on tour, it's going to look exactly the same.

Very cool! I know a lot of times the set has to be adapted for touring, but I'm glad those elements were able to be kept the same. Do you have a favorite song or scene from NEWSIES that you either like to perform or listen to?
My favorite that I get to be a part of in the show every night is "Seize the Day" because I think it's really powerful. The music's awesome and it's just such a fun, exciting, energetic number. And, if I were to be in any number that I'm not in, I would want to be in "King of New York" just because I love tap dancing, and it's also an awesome Act II opener, and again really energetic... high energy and I think it'd be a really fun number to perform.

I think "Seize the Day" was the first time I had ever seen a standing ovation happen in the middle of a show, and not at the curtain call, so that was something really cool to experience. It's an awesome number. Well, we are definitely looking forward to having you guys in New Orleans, especially me. I am first and foremost a NEWSIES fan, and then a writer. Is there anything in particular that you guys are looking forward to doing when you're in New Orleans?
I think we're actually... the cast is going on a swamp tour, so that'll be exciting. And, obviously, New Orleans is an awesome city full of history so to walk down and see all the sights. There's tons of stuff to do there so we're looking forward to it. We're really looking forward to coming to spend a week with you guys, and we hope that you can come out and make it.

As far as fans stage dooring, are you guys able to do that on tour?
Yes, almost always. I think there's maybe been one or two circumstances in the entirety of our run that we haven't been able to stage door. But, I'm 99.9% sure that there will be a stage door opportunity. Basically, if the theatre has a stage door, we go out it, so we'll see you there!

We'll see you there, too, Zachary! If you had any doubts about seeing this show, I hope this put you at ease. This show is for everyone. It's for kids, it's for adults, it's for people fighting for their own causes, it's for the bullied, it's for the people who want to make a difference in their world, it's for people who have big dreams, it's for people who love singing and dancing, it's for people who are theatre-going veterans, it's for people who need a good introduction to musical theatre, it's for guys, it's for gals, it's for anyone looking for a little happiness and hope.

Please come out to the Saenger Theatre December 1-6 and see NEWSIES! For tickets and more information about the show visit http://www.saengernola.com, and check out the video for a sneak peek of NEWSIES on tour!

ARTICLE MAY ALSO BE VIEWED HERE: http://www.nolabackstage.com/single-post/2015/11/25/BWW-Interview-Extra-Extra-Read-all-about-Zachary-Sayle-and-NEWSIES-in-New-Orleans

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