9-year-old Nicholas Lampiasi of Ridgewood debuts in Newsies on Broadway
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2012
BY JANE HARLIN
CORRESPONDENT
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
Learning how to brace yourself when you get stuffed in a barrel during a fight scene isn’t in the curriculum followed by most fourth graders. But that’s just one of the things 9-year-old Nicholas Lampiasi of Ridgewood had to learn in preparation for his Broadway debut this week.
Nicholas, known to most people as Nick, just took on the role of Les Jacobs in the Broadway production of “Newsies,” a musical about the New York newsboys’ strike of 1899. He is the youngest and smallest of the newsboys, so he fits perfectly into that barrel. The tricky part is to come out without bumps and bruises.
Leading up to his opening night, Nick spent a lot of time in rehearsals, typically lasting five to seven hours a day. Karen, his mom, who drove him to most rehearsals, said, “I’ve spent a lot of time walking around the city. It’ll be better once the show starts … right now it’s tough because on these long days, it’s 10 to 12 (o’clock) and then they have a one-hour break. We’re responsible for them on the breaks. They aren’t responsible for themselves on breaks until they’re 16.”
