Based on a 1992 Disney film of the same name, Newsies is a tale about learning to accept the life one has for all of its imperfections, as well as fighting for what is right no matter what. The film itself was inspired by a real life event; the Newsboys strike that took place in New York City in the summer of 1899. The stage production of this epic story opened on Broadway on March 15, 2012. The show won 2 Tony Awards for Best Choreography and Best Original Score out of 8 for which it was nominated and gained much critical acclaim with Ben Brantley, a well-known theatre critic for the New York Times, stating that Jack Feldman’s lyrics for the piece were ‘spot-on’ while the music for the piece showed ‘just how charming a composer’ Alan Menken could be.
The production design for the piece was also fun and exciting to watch, with New York fire escape style platforms being used as the backdrop for the set, which could then move across the stage during lively dance numbers. You were really given a sense of the New York atmosphere when watching the show, and I think that part of its charm is in how well performed and fast paced it is. The actors never stop moving, and the energy they brought to the performance every night should be commended. The choreography of this piece certainly deserved the praise it was given by critics and really suited the story. Any of the actors in this show would certainly have had to have a good dance background to deal with the complexity of some of the moves and the extensive pirouettes used in this show. The costume design should also not go unpraised since the early 20th century style really worked in this piece and it must have been hard to design clothes for such a large number of young male actors that would be distinctive to their individual character’s personalities, but that would also all follow the theme of the time period.
The storyline centres around a team of news boys, describing themselves as ‘Newsies’, living in Manhattan, New York who are led by Jack, who has grown up selling papers and knows the trade well. They are just about making a living through selling their newspapers, but when the price for them to buy newspapers for selling goes up they must sell more to survive. Having had enough of the unfair news economy they decide to stage a strike in protest of the rise in price and to prove that the newspaper companies need them in order to make any money in the long run. Through this, Jack meets Katherine, a journalist who writes about the strike and helps the team in gaining attention, and over time romance develops. Through the story, the team must have the courage to keep on with the strike even when all odds are against them and learn never to give up.
The songs from this show that were not adapted from the original movie were all very well written and those that were adaptations of old songs, were perhaps handled better in this production. ‘The World Will Know’, a good song in both of the versions of this story had the same feel to it in this production, but the live staging of theatre sometimes allows us to become more involved, and this piece’s liveliness and style of drama certainly related well to a theatrical environment. The lyric writing also was skilful in that a running theme to the story felt present. The songs weren’t disjointed and separate, but rather you could tell they were all part of the same story and they just fell into place. This stopped the singing from feeling forced, as it can in some musicals. Other songs in the show such as ‘Carrying the Banner’ were written so well in that they showed that a good musical number doesn’t necessarily need to be dramatic and sung with extreme drive to capture the audience’s attention. This song and others in the show really produce the laid-back and fun-loving feel to the Newsies which makes us side with them when they are treated unfairly. The lead cast members Jeremy Jordan, Kara Lindsay and Ben Fankhauser, as well as Corey Cott, who replaced Jordan after other responsibilities caused him to leave the cast of the show, all gave great performances and created characters that felt real on the stage.
Though the storyline of the original film is slightly different, if you want to see the story now then watching the film will probably be your best chance. It is no longer showing on Broadway, but is currently undertaking a North American Tour. It would have been nice to see a West-End version of this show and hopefully over the next few years they’ll consider making a transfer across the Atlantic, but for now I can only recommend listening to the original soundtrack of the show to get an idea of what it’s all about.
Image from: http://www.stage-rush.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/newsies-poster.jpg
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