Newsies The Musical is a musical that ran on Broadway from 2012 until 2014. Adapted from the Disney film that debut in 1992, Newsies is inspired by the real life Newsboy’s strike of 1899 in New York City.
Background
Originally, Newsies was a musical comedy-drama movie that was produced by Walt Disney Pictures. When it came out in theaters it did not do so good with a score of 39% on Rotten Tomatoes. However, it gained popularity when it reached the theater. It started off at The Paper Mill Playhouse in 2011, then it opened up at The Nederlander Theatre in 2012. It has a nomination for a total of eight Tony’s awards. This includes Best Orginal Score and Best Lead Actor in a Musical.
The original Broadway cast was jammed pack with talent. It featured Tony Award nominee Jeremy Jordan as Jack Kelly, John Dossett as Joseph Pulitzer, Kara Lindsey as Katherine Plumber, and Ben Fankhauser as Davey. Along with those characters, there was a fantastic ensemble of male dancers that played other Newsies.
Jack Kelly, a young male is one of the many children in New York City without a family. It is his responsibility as well as the rest of the Newsies to sell newspapers specifically copies of the New York World. One day while selling newspapers, Jack meets Davey and his little brother Les who unlike most of the Newsies have a family. Meanwhile, publisher of the New York World Joseph Pulitzer, is raises prices of the newspaper at the Newsies expense. Jack and the rest of the Newsies decide enough is enough and decide to strike against world.
Newsies The Musical is one of my favorite Broadway shows of all time. It is a good mix of comedy, drama, and romance which is great. I love the fact that it is influence by a true story because that enlightens the audience more and makes us more interested in the Newsboys Strike of 1899.
Opinion
My favorite part of this musical has to be the singing and dancing. The cast is constantly belting out a tone and dancing their hearts out which I love. There is never a boring moment because the ensemble is always dancing, even in between scenes so you are draw to them and not the background adjustments.
Jordan’s portrayal of Jack Kelly was phenomenal to say the least. His acting as incredible and when he sang Santa Fe I got chills. I personally feel he was robbed of a Tony. Along with him, Lindsey’s role as Katherine Plumber was exceptional. Her witty and quirky personality gave life to the character. When she sang Watch What Happens I was immediately drawn to her performance because it was so good.
The best performance of the whole show however has to be Seize The Day. This performance was jammed pack with everything you can think of. The singing and acting was amazing but the dancing was on a whole new level. There were jumps, tricks, flips, and so much more. My favorite part of that performance was when the cast started dancing and sliding with the newspaper. I was amazed that people can do all these turns perfectly on a non solid ground. I rewatched the performance multiple times because it was that good.
Streaming
Although the show isn’t on Broadway anymore there is still a way you can watch it. In 2018 the cast of Newsies decided to ban back together and create a live action film. The film can be found on different streaming services such as Disney+.
Overall I highly recommend this musical. There is so much action that takes place that I was blown away. I really do not have any complaints about it because it was that good.
