But then something strange began to happen. Newsies became a cult classic. Fans grew to love the movie despite its flaws--or maybe for its flaws. The music grew more and more popular. And Disney decided to turn the property into a musical. Menken and Feldman agreed to write new songs as well as work with the ones they had already written for the movie. Pulitzer Prize winner Harvey Fierstein was brought on to revamp Tzudiker and White's screenplay, to make it more palatable for the stage (and to fix some of the more problematic aspects of the movie). The musical bowed at the Papermill Playhouse in New Jersey to critical raves as well as good word-of-mouth.
After it closed, it was rumored that Disney wanted to bring it to Broadway. And a few months later, it did. Opening March 12, 2012 in the Nederlander Theater, the same praise from Papermill followed it to Broadway. It was nominated for eight Tony Awards, including Best Actor for Jeremy Jordan and Best Musical. While it lost the top prize to "Once" and Jordan lost to Ben Kazee (of "Once"), Newsies still won two Tonys--Best Score and Best Choreography.
On Friday, July 12, 2014, I finally saw this musical.
EXTRA! EXTRA! SPOILERS BELOW!
The musical starts in the pre-dawn hours, above a lodging house in Manhattan. Crutchie (Andy Richardson) tries to climb down to the streets below but is caught by Jack Kelly (Corey Cott). Crutchie wants to go down in order to be there when the other guys leave so he won't be teased for being slow due to his bum leg. Jack convinces him otherwise, telling his friend about his dream to leave New York and promising to bring him along ("Santa Fe (Prologue)"). The sun begins to rise as the bell rings, waking the other Newsies. What is a newsie? A newsie is someone, usually a young boy, who goes around selling newspapers. You know, the one shouting "Extra! Extra! Read all about it!" on a city corner? Yep, that's them. The boys get ready for the day and head down to get their papers("Carrying the Banner"). Two new boys join them, brothers Davey (Ben Fankhauser) and Les (Zachary Unger at the performance I saw). Their father has been injured in a work-related accident but this is the time before worker's comp and disability, so he's unemployed and no money is coming in. His sons have had to drop out of school and start selling newspapers to help the family out. Jack takes them under his wing as the workday begins.
Up in his office at The World, Joseph Pulitzer is in a meeting with some executives, his secretary and his barber. His profits aren't doing so great and he needs to find a way to increase them. But one gets the feeling that he has the answer already and is just messing with his executives. They eventually hit on the one Pulitzer wanted them to--raise the prices they charge the Newsies. The Newsies pay more and therefore sell more papers to break even ("The Bottom Line").
At the end of the day, Davey and Les are ready to go home. But Jack is spotted by Snyder (Stuart Marland), the man who runs a refuge for children. He takes the brothers with him as he runs from Snyder, hiding in a vaudeville hall owned by Medda Larkin (LaVon Fisher-Wilson). She lets Jack and his friends stay for the show, including her number ("That's Rich"). Jack, though, spots someone in a box--a girl (Liana Hunt) he had run into earlier that day. He goes up to talk to her some more, but she's not having it. She just wants to review the show ("I Never Planned on You/Don't Come a-Knocking"). As he admires her, Jack sketches the young woman. Turns out he's a very talented artist.
The next morning, the Newsies learn about the new prices. And they are not happy. Jack and the other Newsies gather together and decide to form a union, over Davey's objections. But he gets pulled in as the Newsies announce they are a union, they are on strike and they will be heard ("The World Will Know"). They walk off and regroup at a local deli. There, Jack wants to keep the momentum going. Which means getting the other Newsies to rally with them. Everyone volunteers to go to the far corners of the city...except for Brooklyn. The girl from the night before enters the deli and asks why everyone's so scared of Brooklyn. Jack doesn't know why she's there and interrogates her. She reveals her name is Katherine Plumber and she's a reporter for The Sun. She's going to report on the strike, maybe even give the Newsies the front page. Jack tells her to go to Newsies Square the next day for a good story.
Katherine goes back to her office, sitting down at her typewriter. She tries to figure out how to write the story, realizing that both her dreams and the Newsies’ are riding on it (“Watch What Happens”).
At Newsies Square the following morning, they realize they are alone. Brooklyn is waiting to see how serious Manhattan is and the other boroughs are waiting to see what Brooklyn does. The other Newsies are no longer so gung-ho for the strike. When scabs arrive, Jack implores them to stand with the Newsies instead of against them. They agree, joining the still small ranks. Jack and Davey rally them to press on (“Seize the Day”).
The Delancey brothers come out with other goons, fighting with the Newsies. The boys put up a good fight, but are soon overwhelmed. Snyder comes, causing Jack to run. But before he disappears, he sees Snyder capture Crutchie and haul him off to the Refuge. Jack makes it back to the boardinghouse, where he deals with his guilt and anger about Crutchie as the first act ends (“Santa Fe”).
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| (Corey Cott as Jack Kelly) |
Davey tracks down Jack in Medda’s vaudville hall, where he’s painting a backdrop of Santa Fe. Davey tries to convince Jack to continue with the strike, but Jack’s too upset over what happened to Crutchie. The reality of the strike has hit him. But Davey, Les and Katherine convince him the fight is worth it (“Watch What Happens (Reprise)”). Medda agrees to let them have a rally at her vaudville house for all the Newsies and Les runs off to get his date, to Davey’s shock and dismay.
In his office, Pulitzer fumes about the strike. His minions and secretary are there as well as the Mayor, Snyder and Katherine! Jack comes in and invites Pulitzer to the rally. Pulitzer, though, feels he has the upperhand. From Snyder, he knows that Jack is an escape convict who was arrested for stealing food and blankets. And from Katherine, his daughter, he knows Jack wants to run away to Santa Fe. Jack is stunned to learn Katherine is related to the enemy. She tries to plead with him but her father shushes her. Pulitzer offers Jack a deal—if he convinces the other Newsies to stop the strike, he’ll give Jack money and a ticket to Santa Fe (“Bottom Line (Reprise)”). The Delancey brothers escort Jack to the cellar where he can think things over.
At Medda’s, Spot Conlon (Tommy Bracco) leads the Brooklyn Newsies to the rally. The other Newsies follow suit and the hall is full of them (“Brooklyn’s Here”). But Jack’s missing. And everyone wants to hear from him. Davey stalls until Jack arrives. But his speech isn’t what they were expecting—he implores the Newsies to stop the strike, to realize it’s a lost cause and to take Pulitzer’s promise not to raise the prices for two years. Everyone boos and Jack leaves, collecting his money.
He returns to the boarding house and finds Katherine on the roof looking at his drawings. She realizes that they are drawings of his days at the Refuge, drawings of the horrid conditions the children there live in. Katherine also realizes that Jack stole the food and blankets for the kids in the Refuge. He refuses to answer her, considering her a traitor and a liar. They argue until Katherine kisses him. She reveals that she’s developed feelings for him and that she believes in him. He confesses the same (“Something to Believe In”).
After a few more kisses, the two form a plan. They are going to defy Pulitzer’s ban on printing stories about the strike and print their own. And they will distribute it to every child laborer in New York City. It’s time for the strike to get bigger. Katherine recruits some friends of hers—Darcy (Nico James) and Bill (Daniel Quadrino)—to help them with their mission. Davey and the other Newsies come in to help distribute the article as Katherine goes off with Jack’s drawings to visit someone very important (“Once and For All”).
The next morning, Pulitzer’s office is chaotic. His phone won’t stop ringing and the Mayor is angry. Jack, Davey and Spot stroll in to reveal that their article work—all child laborers have stayed home that day and refused to work. The city is at a standstill. But Pulitzer still refuses to give in to their demands. Until Katherine and Medda show up with Governor Theodore Roosevelt (Tom Alan Robbins) himself. He orders Pulitzer to settle with the Newsies and everyone leaves Jack to negotiate with Pulitzer. He tells Jack he can’t lower the prices but Jack gets him to agree to buy back any papers the Newsies don’t sell.
Jack goes out to Newsies Square to announce their victory. But wait! There’s more! Roosevelt announces that Jack’s drawings have convinced him to launch an investigation into the Refuge and arrest Snyder. He’s also ordered them to free Crutchie! Let’s hear it for the guy who got to spend the entire second act off stage! Pulitzer offers Jack a chance to draw political cartoons for The World, but Jack turns it down. He’s still heading out West to Santa Fe. Until Davey and Katherine make him realize there’s a lot for him to stay for in New York. Like his union and Katherine. With a smile, Jack gets back to carrying the banner (“Finale”).
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| (Liana Hunt as Katherine Plumber and Corey Cott as Jack Kelly) |
How’s the music? Very good. After all, the movie’s soundtrack has lasted all these years. The ones we all fell in love with the first time have gotten makeovers and are even better. And the new ones fit in well. I dare say “Something to Believe In” is now my second favorite Broadway love-duet (nothing unseats “All I Ask of You” from Phantom for me). Though there’s a few wonky lyrics here or there. Like in “Something to Believe In,” I do have to wince during Jack’s first line: “We were never meant to meet…and then we meet.” A bit awkward, right? But there’s only a few missteps and the rest of the music more than makes up for them.
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| (Liana Hunt as Katherine Plumber with the cast) |
And of course, what you are all waiting for—the dancing! It was amazing! I think my mouth hung open for a few numbers, that’s how impressed I was. Those are some talented young men and I’m sure they’ll have great careers ahead of them.
Newsies closes August 24th ahead of a planned national tour. If you can’t get to see it on Broadway, look for a chance to see the tour. You won’t regret it!
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