Newsies

[mrmikerocks]

The Original Cast Recording will be released on April 10th. Pre-order on itunes now.

http://www.theatermania.com/broadway/ne ... 53340.html

[CJ-Rochester]

I saw Newsies last night, Monday March 26th, along with allthatsknown. The evening got off to an interesting start. Just before curtain time we were looking around the theater, and who comes down the aisle and takes a seat in our row? None other than Ben Cook, along with his guardian Ginno! We called over to Ben, and he recognized us. Here we were at one of the hottest new shows on Broadway, and sitting just three seats away was one of the stars from a previous hottest show on Broadway. Who could have planned such a thing?

Newsies is a high-energy show with a very youthful cast. The story is of a bunch of downtrodden workers rising up against the big mean corporation. In that sense the class struggle invites comparisons to BETM, Les Mis, Rent, and others. However Newsies is a much more simplistic story, lacking the depth of the above shows.

The star potential of Jeremy Jordon (playing the lead Jack Kelly) cannot be understated. This guy is just loaded with charisma and talent. He is going to be a mega-star, probably both on Broadway and in movies.

Other stand-out performances come from: Kara Lindsay as Jack's romantic interest Katherine, Andrew Keenan-Bolger as Crutchie, Ryan Breslin as Race, and (BETM alum) Ryan Steele as Specs. Two younger actors alternate in the role of Les, the 9 year old boy. Think of him as the Gavaroche equivalent. We saw Matthew Schechter, who did a great job.

There are some great numbers and excellent performances. The biggest show-stopping number is "Seize The Day" in Act 1. I wish this number alone could have gone on for hours. One criticism I have of the show is it doesn't seem to have enough big dance numbers. It is no West Side Story. However the numbers it has are amazing. At the end there is a jaw-dropping finale / curtain call, in which these dancers give everything they have just for the sheer joy of it.

I would definitely see the show again, and highly recommend it.
-Chris

[porschesrule]

Thanks for this early review of "Newsies", Chris. It looks like a good show. Hope it does well.

[yanks1153]

Thanks for the review. Can not wait to see this show. On their facebook page you can listen to "Carrying the Banner" and "Seize The Day" which are both remarkable. Cast album on Itunes comes out April 10th and CD at the merch stand will be there in May.

[CJ-Rochester]

Here is a nice montage of the numbers in Newsies. As you can see the dancing includes quite bit of Tommy Batchelor style leaps and flips. Ryan Steele is the one with the striped shirt and glasses. He does a great set of pirouettes at 1:12.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5wvimJFi9s

[Todd]

I saw "Newsies" this past Saturday night and thoroughly enjoyed it. I would agree with everything that CJ-Rochester said. The show really did shine during the big dancing/singing numbers with the newsies, although I thought the love story part of it could have been trimmed back a bit to improve the pacing. The talent of the cast is amazing, with excellent singing and dancing from everyone involved. The atmosphere of the show reminded me a little of the Dead End Kids - the 1930's-era movie series which evolved into the Bowery Boys. That could be partly due to the youthful age of the cast, their Brooklyn-ese accents, and the bygone era in which the show is set. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_End_Kids)

It's nice to see a family-oriented show that should appeal to adults and kids alike (it was originally a Disney film back in 1992) with no objectionable material. The audience was very enthusiastic and cheered and applauded loudly after many of the scenes. It made me remember how much I enjoy Broadway audiences, who seem to have a special energy and enthusiasm that I haven't always found in other cities where I've seen shows performed.

The show is due to close on August 19, but tickets seem to be selling strong for it, so it will be interesting to see if it's extended - either at the same theater or somewhere else.

[atreyu]

Upon taking in Newsies on Cinco de Mayo, I can echo CJ-Rochester's and Todd's sentiments. It is well worth seeing. However, I would add a recommendation that you do NOT want to get seats too close to the stage. From the 2nd row, I was able only to see stage level, not over it. A little frustrating to see how the Tony nomination for choreography is well deserved, but not be able to fully appreciate it.

Factor in the characters often being at the 2nd and 3rd level of the 3-story sets and it seemed like front of the mezzanine might be the ideal spot to see this production. The Nederlander is not that large a theater and for those numbers where the entire ensemble is dancing, it's better to be a little farther back and see the whole stage than being close enough to see the spit flying from the lead actors.

It was a little bit irritating how frequently that this particular crowd started yelling and applauding in the middle of some numbers. And with a dozen or so 17-25 (?) year-old guys on stage, these cheers were predominantly higher-pitched - or shall we say, of the "squeal" variety. But it is understandable given the top-notch and high-flying performances, so we'll overlook these transgressions.

Just one other nit I have to pick is a realization that I may have gotten spoiled with BETM with respect to twenty-somethings acting (or trying to act as the case may be) like kids 10 years younger. A lot of these attempts can get distracting. Found that to be the case with West Side Story too last year. Whereas with BETM, there was no such dilemma. Genuine kid performances from genuine kid actors.

But these are minor gripes. Bottom line, it is a good show and I hope it gets extended further.

[porschesrule]

Great news for Newsies!!

According to the NY Times, Newsies is now considered an open ended show.

The story, in part, states:

"With strong ticket sales, eight Tony Award nominations and good reviews and word of mouth among theater-goers, the new Disney musical “Newsies” will plunge ahead with an open-ended run on Broadway rather than close Aug. 19, the producers of the show said on Wednesday."

http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/ ... pen-ended/

[angelenroute]

I saw Newsies this past Monday. Wonderful show and lots of fun. Once still wins for Best Musical in my mind in agreement with the Tonys, but I had chills down my spine and was choked up in amazement at some of the choreography and special moments throughout. Would definitely see it again and recommend it. I think the choreography overall cannot compare with Billy, even though it WILL definitely "bring you back". It felt more like a crazy, fun Billy-filled finale at times, including in its own finale, with people flipping and spinning around this way and that. But as the performers aren't kids bringing that level of amazing, and because there are so many of them doing it, it can be more overwhelming than impressive. Still great though!

The stage is high and because of the sets used and choreography all around the stage, a front mezz or center orchestra seat at least 10 rows back would be your best bet.

Thumbs up to the entire cast! Thumbs down to the grouchy idiot they have pushing people into the theatre. That guy has to go.

Wonderful seatmates from Pittsburgh to my right who I excitedly told at Intermission that it reminded me of Billy Elliot. They'd seen Billy in Pittsburgh and on Broadway [they didn't remember that Dream Ballet was different] and agreed with my assessment completely. Unfortunately, toward the end of Intermission, I told one of the three the number of times I'd seen Billy and he was stunned. 2 minutes later I heard him whispering to the other two and then heard the one woman respond, "insAaAaAane!" She didn't speak to me the rest of the time. Oh well. They seemed to enjoy themselves at Newsies, as did I.

Sean

[CJ-Rochester]

There will be an open casting call in New York the week of July 9-14th, especially seeking young men ages 16-22. Hmm do we know anyone in that range?

http://www.newsiesthemusical.com/auditions