“Houston to Harlem, look what’s begun! All for one and one for all!”
With theatres closed for much of the past eighteen months due to the pandemic, many of us have been turning to digital subscriptions and YouTube to get our fix of plays and musical theatre. When the Disney Plus subscription service was launched in the United Kingdom back in March 2020, I was very excited to learn that one of the shows available to watch was ‘Newsies: The Broadway Musical’, filmed live at the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood in 2017.
Loosely based on the newsboys’ strike of 1899, the musical tells the story of a group of struggling newspaper boys in New York who decide to go on strike when publishing magnate Jospeh Pulitzer raises the newspaper prices at their expense. What starts as a protest for fair prices for the newspaper boys, or newsies, develops into a wider demonstration for fair working conditions for all children and young people across the city.
With music by Alan Menken and lyrics by Jack Feldman, the cast of the show includes Jeremy Jordan as Jack Kelly, the protagonist and leader of the newsies, Kara Lindsay as aspiring journalist Katherine, Andrew Keenan-Bolger as Crutchie, and Steve Blanchard as Joseph Pulitzer.
After listening to some reviews of the show, I started watching it with high expectations; suffice to say, it exceeded them, and I finished watching it grinning from ear to ear!
One of the stand out features of ‘Newsies’ for me was the dancing. The choreography during the rousing ‘Seize the Day’ sequence was nothing short of spectacular, with pirouettes, flips, and somersaults in abundance, and impeccable timing. Even when watching on a screen, the energy of the cast throughout the entire sequence is palpable, as the strike movement builds from Jack Kelly’s underdog group of Manhattan newsies.
Other showstoppers in the musical include the opening ‘Carrying the Banner’ sequence, where the audience is first introduced to the newsies, and the electrifying ‘The World Will Know’ sequence, where the group is galvanised to strike.
Each and every one of the characters in the show was engaging, and played with gusto and enthusiasm. Jeremy Jordan brings a commanding stage presence to the role of Jack Kelly. I particularly enjoyed the point during the ‘Seize the Day’ sequence when he addresses the newsies, instilling the message behind the strike, and winning the support of those who are uncertain about joining the movement. His chemistry with Kara Lindsay as Katherine and Ben Fankhauser as Davey was also brilliant to watch; seeing them come together and sing during the ‘Once and For All’ sequence was a real goosebumps inducing moment.
Andrew Keenan-Bolger as Crutchie is a joy to watch, and I felt that his storyline really helped to deepen the plot and heighten the stakes involved in the strike for the newsies, particularly for Jack Kelly. Ethan Steiner also brings a lot of comedic moments to the show as Davey’s cheeky little brother, Les.
Jospeh Pulitzer is the main antagonist in the show, and Steve Blanchard does a superb job of portraying the ruthless, self-serving nature of the character, whilst also making him thoroughly enjoyable to watch at the same time. It was fantastic to watch him spar with Jeremy Jordan during the scenes they shared in the second half of the show.
The use of scaffolding for the set was a perfect fit for the location of the show in New York, and I particularly liked the use of the raised mezzanine to reflect Jack and Crutchie’s ‘penthouse’. The factory set, featuring multiple sets of stairs and platforms that gradually move downstage as the cast is singing during the ‘Once and For All’ sequence, was also very effective.
With entertaining characters, stunning ensemble sequences, and an uplifting story, ‘Newsies’ represents musical theatre escapism at its finest.
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