Back in 1992, Disney had an embarrassing flop with the movie version of "Newsies" which somehow managed to gain a cult following with an audience of a certain age who used their influence to cajole Disney into turning this ugly duckling into a golden goose. Not a fan of the original movie, I did not expect much from a fully staged Broadway version, and after hearing that it was transferring from a regional run at the Paper Mill Playhouse onto the great white way, cringed. Ten attempts at winning a lottery ticket went by, and on one frigid winter evening, I finally won a single ticket. I must say, the wait was worth it, the delight at being proved wrong overwhelming, and now with a filmed version of the touring company with most of the original cast out there, it is time to call what was once the little urchin who could barely crawl off of the video shelves the real king of New York. The character of Joseph Pulitzer is made the scapegoat villain and yet reportedly was not even in New York when the real strike happened. I wonder how his descendents and historians felt about this understandable but somewhat eye rolling change in facts.
Still, this is a fascinating, energetic look at one of the toughest times in New York history, when violence, corruption, greed and poverty were everywhere, and just to make a few pennies, teen boys paid up front to get newspapers to sell on the streets. But taking on powerful Joseph Pulitzer is a challenge in itself as they strike and protest for fair treatment, and through song and dance, an extreme energy erupts, and the most unlikely heroes of a Broadway musical steal their way into the hearts of audiences who had never even heard of the original movie. With a book by Harvey Fierstein ("La Cage Aux Folles", "Kinky Boots") and a score by Alan Menken ("Beauty & the Beast"/"Little Shop of Horrors") and Jack Feldman, this show became a limited run that opened itself up to a longer run, and if the number of people begging for lottery ticket entries outside the Nederlender Theater in New York is any indication, this is a show that will continue to be revived and performed in community theaters and high schools, the main reason that this made it onto professional stages in the first place.
Practically all of the original cast is back, including Tony nominee Jeremy Jordan and a young and charismatic ensemble, who are excellent. Actually, all of the cast is excellent. The entire team of young performers are enthusiastic without being cloying, doing difficult dance moves and this production, beautifully filmed in HD and with terrific sound, shows every passionate movement of the Broadway show and its subsequent tour. The set looks better than any other set design I saw in my time in L.A. seeing practically every touring production at the Pantages, and you really feel either like you're actually at a live production, and seeing Broadway as it ought to be done. More shows like this need to be made available to those who can't get to New York, because it will encourage the dreamers to start saving up and those with theatrical ambitions to find the courage to pursue their dreams. The last 20 minutes of the book is rushed and weak, but the rest of the show is unforgettable if slightly flawed.
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