When people think of a movie, a filmed Broadway musical is typically not something they would think of. However, in February of 2017, Newsies became one of the first musicals to be professionally filmed on stage, which ignited a flame for filming Broadway musicals on stage with other musicals such as Falsettos and Holiday Inn being filmed earlier this year before they closed on Broadway. Using a talented cast, advanced stage work, and intricate sets and costumes, Newsies creates a production that would appeal not only to a theatre buff but also any regular theatre goer.
Based on the newsboy strike in New York 1899, Newsies first premiered as a movie in 1992; being turned into a Broadway musical twenty years later. The script of the show was written by Harvey Fierstein, the music by Alan Menken, and lyrics by Jack Feldman. The original Broadway production ran for about two years, and closed on August 23, 2014, having performed just over one thousand performances. This past year, celebrating the twenty-fifth anniversary of the release of the original movie, Newsies returns to the stage at the Pantages Theatre in Los Angeles to be filmed and shown in movie theaters.
With a star-studded cast, featuring many of the original Broadway cast members such as Jeremy Jordan, Kara Lindsay, Andrew Keenan-Bolger, and Ben Fankhauser, Newsies returns to the stage with more energy and talent than ever before. By bringing back the most talented members of any company of Newsies, the high energy dance numbers and emotional scenes create a deep and empowered impact on its audiences. Creating strong characters and mysterious relationships, the two leads, Jack Kelly(Jordan) and Katherine Plumber/Katherine Pulitzer(Lindsay) hold a relationship of tension and risk. While Crutchie, portrayed by Keenan-Bolger, is a crippled newsboy, who is like a brother to Jack Kelly, was written a new song for this film in order to deepen his character. In his new song, "Crutchie at the Refuge," Crutchie elaborates further on the terror of his life as a cripple and strengthens his ties to Jack.
Moreover, while the lead roles of the show are incredible in every way, the impact of the show would not be made whole without the astounding support of the ensemble. By taking the most skilled and experienced dancers from the previous productions of the show, the high energy dance numbers are elevated to new heights that were not during earlier productions. Increasing the number of turns from three to four, adding a whole new segment of choreography, or just speeding up certain parts of a dance, each number was intensified in one way or another, which added to the intensity and the severity of the matter of the show. In large dance numbers, such as "Seize the Day" and "The World Will Know" the ensemble creates a mob-like feeling of newsboys uniting for a common goal. Rounding out the company with a completely synchronized ensemble, the cast of the filmed stage version of Newsies is one that will always blow audiences away. Most the story-line was no mystery to much of its audience, with it being preceded by the original movie and original Broadway musical. There were new choices made by both the performers and the creators that held the audiences at the edges of their seats.
In addition to the incredible company of the show, the people offstage are just as remarkable. With Brett Sullivan as the director, the film is nothing short of amazing. Having the characters constantly finding new motives and wants of different characters allows the show to continuously progress even more from its time on Broadway. High energy dance numbers, choreographed by Christopher Gatteli, combined the most talented dancers from each cast of Newsies and was able to intensify the original choreography to a new level that challenged even the most experienced dancers. Furthermore, with costuming done by Jess Goldstein, many costumes from the original Broadway production return the the show, with some being revamped to show deeper differences between characters. With the set and projections of the show designed by Tobin Ost and Daniel Brodie, inspired heavily by the original Broadway production, Ost and Brodie are able to use elements from the original production, as well as more advanced imagery, to create an atmosphere onstage that cohesively blends the reality and severity of the show with the constraints of a single stage.
Although this review may appeal more to people who know more about musical theatre, the film is remarkable nonetheless. Given that there are high risks for turning Broadway musicals into films, Newsies took the risks, and it payed off immensely. After watching the film in the theatre on the first night that it was showing, I was desperate to watch it again and bought it off of iTunes the day it was available. By turning these Broadway musicals into films, the musical theatre business is able to reach new audiences that would otherwise have no interest in musicals, or theatre fans that are unable to make the journey out to New York each time they want to see a new show. Whatever the reason is that one would want to see a musical, the film of Newsies combines all the aspects of a Broadway musical, elevated to the precision of cinematography.
Based on the newsboy strike in New York 1899, Newsies first premiered as a movie in 1992; being turned into a Broadway musical twenty years later. The script of the show was written by Harvey Fierstein, the music by Alan Menken, and lyrics by Jack Feldman. The original Broadway production ran for about two years, and closed on August 23, 2014, having performed just over one thousand performances. This past year, celebrating the twenty-fifth anniversary of the release of the original movie, Newsies returns to the stage at the Pantages Theatre in Los Angeles to be filmed and shown in movie theaters.
With a star-studded cast, featuring many of the original Broadway cast members such as Jeremy Jordan, Kara Lindsay, Andrew Keenan-Bolger, and Ben Fankhauser, Newsies returns to the stage with more energy and talent than ever before. By bringing back the most talented members of any company of Newsies, the high energy dance numbers and emotional scenes create a deep and empowered impact on its audiences. Creating strong characters and mysterious relationships, the two leads, Jack Kelly(Jordan) and Katherine Plumber/Katherine Pulitzer(Lindsay) hold a relationship of tension and risk. While Crutchie, portrayed by Keenan-Bolger, is a crippled newsboy, who is like a brother to Jack Kelly, was written a new song for this film in order to deepen his character. In his new song, "Crutchie at the Refuge," Crutchie elaborates further on the terror of his life as a cripple and strengthens his ties to Jack.
Moreover, while the lead roles of the show are incredible in every way, the impact of the show would not be made whole without the astounding support of the ensemble. By taking the most skilled and experienced dancers from the previous productions of the show, the high energy dance numbers are elevated to new heights that were not during earlier productions. Increasing the number of turns from three to four, adding a whole new segment of choreography, or just speeding up certain parts of a dance, each number was intensified in one way or another, which added to the intensity and the severity of the matter of the show. In large dance numbers, such as "Seize the Day" and "The World Will Know" the ensemble creates a mob-like feeling of newsboys uniting for a common goal. Rounding out the company with a completely synchronized ensemble, the cast of the filmed stage version of Newsies is one that will always blow audiences away. Most the story-line was no mystery to much of its audience, with it being preceded by the original movie and original Broadway musical. There were new choices made by both the performers and the creators that held the audiences at the edges of their seats.
In addition to the incredible company of the show, the people offstage are just as remarkable. With Brett Sullivan as the director, the film is nothing short of amazing. Having the characters constantly finding new motives and wants of different characters allows the show to continuously progress even more from its time on Broadway. High energy dance numbers, choreographed by Christopher Gatteli, combined the most talented dancers from each cast of Newsies and was able to intensify the original choreography to a new level that challenged even the most experienced dancers. Furthermore, with costuming done by Jess Goldstein, many costumes from the original Broadway production return the the show, with some being revamped to show deeper differences between characters. With the set and projections of the show designed by Tobin Ost and Daniel Brodie, inspired heavily by the original Broadway production, Ost and Brodie are able to use elements from the original production, as well as more advanced imagery, to create an atmosphere onstage that cohesively blends the reality and severity of the show with the constraints of a single stage.
Although this review may appeal more to people who know more about musical theatre, the film is remarkable nonetheless. Given that there are high risks for turning Broadway musicals into films, Newsies took the risks, and it payed off immensely. After watching the film in the theatre on the first night that it was showing, I was desperate to watch it again and bought it off of iTunes the day it was available. By turning these Broadway musicals into films, the musical theatre business is able to reach new audiences that would otherwise have no interest in musicals, or theatre fans that are unable to make the journey out to New York each time they want to see a new show. Whatever the reason is that one would want to see a musical, the film of Newsies combines all the aspects of a Broadway musical, elevated to the precision of cinematography.