The Reviews Are In: Ram Reviews of "Newsies"

Disney added Newsies to its repertoire of Broadway musicals, with its recent opening at the Nederlander Theatre. By now, the movie has become a cult hit, and almost everyone was forced to watch it during middle school or high school for a history, music or social studies class. The catchy tunes and somewhat interesting love story always kept our interest during forced screenings in class, but the play adaptation takes the story of Newsies to another level.

Having opened at the Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn, New Jersey, last year, Newsies quickly rose to popularity and made a quick transition to Broadway. Many of the original cast members, including Jeremy Jordan in the lead as Jack Kelly, have also made the transition from Paper Mill to Broadway.

In the original 1992 movie, Christian Bale (The Dark Knight) starred as Kelly. He was the voice of the newsboys who were not treated fairly, nor protected under any kind of union during the time of Joseph Pulitzer’s reign on newspapers—1899 to be specific. The “newsies” are able to bond together and work against Pulitzer by refusing to sell his newspapers on the streets. In the movie, Academy Award winner Robert Duvall (Tender Mercies) takes on the role of Pulitzer, and seasoned Broadway actor John Dossett plays him in the new Broadway musical.

The best aspects of this musical are the strongly written new musical numbers, backed by an equally talented nearly all-male cast. Some of the most talented male dancers I have ever seen make up the company of Newsies. There are several dance in which the entire cast dances. They move perfectly in sync with one another and perform gymnastics moves on the stage.

Newsies: The Musical definitely brings the fun-loving feeling from the movie onto the Broadway stage. The newly written songs combined with a young, talented cast provide a great Broadway experience. Although originally on limited engagement until June, the play has recently extended its run until August because of its popularity and success. This is a great musical for people of any age and a definite treat on Broadway. Perhaps this will bring back the cult success of the movie to a new generation.

Source: Theram Online