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The Displaced Disney Dad: “Seize the day ‘Newsies’ comes to town — it’s the ‘Little Show that Could'”

 

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“In 1899, the streets of New York echoed with the voices of newsies. Peddling the newspapers of Joseph Pulitzer, William Randolph Hearst, and other giants of the newspaper world. On every corner you saw ‘em carrying the banner – bringing you the news for a penny a paper. Poor orphans and runaways, the newsies were a ragged army without a leader – until one day, all that changed…”
  – Racetrack Higgins, opening lines of Newsies, the film.

This blog community is about Disney World.  But I would be remiss if I did not mention a great Disney opportunity outside of the parks that is about to sweep the country faster than Jack “Cowboy” Kelly could sell a stack of tabloids.

The Broadway production of Disney’s Newsies closed on Sunday, August 24,  but not without leaving behind legions of fans and a theatrical experience that will be sorely missed on the Great White Way.  Having seen the show myself, the sting of its closing is tempered a bit, for I had a chance to see the production firsthand – but I do malign the fact that the Newsboys of Greeley Square won’t stick around, plying their hawkers trade in tap shoes long enough for my son to be of theater-going age.

But Broadway’s loss is every Disney fan’s gain – especially those craving live-Disney action in parts far-removed from Anaheim and Orlando – for plans for the National Tour of Newsies have been announced, and starting in October, 25 cities will be the beneficiaries of this stylized music and dance triumph’s jaunt around the country.

The ensemble of NEWSIES.  Photo by Deen van Meer

Now, analyzing why this show is so appealing – and why I couldn’t recommend it more highly to our Disney-loving readers — requires a step back.  It requires consideration of the entire phenomenon of Newsies far beyond the ballyhoo and industry accolades for which it became known. In fact, a proper place to begin may be Racetrack Higgins’s lines mentioned above, for they not only foreshadow events to come in the tale, but eerily predict the movie’s unlikely, yet warranted, journey to big-time Broadway stage prominence.    Yes,  the newsboys for whom this story is historically based did once create a chorus of salesmanship which could be heard through the same city streets which would one day echo the belted melodies of “Seize the Day,” “Carrying the Banner,” and “King of New York” – but a far more profound destiny was fulfilled in the idea that the newsies were “ragged” and “without a leader.” For so, too, could this great story be characterized as it began its journey from film to stage.    Consider these facts:

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1. Newsies on Broadway delighted over 1.1 million theater goers.
2. It played 904 Broadway performances beyond the originally scheduled 101.
3. It won two 2012 Tony® Awards: “Best Choreography”– Christopher Gattelli and “Best Original Score” – Alan Menken & Jack Feldman.
4. It provided 32 young actors a platform for a Broadway debut.
5. Twitter chatter reached 14 million “fansies” when its Broadway debut was announced.
6. All of this in spite of the fact it was never originally intended to play New York.

Yes, it’s true.     Disney’s smash Tony Award®-winning stage hit Newsies began its humble rise to distinction at the Nederlander Theatre not on the same City streets for which its legend began, but across the Hudson River at one of the country’s preeminent regional theaters: Millburn New Jersey’s Paper Mill Playhouse.  According to sources at Disney Theatricals, “Though intended only as a pilot production before the title was licensed for regional, professional, and amateur productions, Newsies’ initial production at Paper Mill Playhouse in September 2011engendered extraordinary interest from media and public alike…It was then that Disney Theatrical Productions decided to move the production to Broadway for what was intended to be a strictly limited three month run.”

But the new show could not be contained.  Musically reworked by composer Alan Menken and lyricist Jack Feldman; written by Harvey Fierstein; choreographed by Christopher Gattelli; and directed by Jeff Calhoun,  the new stage production was championed even beyond its honest merits by what Shayne Miller, Paper Mill Playhouse’s Director of Public Relations, calls, “generations of ‘fansies.’”

I had a chance to speak with Mr. Miller recently,  and he observed most interestingly, “More than 20 years after the film’s release, the relentless fans continued to demand a stage production. It was the fans that made this happen. It was the fans that kept the show going for a full run at Paper Mill and 1005 performances on Broadway. Furthermore, the ‘David and Goliath’ story that is Newsies is something that everyone can relate to.”

The public’s efforts must have been vigorous, indeed. For while Mr. Miller is appropriate in referencing the plot’s “David vs. Goliath” appeal, the production’s artistic and geographic journey reads more like “The Little Engine that Could” – its courage spurred by crazy fansies much like Jack Kelly inspired the newsies themselves to revolt.

And the public outcry was warranted. In true Disney fashion, Newsies is fun for the entire family and will capture even the most uneager of theatergoers with its high-intensity dance numbers and palpable testosterone – considering the latter, it may even appeal to younger boys who may not be as inclined to take in a musical.   Additionally, collectors of Disneyana will not be disappointed by the show’s unique merchandise which is themed beautifully to the setting of the piece.  Merch    So, if you value this Displaced Disney Dad’s opinion, enjoyed the original film, appreciate wins for the “little guy,” or otherwise have a general interest in wonderful theater, click here for details on when and where Newsies will be playing soon in a city near you.   But only if you can handle the prospect of becoming an enthusiastic fansie yourself.

P.S. If you’ve been following Lou, you know one of his longest running podcast questions is: “Which musical should be reflected if Disney’s The Great Movie Ride® was to get a facelift?”   C’mon…can we get a little  Newsies action after The Wizard of Oz?

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Bonus: Click here video of final Broadway curtain call on the Newsies YouTube page.

(Photos from the author’s personal collection, ©Disney, Deen van Meer, Heidi Gutman and Matthew Murphy. )
(Special thanks to Shayne Miller of Paper Mill Playhouse; and Disney Theatricals.)

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Richie McNanna is an 8th grade teacher from Westfield, NJ.   He has been a self-proclaimed Disney nut since the age of seven when his parents convinced him that real ghosts lived in the Haunted Mansion, and his goal in life is to retire one day and become one of the Dapper Dans.   Richie’s wife, Helene,  is the most understanding woman on the planet for putting up with his Disney obsession and owed a great deal of emotional payback.  His son is one year old and already owns several sets of Mickey ears.

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About Lou Mongello

Lou Mongello is a former attorney who left the practice to pursue his passion, and is now a recognized Disney expert, author, speaker, and host of WDW Radio. Learn more…

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