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Jennie Poole
Professor Bordewyk
English 101
5 December 2012
Extra Newsies, Excitement for the Fan Base

Newsies started off as a movie made by Disney in 1992 that was a flop. The movie was a
flop after Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King came out. As Tueth puts it, Even though the
film featured the future Academy Award winner Christian Bale, with music by Alan Menken,
who would also go on to win numerous Oscars, it was a box-office failure. It appeared between
two other Disney blockbuster films, both animated musicals, Beauty and the Beast (1991) and
The Lion King (1994), but the live-action musical found no comparable audience, (Tueth).
Years later in 2011, Newsies became a musical. According to Newsboys on Strike, Newsies is
based on the newsboys strike of 1899 and the cost of the newspapers rising from 50 cents to 60
cents. The boys who sold the newspapers called themselves newsies. The boys bought the
papers, sold them and raised money for themselves. Most of the boys were orphans and lived in
boy homes or on the streets. The boys formed a union, and led a strike against the owners of
the newspaper company, Pulitzer and Hearst, and stopped selling their papers. The strike ended
when Pulitzer and Hearst and other owners promised to buy back the unsold papers that the boys
could not sell (Newsboys on Strike). This story was encouraging and as one of the younger
generations, I learned that you should never stop fighting for what you are passionate about. The
newsboys story is told with a little bit of twist in Newsies. The musical was previewed at the
Paper mill Playhouse in Millburn, New Jersey and then brought to Broadway. I believe that the
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musical Newsies is far superior to the movie because of the dancing, the change of main
character from Christian Bale to Jeremy Jordan, and the change of gender of the reporter.
One thing about Newsies the musical is that it has very high energy. Christopher Gattelli
has very good choreography in the musical. The choreography was so well put together that
Newsies won the Tony award in 2012 for the best choreography. As a viewer of the musical who
also saw the movie, I thought the dancing in the musical was ten times better. The dancing in the
show had a lot of flips, turns and pirouettes. The movies dancing did have a few flips and turns
but it seemed like the dancing was more simplified and made for people who are not trained
dancers. A viewer of the musical, my mother, Sharon Poole said that the dancing was, Very
well-choreographed. The energy created by the dancing carries the less than deep, developed plot
along and makes the musical more enjoyable, (Sharon Poole). My sister, Amanda Poole said, I
thought it was very energetic, matched the tone of the music. As a former dancer and gymnast, I
really enjoyed the scene (forget which song) where they were doing flips across the stage. Fun to
watch. All the actors were very good dancers and energetic. Their energy and love for the
musical/acting really showed through in the dancing (and also the acting), (Amanda Poole).
The last viewer, my best friend, Jenny Morris said, I thought the dancing was spectacular. The
fact that there were so many young dancers getting their first break was so magical. It really
gives me hope that there is still a place for dancers of any age in Broadway (Morris). I have to
agree with these statements because the actors like to entertain and just love what they do and
entertain people with the flips and tough choreography. Not only do the people I know enjoy the
dancing, but the critics enjoyed the dancing as well.
Though the viewers and I like the dancing, critics are much harder to please. Ben
Brantley, a well-known theater critic for the New York Times, said, Though there is little
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originality in these dance numbers, they have enough raw vitality to command the attention and
even stir the bloodI commend the cast members for always appearing to be excited by what
theyre doing. Unfortunately that is not the same as being exciting, (Brantley). I personally
disagree with the last part about being exciting. If I could do all the flips and do what the actors
can do then I would agree; but since I cant, I think that they are exciting. The rest of his critique
of the show was good. To get a decent review from Ben Brantley implies that it must be a good
show. Other critics say that, The chorus of Runyonesque toughs and frails (led by Andrew
Keenan-Bolger, Ryan Breslin, and Ryan Steele) takes up the challenge, delivering on
Christopher Gattellis athletic, Ortega-esque choreography with muscle and punch,(Brown).
During one performance there were three midshow standing ovations, triggered in each case by
Christopher Gattellis buoyant choreography, (Reidel). A critic, Thom Grier, commented on the
lack of space from the set, but when the set was removed, he said that the athletic and aggressive
choreography was much better and was a wow-inducing enthusiasm(Grier). Based off the
choreography in general,
One highlight is the choreography by Gattelli (South Pacific), which features 16
boys jumping, bounding and comporting themselves like a gang of Jets on a West
Side playground. Gattellis dancers do an airborne, legs-akimbo leap that lifts the
spirits, although after the 60
th
such leap, one begins to think it might be easier
than it looks. This may not be Broadways most artistic choreography, but its
surely the most exuberant dancing currently on the Rialto, (Suskin).
Though there were parts of the dancing that were not critiqued as well, there are still good
reviews that make the dancing one of the best parts of the musical. Not only do the critics have
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something to say about the dancing, but Gattelli himself explains his reasons for changing the
dances.
Gattelli is an amazing choreographer, and Sylviane Gold has an article that talks about
his point of view. Gattelli says, The boys onstage are singing live. You have to construct
numbers so they can breathe. They cant be upside down. The different set of rules let the show
be something different, (Gold). Not only does Gattelli talk about the boys and the dancing, he
also talks about the reporter and how she got the role with dancing. In the article, Gattelli said on
Kara Lindsay (Katherine Plummer), her character was originally not supposed to dance, but they
made sure to see if she could dance. She also won the role because she could tap dance and was
able to lift up her leg to the top of her head and turn when asked to improvise some dance moves.
Her character starts off the second act with joining the newsies in a number with a lot of singing
and dancing (Gold). Gattelli says, When they [the newsies] come together to strike, the flips and
all the tricks that they do represent their youth and their vitality. Its a metaphor for their strength
and their youth, and for the boys on personal level, its showing them off as their best, (Gold). I
think that Sylvianes article was a good article to see what Gattelli says about his own work and
about the characters dancing.
Besides the dancing making the musical superior to the movie, the change of the main
character helped as well. Jeremy Jordan from Christian Bale was a big change. Christian Bale
was well known in the movie business which made him a good person for the movie. On the
other hand, Jeremy Jordan is not as well-known which made it interesting that the musical did
better than the movie. I think it is funny because if Christian Bale tried to be Jack Kelly again, I
feel as if it could flop because he is not trained in singing and dancing for Broadway, and is also
a lot older now then what he was in the movie. I thought that it was a good change though
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because not only is Jeremy Jordan trained for Broadway, but he gives a different look to the
character. My thoughts were that he looked like a young Leonardo DiCaprio, and looked
attractive, but besides that he has a very good voice for Broadway and since I heard him sing
differently in Bonnie and Clyde the musical, it was amazing to see how he can change his vocals
and share the stage evenly with the other people in the show. I also feel that Jeremy Jordan as
the main character of Jack Kelly was amazing because he had had acting experience and he
could carry his role as a leader well. Another view of Jeremy Jordan according to Amanda Poole,
[he was] very nice to look at I thought he did a good job and was a good actor, (Amanda
Poole). Sharon Poole said, Excellent casting. He is small enough to play a young man, but not
so boyish as to be unbelievable in his role as a more mature newsie. Good dancer and excellent
voice, (Sharon Poole). Jenny Morris said, I think that Jeremy Jordan is a brilliant lead. He is
very unique and genuine. Hes the perfect man for Disney and Broadway, (Morris). Jeremy
Jordan is such a good actor on Broadway that he has been discovered and asked to do a movie
and also be a guest on a TV show. Even though Jeremy Jordan is not as popular as Christian
Bale, he is on the rise.
To my surprise, the critics had similar reviews about Jeremy Jordan as the main
character. I thought that the critics would be harder on Jeremy Jordan because of his
overpowering singing voice. However, Jordan (who is not as famous as Christian Bale) got
critiques like, And this little musical revolution could have no better face than Jordan, as the
urchin-organizer and wistful dreamer Jack Kelly hes quite good at dumbing down his trained
pipes to capture that all-important vocal naivet required of every dese-and-dose New Yawk
archetype, (Brown). Another says, As the leader of the strikers, Jeremy Jordan is engaging,
with a slightly dangerous edge giving his charisma extra oomph and a vulnerability that makes
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his doubts about continuing the newsies battle believable, (Musto). EWs reviewer Geier said,
Bales role-head newsboy Jack Kelly, who yearns for a new life out West- is now played by the
strong-voiced hunk Jeremy Jordan Jordan, like much of the energetic cast, projects a youthful
energy and restlessness thats suited to his character and material, (Grier). In Michael V.
Tueths article, he has a section called The Rise of Jeremy Jordan which has a lot about how
good he is. He says things like,
In the role of Jack Kelly, the charismatic strike-leader, the show spotlights a
genuine Broadway star-in-the making, Jeremy Jordan.combining the looks of a
young Brando and Gene Kelly, Jordan is the real deal. He owns the stage as the
sensitive tough guy (Jack has hidden artistic talents) with a Noo Yawk mouth
on him: he challenges the newspapers bigwigs, especially Pulitzer, and charms
Katherine (Kara Lindsay), the bright young lady reporting on their strike,
(Tueth).
The hardest reviewer, Ben Brantley, says, Mr. Jordan, late of the short-lived Bonnie & Clyde,
is a natural star who has no trouble holding the stage even without pirouettes, (Brantley). I
personally thought that Jeremy Jordan was a good change from Christian Bale. I was also very
surprised that a lot of the critiques focused more on Jeremy Jordan and not as much on the love
story.
Not only was the change of the main character a good change, but the change of the
gender role of the reporter was a good change as well. I thought that the love interest added to
the plot. I have a weakness for love stories and think that it was a cute change to the musical. If
there was no love interest or if the reporter was a man, I feel as if it would be like the movie and
flop. According to Amanda Poole on the change of gender of the reporter, In the movie the
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reporter was a guy and there was no special song for him but having a girl reporter added
another story line of Jack Kelly falling in love, (Amanda Poole). If there was a lack of love
interest, Amanda Poole said, It would still be a good musical, but I think that it adds another
storyline that increases the interest of the musical over all, (Amanda Poole). In contrast, Sharon
Poole said that with a lack of a love interest, The Musical would have a little less interesting
plot, (Sharon Poole). With the change of the reporters gender, Sharon Poole said, Addition of
the young woman reporter added the love interest for Jack Kelly. The love story made him more
than one dimensional, (Sharon Poole). Last but not least with the change of the character
gender, I think changing the plot really did help the story. It made it more relatable to girls and
a better foundation for Disney fans, (Morris). With the lack of love interest Jenny Morris
thought, I think eventually he [Jack Kelley] would have moved on but in New York City not
Santa Fe. I also think the play would fall flat like the movie did, (Morris). When I was thinking
about the answers to these questions, these thoughts came to mind after I interviewed these
audience members. I also think that having a woman character can change the plot a lot and she
has power to change because she writes the articles and helps the newsies get their voice out.
The critics had interesting views but didnt say as much as I thought that they
would on the change of the gender role of the reporter. The major difference in
the film and stage version is Fiersteins re-gendering of Bill Pullmans screen
character into a spunky girl reporter, who becomes Jacks love interest, Katherine,
and is vivaciously played by newcomer Kara Lindsay. Their new ballad Then I
See You Again is not so hot, but she gets a feisty solo, Watch What Happens,
to neatly establish her spirited nature (Disneys crowd-pleaser delivers). Adding
a love interest for Jack in the form of Katherine Plumber, an intrepid young
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female reporter intent on busting into the all-boys club of journalism, works very
well and removes the unintentional (though often amusing) [homoeroticism] in
Jack and Daveys onscreen relationship, (Haagensen).
Erik Haagensen also said that, Kara Lindsay is a delightful Katherine, [spicy] and smart, a fine
singing actor, (Haagensen). Mr. Fierstein has also ditched the films undercooked romance and
fashioned a sturdier love interest for Jack out of Katherine Plumber (Kara Lindsay), a young,
well-heeled reporter who hopes the strike story will be her ticket off the society pages into hard
news,( Rooney). Apparently, according to David Itzkoff, on the advice of his younger
daughter, Mr. Menken said he had been trying to work a female newsgirl character as well,
(Itzkoff). The change of the character I think made the plot better and the fact that they wrote in
a girl character was a good move and I think is what made the musical successful.
In conclusion, the musical is preferable compared to the movie. The dancing had a lot to
be said about since it was the most uplifting and energetic part throughout the whole musical. I
am surprised that the dancers have so much energy since during all the upbeat songs they are
flipping and turning and singing at the same time. Also, I think Jeremy Jordan was a good
change from Christian Bale. Jeremy Jordan is one of my new favorite actors since I first saw the
show at the Paper mill Playhouse before I brought my sister to the show. I thought that having
Jeremy Jordan for Jack Kelly was good because he has a strong voice and he knows to lessen it
when he is not the only one singing. My last thought on Jeremy Jordan is that he deserved the
part and was good. Lastly the love interest change was a good change for the musical. I think that
the show was good because the female reporter made it a better story than if they had the male
reporter. I am happy that the show got good reviews because it would have been sad to have a
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show that has important messages and themes for todays viewers to close Due to this evidence, I
think that Newsies the musical is better than the movie.






















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Works Cited

Brantley, Ben. Urchins With Punctuation. New York Times. 29 Mar. 2012. Web. 21 Nov.
2012.
Brown, Scott. Theater Review: Newsies Time is Now. New York Magazine. 4 Oct. 2011.
Vulture. Web. 21 Nov. 2012.
Geier, Thom. Newsies the Musical (2011). Entertainment Weekly. 27 Sept. 2011. Web. 21
Nov. 2012.
Gold, Sylviane. Soop! Newsies Boy Ensemble Hits Broadway. Dance Magazine.
Apr.2012:55. General OneFile. Web. 21 Nov. 2012.
Haagensen, Erik. NEWSIES: at Paper Mill Playhouse. Back Stage, National ed. 29 Sept. 2011:
39. General OneFile. Web. 21 Nov. 2012.
Itzkoff, Dave. Extra, extra! Paper mill has Newsies. New York Times 15 Feb. 2011: C2(L).
General OneFile. Web. 21 Nov. 2012.
Musto, Michael. Newsies is the New Annie: My Review of the Male Urchin Musical. Voice
Blogs. 29 Mar. 2012. The Village. Web. 21 Nov. 2012.
"Newsboys On Strike.; Many Fights And Two Arrest By The Police." Nytimes.com. New York
Time, 13 Aug. 1889. Print. 21 Nov. 2012.
Poole, Sharon T., Jenny Morris, and Amanda G. Poole. Telephone interview. 28 Nov. 2012.
Reidel, Michael. Good Newsies for Disney. New York Post. 27 Mar. 2012. Web. 21 Nov.
2012.
Rooney, David. Newsboys Strike? Sing All About It. New York Times. 27 Sept. 2011. Web. 21
Nov. 2012.
Sommers, Michael. Good Newsies: Disneys Crowd-Pleaser Delivers. Variety 3 Oct.
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2011:53+. General OneFile. Web. 21 Nov. 2012.
Suskin, Steven. Newsies: The Musical. Variety 2 Apr. 2012: 23. General OneFile. Web 21
Nov.2012.
Tueth, Michael V. "'Newsies' Strikes Back." American Magazine. 7 May 2012.General OneFile,
Web. 21 Nov. 2012.