Newsies - Now With Cocktails

                 At the end of a whirlwind trip to NYC was Disney’s Newsies.  This was actually the first ticket we bought for the trip.  We had already been on quite an emotional roller coaster, going from NOW. HERE. THIS. to Sleep No More to Once to Carrie.  We were ready for some light-hearted awesomeness.

                The Newsies film was important to my childhood – I would assume this statement to be true for all folks who, like me, were born in the 1980s and grew up to be musical theater junkies.  I knew the songs, and my only lament was the fact that there weren’t any good girl parts.  Even when I was older, my summer camp friends and I watched the movie and sang along en masse – and by summer camp friends, I don’t mean childhood friends, I mean people I worked at camp with.  We were adults by then.  Upon hearing the news that Disney’s stage adaptation of Newsies was, indeed, transferring to Broadway after its run at the Paper Mill, I knew I had to be there.  It’s my childhood, come to life.

                As I sat down in my seat at the back of the orchestra with my windowcard (my collection is getting too big to handle, but still I buy one at every show), I had a moment of realization that not everybody was obsessed with Newsies as a child.  I can’t imagine a childhood without it, but a young lady in front of us turned around about ten minutes before curtain and said, “excuse me, but can either of you tell me what this show is about?”  Although I was shocked that there are people on this planet who don’t know Newsies, I must applaud her for going to a Broadway show that she didn’t even know anything about.  I filled her in, and I hope she loved it and is forever a convert.

                I must admit that I was a little bit nervous before the show.  I was worried that it would be like getting to meet your favorite celebrity and then finding out that they’re not really so wonderful in person.  It became clear after the opening number that I had little to worry about.  The new songs flowed in smoothly, and the classics were done to perfection.  The dancing was beyond ridiculous.  I, a 26-year-old grown-up was utterly mesmerized by a cast that is, largely, younger than me.  And, ten-year-old me would be delighted to know that they added a super awesome “girl part.”  I like the romance storyline – and would it really be Disney without it?  Another appreciated addition: Newsies-themed cocktails in the lobby.  I had a “Seize the Day;” it was delicious and came in a souvenir cup.  I’m a sucker for anything in a souvenir cup.  At intermission, we booked it to the merchandise booth to pre-order our cast recording (if you download it online, you won’t get the bonus tracks), and we got a complimentary poster with our pre-order.  Thanks, Disney!

                After an amazing show, I headed out to the stage door.  I usually like to visit the stage door, especially if I’ve seen a performer in something else (I saw Ben Fankhauser four times in Spring Awakening, and I was a fan of Jess LeProtto on SYTYCD), but this stage door was like nothing I’ve ever experienced.  The crowds were crazy.  Also, I’m pretty sure we were the only two people stage door-ing who were even alive when the film came out, much less old enough to watch it.  However, we managed to brave the crowds and meet the cast.  They were genuine, though hurried, doing as best they could to sign 80 billion Playbills (I counted, that’s accurate).  There was even a “news crew” from some Disney Channel show that I’m too old to recognize.  Maybe my students will see me on TV.

                Newsies was absolutely worth it.  But, if you don’t like crowds of 15-year-olds, perhaps skip the stage door.