"Newsies the Musical" at Paper Mill Playhouse. Photo Credit: Sara Krulwich.

There is something extremely special about the movie, Newsies, that was released in 1992. It was a box office bomb, yet it became the #1 most requested movie-stage adaptation ever from Disney. After over 18 years, Disney Theatricals announced they would be producing the show, Newsies the Musical, for Papermill Playhouse‘s first show of their 73rd season. As this became a huge deal in the theater world, I had to see for myself the magic of the most anticipated show Disney has ever produced!

I walked into a quite barren stage set-up, most Disney musicals have huge highly technical curtains or colorfully designed scrims.  A scrim is a fabric type, much like curtains but it is unique because, when lit from the front it appears opaque and when it is lit from the back it is transparent. This particular stage was quietly filled with a pinch of creativity, with two large metal travelers that had the Newsies logo projected onto it. My first impression was, “This is Disney?” I was not impressed, the logo was blurry and the stage was bare. I hoped that this mega musical would improve. I was unfamiliar with the music of this particular show, but I did know two songs from the show and I knew that they were showstoppers. I knew that Disney had some large shoes to fill and they had better do it quick.

The show began to infectious, toe-tappin’ music;, it was so brilliant, you just had to bop your head to it. Soon after this, the star sang a beautiful balled with another character, Crutchie and it was called, “Santa Fe“. It was outstanding, and right then I knew that this show was begining to feel more Disney than ever. Even though the plot lacked action, the singing and dancing were exceptional. Every creative aspect of theater was shown throughout the show: the set design was unique, the lighting was creative and the music was rhythmic. There were so many brilliant moments of this show from the moment the travelers opened. It was amazing.

The actors were so true to their characters, it was inspirational. The actor who portrayed Jack Kelly was Jeremy Jordan and he had an angelic voice. I knew in advance that he was great, but he completely blew me away. He will be starring as Clyde Barrow in Bonnie and Clyde on Broadway as soon as he completes his run in Newsies. Another stand out was Andrew Keenan Bolger as the comical  Crutchie. He was cute, charming and had exceptional stage presence. Finally the leading lady, Catherine, portrayed by Kara Lindsay had a sweet way about her. Her take on the character Catherine was spot on and her vocals were amazing.

Despite the plot holes, such as missing character emotions that appear throughout the show, Newsies has everything a theater fanatic needs. It includes unbelievable dance numbers and heart-warming ballads.

Hot off the presses! Starting in March 2012 – June 2012 (UPDATE:  the run has been extended to August 2012!), Newsies will play a 101 performance run at the Netherlander Theatre on Broadway!