Newsies: The Broadway Musical

I am one that enjoys Broadway shows and to combine both the Broadway & North American Tour together to make this show was Amazing. I hope they make this into a DVD like they did with CATS. The stage show personal touch versus a cinematic approach makes the show 1000x times better and easier to relate to the characters.

Beautifully performed LA version of the Broadway musical. The actors, singers, dancers all on the top of their form. And the translating of the show to TV was excellent - until it came to the dance numbers. In short, these were ruined in the editing room. Just because you can cut to another shot, doesn't mean that you should. Fred Astaire had control over how his dances were filmed and insisted in full head-to-toe shots, with little or no cutting to different angles. This might seem like an austere approach, but it worked brilliantly. Gene Kelly went a step further and also produced brilliant results. It is difficult as a director to reign in the impulse to be flashy and put your mark on what you are shooting, but with dance this has to be resisted. Rob Marshall almost ruined Bob Fosse's brilliant choreography in the movie version of "Chicago". Here we have some of the world's best stage dancers giving it their all, and the director and editor got in their way. What a shame.

Having seen Newsies on stage and in the movies, when I heard it would be shown at our local theater (at an exorbitant price), I couldn't wait. Often these things don't work out. This one did. First of all, the young men and women cast for this are at the top of their game. They have fresh faces and individual character. There are great songs, but they are overshadowed by some of the best dancing ever seen on a screen. The physicality and skill of these guys is beyond the pale. There is a well drawn plot that exceeds the depth of most musicals. We care about Jack and Crutchie and how the other guys respond to each other. Joe Pulitzer is well cast and has frightening power over them. I can't believe I'm going to say this, but I would prefer this film over the live performances. The reason is the close-ups where we get to see their emotional responses to each other. Crutchie's character is so kind and so fragile, and the young actor who portrays him captures it beautifully.

I have watched this recording more than 20 times and I never get bored. Newsies is one of my favorite musicals and these cast is my favorite ever. Jeremy Jordan and Kara Lindsay have amazing chemistry and are incredible actors! I definitely recommend you watch this if you haven't.

Having been a serious fan of the original 1992 film with Christian Bale, I was excited to learn they made a stage production of the show. But then I heard they made some changes to the story for the stage adaption and then I became very skeptical.

Once I finally got to see the show LIVE in person, I was blown away by the entire production and loved the small changes they made. It actually fits better as a live production and the changes were PERFECT.

Once the show and road tour ended, I was so sad to know we'll never get to see this again, but once it was announced that they are bringing the Broadway production to the BIG SCREEN, I was more than excited.

Seeing the cinematic version of the Broadway production gave a whole new perspective on the experience. The drama seems heightened since we now get to see close ups of the characters and every emotional reaction and response. We also get to HEAR every line and word, where on stage, sometimes the lines are run together rather quickly and it's easy to miss certain elements. The lighting, the sound, the editing was BRILLIANT!

Also, the actors were full of extra life and energy and you could see their love and passion for each other and this show. This theatrical experience was OVERFLOWING with Disney magic and I confess, I teared up several times, just because it was SO AMAZING!

If you never saw a Broadway show, or can't get to New York, and if you never saw the Broadway version of Newsies...this is a MUST-SEE! The Music, the Dancing, the Acting, the Performances, the Costumes and Set....everything was SHEER MAGIC and absolutely PERFECT!

I'll never get tired of seeing NEWSIES!