Apparently I was denied a childhood, because I never saw the movie Newsies growing up. So when a Broadway musical, based off the movie, was announced there was no way I was going to miss this! Regretfully, I wish I had.
Newsies the musical, features bland music with boring songs, underwhelming choreography, a generic 3-tiered set and an uninspired leading actor. To say the show is enjoyable would be a stretch. Quite frankly, I found Newsies outright boring.
For those who also were denied a childhood, and like me never saw the film version, Newsies is about the boys whole sold newspapers, or newsies, in 1899. The newsies go on strike, after newspaper baron Joseph Pultizer raises newspaper prices to make up for dwindling profits (I guess some things never change). Since this is a Disney musical, I’ll leave it up to you to ponder who wins.
Newsies main problem is that the music, which carries the show, is bland and generic. The songs feel cookie-cutterish, as if they could fit into any show about young people fighting “the man.” I’ve always upheld the belief that a good musical leaves you leaving the theater humming a show tune. With Newsies, I left the theater not even remembering a song title.
The leading character played by Jeremy Jordan was uninspiring. 
He didn’t make you route for his success, rather that the show would move along so that it could just end. It also doesn’t help that choreography was uninventive and the set sterile. For a show that takes place in 1899, the set did nothing to add to this already mind-numbing show.
Many reviews have compared Newsies to Annie, the 1977 blockbuster about a red-headed orphan in the depression. On first glance, I could see the comparison. However, the difference is that Annie’s songs had a heart. They made you feel Annie’s longing to be loved and optimism in her anthem “Tomorrow.” Newsies songs didn’t make you feel anything.
Regardless of this review, it would not shock me if Newsies won the Tony Award for Best Musical this year. Why? Because despite being a weak year for new musicals, Newsies is thrilling theatergoers. At my sold-out performance the audience roared with approval after each number and cheered every minute of this show. Newsies may lack the emotion and reviews of Annie, but as history shows us, audiences have the last word.
For more information on Newsies, please visit: http://www.newsiesthemusical.com/
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