Alright, so maybe it is the soaring melodies, the choreography, or perhaps simply the underdog taking on corporate greed. This is one for the books.

From Screen to Stage

Back in 1992, this Disney film —well, let’s say it wasn’t a smash hit like Frozen. It was more of a flop. But something happened, and it grew into a classic.

Newsies is about Jack Kelly, a teenage newsboy back in 1899. He had a dream of escaping the big city and going to Santa Fe, New Mexico. But the tide shifted when the big newspaper publishers, Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst, raised distribution prices. Thus making the newspaper boys’ meager profits even less.

Making History

Jack Kelly leads the newspaper boys and girls onto something that wasn’t typical for newspaper distributors to do, and that was to go on strike—yes, making history of an underdog standing up against greed.

Newsies

I have never seen this before, so I didn’t know what to expect. I thought it was a well-rounded production. The stage handled all the different scenes of the play. The kids talk about how they were sent to the refuge, a place no one wants to go.

Jack meets a journalist, a young girl whom he takes a liking to. They get closer, but then he finds out that she is the daughter of one of the publishers.

The greedy corporate publishers try to buy Jack’s loyalty. But, he takes the money and prints his one paper that motivates the Newsboys (and girls) to stay on strike. They eventually come to terms, and Jack stays in New York with the girl. He becomes an artist for the paper.

Photos

Thoughts

I enjoyed this production because it told a story of the little man sticking it to the corporate powers. Then, turning around and dated the daughter of one of the newspaper publishers. No better way to stick it to corporate greed.

I can see that this is a cult musical icon. Go and see it if you can.

Thoughts

We will be talking about The Little Mermaid here on Traveling with Justin

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