Disney's NEWSIES On Broadway -- Previews- Page 3

[Jonwo]

Posted: 3/18/12 at 1:35pm

I wonder what number they'll perform at the Tonys, they've got loads to choose from, they've done Seize the Day and King of New York on TV before, maybe Carrying the Banner? I wouldn't be surprised if they do Seize the Day or King of New York again.

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 3/18/12 at 2:26pm

"I wonder what number they'll do on the TONYS?"

You do know the show has not been nominated (or even opened yet)
Though I'm sure it will do well remember the predictions that most were making about BONNIE & CLYDE (NEWSIES is much better than that flop). Let's just not get ahead of ourselves.
They still have Brantley in their path, who has never really liked ant DISNEY show very much.

[broadwaydevil]

Posted: 3/18/12 at 2:33pm

They'll probably perform Seize the Day perhaps with a bit of Santa Fe before like they did on the view. Santa Fe really shows off Jeremy Jordan in a phenomenal solo number, which they may want to do considering he's probably Broadway's biggest male rising star at the moment. A nomination is certainly a possibility and if he gets nominated I'd be shocked if he doesn't perform at least a little bit of Santa Fe.

ETA: Curtainpulldowner - very true I was going to add that to my post. At this point though I think a nomination is pretty likely. We'll see about Nice Work if You Can Get It/Leap of Faith (I'm not feeling optimistic at all about that one) but otherwise its only major competition for nominations is Once and Ghost.

Updated On: 3/18/12 at 02:33 PM

[The Pud]

Posted: 3/18/12 at 3:49pm

Blockhead24, I saw Newsies at Papermill too and I can't wait
until April when I will be back in New York to see Newsies on Broadway. I loved the show at Papermill, can't wait to see the dance with the spoons.

[xoffender45]

Posted: 3/18/12 at 7:15pm

According to the TKTS iPhone app, today's performance was available at the South Street Seaport location. Can anyone verify that? And what are the odds that any other performance will be available to buy there this week? Because regular price tickets are NOT cheap! lol

[sopranobiz]

Posted: 3/18/12 at 10:14pm

Oh please sweet Jesus let this show find another theater so I can see it 10 more times!!!!!

[MKunkel]

Posted: 3/18/12 at 10:40pm

the lottery was suprisingly quite small for the 1 o'clock show considering the past few days. I would say about 70 people? And they had at least 30 tickets i would say. I was lucky enough to win!

[Hank]

Posted: 3/19/12 at 7:56pm

I've given up looking for discounts. I'll be there next week at full price, front row mez. Should be great!
For those of you who haven't already done so, go to the show's website and click on "about the show". Lots of great vidios and meet the Newsies, it goes on and on.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 3/19/12 at 8:02pm

the lottery was suprisingly quite small for the 1 o'clock show considering the past few days. I would say about 70 people? And they had at least 30 tickets i would say. I was lucky enough to win!

If you don't mind me asking, where were the seats?

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 3/19/12 at 8:17pm

I'll be interested to hear what others say over time. I mean both 9 to 5 and Crybaby had very effusive previews audiences who were very vocal and ecstatic but both shows flopped due to the realization that that material overall was subpar. I think the performers were shocked that the shows performed so poorly after the audiences were so kind.

I have never seen an audience respond to choreography the way they did in Crybaby. Standing ovations and wild applause after a dance number. Then Crybaby tanked.

[Jonwo]

Posted: 3/19/12 at 8:27pm

Newsies will be fine, it probably helps that it's a fairly low cost show and at a medium sized theatre rather than a big theatre like The Marquis.

[MKunkel]

Posted: 3/19/12 at 9:23pm

"If you don't mind me asking, where were the seats?"

I was about the 7th winner so my seats were Row C Right Orchestra seats 16 and 18. They were the last two seats in the row. It was marked partial view but you only missed part of the show when the towers were all the way pushed back which is not often. I think all the seats were off to the Sides. The first winner was on the end in the first row.

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 3/19/12 at 11:11pm

Saw the show tonight. I thought it was good, but not amazing. I did love Jeremy and choreography and the male ensemble. They epitomize a hard-working ensemble delivering over the top number after over the top number.

Jenkins and Dossett have nothing to do and Dossett's one number doesn't really come off well. There's a lot of general "oppression" and "wrong-doing" against the kids, but not much actual plot-developed conflict.

The audience was going absolutely wild. Every time a kid did a shuffle step there was massive applause. It is hard to deny the electricity of the big ensemble numbers though. It's rare to see a show with 4 or 5 big dance breaks in a musical these days and they're a lot of fun.

I wish them well and think it will be a big hit. Still for my money I'd rather see Once.

[xoffender45]

Posted: 3/19/12 at 11:48pm

So I finally gave in and purchased tickets to this Sunday evening's performance. Can anyone tell me how good or bad the first two seats in the front row of the orchestra's right section is? I mean, they can't be all that great, if they're not considered premium, when practically the rest of the orchestra is.

[CukorLover]

Posted: 3/20/12 at 12:10am

Funny Whizzer, but i was waiting for your review. You normally dissect shows constructively and thoroughly. It's interesting that you had so little to say about this production. Having not yet seen it myself , my guy reaction from all the TV clips, video montages and reviews from Papermill, I came to the same conclusion. What seems to stand out about this show for the majority is Jeremy Jordan, a couple of catchy songs, and the dancing ensemble/choreography.

[xoffender45]

Posted: 3/20/12 at 12:13am

Can anyone tell me how good or bad my seats are? I finally gave in and purchased tickets because I didn't want to risk the lottery, and I got the first two seats in the front row right section of the orchestra.

I think the fact that they aren't premium should have served as a warning, but what should I expect? Partial view? High stage? etc

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 3/20/12 at 1:07am

Ha, yes CukorLover, normally I do dissect shows I see in my mind, and I have more to say about this, but I was watching Smash while I typed that up and was paying more attention to the TV than to what I was typing! You are right though in that I didn't have an overtly strong reaction to it either way.

I didn't really like how the show started out with "Sante Fe"/Prologue. It felt unnecessary and the song is reprised so much during the evening I don't know why we needed to hear it here. The second opening, "Carrying the Banner" was textbook what they needed to kick off the show.

Like I said before, the group numbers are the highlight of the show. I have to give credit to all the young actors for creating distinctive ensemble roles without (m)any lines of dialogue. I felt the same way about the ensemble of Mormon. This is not a bunch of generic, cookie cutter guys.

Harvey's book was weak for me. Nothing was cringeworthy or anything. It just was rather dull in spots and nothing much seemed to happen. There was never any danger that Jack (Jeremy Jordan) would ever abandon the cause or that the newsies wouldn't succeed. I realize this is a family show so maybe you couldn't make those threats too real, but I would have preferred a little more conflict.

John Dossett has one scene/song near the top of act one and then we don't see him again until act two. Hard to have your antagonist barely appear in the show and have us fear that he is really a threat.

Jenkins has pulled an even shorter straw. She gets about a 90 second ditty to perform in act one and has a handful of lines in the second act. Let the big black lady stop the show- not only because she can, but it would be a nice break from the big dance showstoppers.

The set is impressive- three tall metal towers that spin and move downstage. Everything looks very expensive; you feel like you are getting your money's worth in terms of production value. This a good thing when there aren't any discount codes!

The weirdest thing for me was the audience response. It was so over the top in love with the show I can't remember when I've seen something like it. They chuckled at the book scenes, but went ape sh!t crazy after and during the group numbers. It was like on Dancing with the Stars when someone does a little turn or a dip and the studio audience goes NUTS and you think, "why is everyone responding like this?" So out of proportion to what was just performed. That was the response tonight. I understand exploding at the end of the ensemble dance numbers, but leap, twirl and kick sent the crowd into a frenzy. I don't know if audiences will continue to act this way or this will be a thing with friends and family in previews.

There are flaws, but it's good and enjoyable. I tend to enjoy theater that resonates with me emotionally more than this did so I didn't have quite the enthusiastic reaction others on this thread had.

Updated On: 3/20/12 at 01:07 AM

[ljay889]

Posted: 3/20/12 at 1:12am

I tend to enjoy theater that resonates with me emotionally more than this did so I didn't have quite the enthusiastic reaction others on this thread had.

That is exactly how I felt at Papermill. I haven't seen it on Broadway yet.

[Jonwo]

Posted: 3/20/12 at 2:06am

Haven't seen the show yet but I wonder if this show resonates with its target audience in a similar way Wicked does but on a smaller scale.

[After Eight]

Posted: 3/20/12 at 8:06am

The audience at the performance I attended reacted in the same over-the-top way that Whizzer described. I too was mystified by it. The show bored me, I must confess, but at least didn't both bore and annoy the hell out of me, like Once, so I hope it beats that miserable thing for the Tony.

Incidentally, I noticed that Newsies was up at the TKTS board last night.

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 3/20/12 at 8:31am

Whizzer hit the nail on the head in every respect. The show is entertaining, but it's nowhere near the second-coming that some posters on here (and the audience I saw it with) seem to think it is. It only really takes off during the musical numbers and the first act is plodding. The second act is much better; things actually get moving and start to work somewhat cohesively. The book is weak, the score is mostly great, the ensemble is wonderful, Jordan is excellent, Dossett and Jenkins are BEYOND wasted, etc.

The audience reaction was electric, verging on irritating. Every time someone did a dance move, it was like the audience had a collective orgasm. It was endearing for about ten minutes, then it just became grating. I'm sure this will be the next big hit and I'm sure it will get a huge, creepy fangirl fanbase (it already seemed to acquire that; the girls behind me were talking about how they had seen it twice already and were singing every song. Out loud. During the show. And then proceeded to discuss how NEXT TO NORMAL was apparently in the Nederlander Theater. Must've missed that.)

Anyway, it's entertaining. ONCE is far better, but I'm sure NEWSIES will win the Tony. It's safe, tourable family entertainment.

[CukorLover]

Posted: 3/20/12 at 9:07am

After Eight, what time did you notice it up on TKTS. I was there at 3pm and it wasn't listed. Thx.

[Katurian2]

Posted: 3/20/12 at 9:54am

Have to second the "irritating" audience reaction that I experienced on Saturday night at the show. It was one of the most absurd things I've ever seen in a Broadway theatre, and I'd thought an early-outing preview audience would be more experienced and polite, but no such luck. Three completely unrelated parties near me all spoke before the show that they were "absolutely going to sing along." I made the mistake of thinking this was just a joke, not realizing they were serious until they actually did start singing along during multiple songs. Three separate people. In three separate rows. Who then proceeded to dissect the lyric changes to 'Seize the Day' down to the word during intermission. I knew the show had a cult following, but what I saw there (by the entire audience) was quite the head shaker. I'm a bit of an outward b****, so I took the opportunity to politely tell the 'singers' around me this was a play not a rock concert and to please stop.

I also agree with Whizzer- it was a fun show, I'd put it about on the level of Mary Poppins, but nothing that was brilliant or distinguishing in any way. At least it was new material, but I think it fits into the mass of 'just ok' commercial musicals we've seen/are seeing on Broadway this season. Have to say too that I was way more impressed with Jeremy Jordan in B&C (which I kind of abhorred overall) than this though.

Updated On: 3/20/12 at 09:54 AM

[Katurian2]

Posted: 3/20/12 at 9:54am

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Updated On: 3/20/12 at 09:54 AM

[Katurian2]

Posted: 3/20/12 at 9:54am

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Updated On: 3/20/12 at 09:54 AM