The 'Newsies' creative team really beat the odds. 1. They came in the wake of Disney misfires like 'Tarzan' and 'The Little Mermaid.' 2. This version had never been tried out elsewhere (or even onstage). 3. They had only about a dozen previews, during which they made some cuts in songs and jokes, and I've been told that there's still more tinkering they want to do.
All told, 'Newsies' is far better than it had any right to be.
As the observation: 'Given that almost every review pointed out the opening [with 'Santa Fe'] as one of the show's issues ...'
'Almost every review'? That's kinda hyperbolic.
* David Rooney, the New York Times
* Joe Dziemianowicz, the N.Y. Daily News
* Frank Scheck, the New York Post
* Matt Windman, TheaterMania
* Michael Sommers, Variety
* Erik Haagensen, BackStage
* Roma Torre, NY1 Onstage
None of those 7 reviewers mentioned the opening being an issue at all.
I counted 3 that did: Bob Rendell, Talkin' Broadway; Thom Geist, Entertainment Weekly, and Peter Filichia, Newark Star-Ledger. That's 3 out of 10; hardly 'almost every review.'
Updated On: 10/1/11 at 01:26 AM