Review: Disney's Newsies (in cinemas 19 February)
Disney based the Broadway hit Newsies on their 1992 film starring Christian Bale. It was a complete flop, barely making back one-fifth of its $15 million budget. Disney stuck with the story though, and brought it to the stage 20 years later. A good job too, because if this film (recorded on tour in America last year) is anything to go by, the musical version was an absolute blast.
Based on real events in New York in 1899, the film begins with penniless Jack Kelly and Crutchie who spend their nights sleeping under the stars atop a building's fire escape, or their "penthouse suite". These are the newsies: each day they pay a newspaper publisher 50 cents so that they can sell the papers on the streets, earn a dollar or two and can eat for another day. But as circulation drops, the paper's owner Joseph Pulitzer (based on the Joseph Pulitzer) raises the price by a dime. A rebellion ensues as the newsies form a union and strike.
Jeremy Jordan is peppy and charming as Jack (the lad) Kelly. He commands the stage, as his voice effortlessly flicks from belligerent to endearing. Alan Menken's well-crafted score includes the catchy war-cry "Seize the Day" and rallying showstopper "The World Will Know". Harvey Fierstein takes what seems a rather simple storyline, and makes it fun while moving it on at a fine pace.
Christopher Gattelli's choreography is the real highlight of the film. Balletic and full of energy, it's like Billy Elliot on crack, with a fair few back flips thrown in for good measure. It's fair to assume these paper boys are a tad more muscular than they were in the 1800s.
The cinematography offers a great new perspective to the show. A troupe of newsies dancing on papers, a stand-out moment, is shot from directly above the stage, giving you a view you would miss out on from any seat in the theatre. Long, sweeping close-ups put you right on the stage, and are coupled with super-wide shots which show you how a lone performer like Jordan can completely own the stage. A jib camera twirls around the Los Angeles set, getting right in the face of the cast.
There are a few odd moments involving the audience which seem out of place. A shot of two patrons leaving the auditorium midway through the first act is plain weird, and a couple of teenage girls freaking out seems a little too much.
But with everything that's going on in the world, the grassroots uprising feel of Newsies is timely. It's a protest march with a feel-good vibe, and a musical that translates so well on to the screen. But above anything else, it's an awful lot of fun.
Newsies is in cinemas nationwide on 19 February.
