BWW Blog: Allison Rambler - Ode to NEWSIES

I am a simple Broadway fanatic.

I like to think that I do not ask for much when it comes to what I love in a musical. I find pleasure in piano melodies, two-part harmonies, and characters of all shapes and sizes. While I will never shy away from a spectacle, I try to keep my expectations from soaring too high in the rare event that they are let down. Enter Newsies.

The story follows a young man named Jack Kelly, an aspiring artist who lives with a group of newsboys in Manhattan in the year 1899. He is smart, brash, and unwaveringly loyal, willing to do anything and everything for his boys. When publishing giant Joseph Pulitzer raises the price of the newspapers that the boys buy and sell, Jack decides to take matters into his own hands by organizing a city-wide youth strike. He joins forces with budding female journalist Katherine Plumber, who is itching to break out of the entertainment rut and make a name for herself. The story is inspired by true events, making the adventure even more awe-inspiring.

Newsies does not pride itself on flashing lights, brilliant costume changes, or big-name celebrities fighting for the title role. It consists of a myriad of catchy tunes, sweeping ballads, and characters so real that it's hard to believe they were created by an author. Newsies is enjoyed by those with a taste for a classic Broadway tale of the underdog, for a feel-good story meant to inspire anyone. It may not boast a record-setting run or impressive collection of Tonys, but Newsies has never failed to keep me coming back for more.

I fell head-over-heels for Alan Menken's masterpiece when I was fifteen years old, stuck in the middle of sophomore year and surviving my studies only through the saving grace of Pandora. I had worn through every track in the Wicked cast album station I had created, but was always hesitant to listen to the recommended tracks Pandora attempted to offer me. I was content with the sweet sound of an Idina-and-Kristin duet, and the short snippets of "Carrying the Banner" that I had caught wind of never seemed to appeal to me.

As strange as it may sound, I wasn't a fan of the New Yorker accent the actors were sporting. I found it irritating and not at all what I was used to. But then, "Watch What Happens" popped up next on my radio queue, and I soon found myself sucked into the world of the newsies.

Before I could comprehend what I was listening to, the fast-paced struggle of a young female journalist had captured my attention completely, and I wanted to smack myself for having been so stupid. Why had I turned away from such amazing music? Why had I refused to listen to a cast recording based merely upon the dialect used? It was a rookie mistake, and I was determined to redeem myself.

I soon had listened to the Newsies cast album in its entirety, and had watched as many clips from the show as the internet would provide. I launched myself into knowing everything about the show that I possibly could, and accepted the inevitable: Newsies was about to become a very large and important part of my life.

There was something free and exciting about Newsies, and it was unlike any other show I had listened to. Each song felt exhilarating, as though I was a part of the strike myself despite living in a radically different day and age. I was enraptured by the story and the characters in a way that Les Miserables had only managed to accomplish thus far in my life. I listened to the cast album day in and day out, unable to stay away from the show that had become my secret.

No one else I knew was familiar with Newsies, and a part of me relished the exclusive connection that I had to the show; it was like it was made for myself alone. In reality, I knew that a large fanbase existed just outside my door. But in York, Pennsylvania, Newsies was my own private Broadway experience.

Of course, York is the farthest thing from Broadway, and that fact was a thorn in my side as my desire to see the show live grew more intense.

At that point in my life, I hadn't set foot anywhere near Broadway. My only experience with Live Theatre performances extended as far as the local high schools. While I was fortunate enough to live in an area with schools that produce very high-quality musical performances, it wasn't the same as imagining the Great White Way in all its glory.

I had always wanted to go, and to add fuel to my fire, Newsies was still playing at the Nederlander Theatre. I had become such a fan of the show that the mere thought of seeing it live with the actors I had come to admire made me more determined than ever to get there as soon as possible.

Finally, in May of 2014, my incessant praise of the show and bargaining with my parents had actually produced the result I was hoping for. I was sitting the right orchestra of the Nederlander. The smile on my face wide enough to rival a cruise ship as I held a Newsies playbill in my hands. To say that I was blown away by the show would be a massive understatement. The talent and storytelling that I saw that day left me with an overwhelming awe that I still feel remnants of to this day.

Newsies was my very first Broadway show, and the first time I was able to stagedoor with performers that I looked up to (including Corey Cott, Andy Richardson, and Liana Hunt), adding another dimension of favoritism to the production that I was already incredibly biased toward.

Much of the next year was spent in a haze of newsboys, and I had soon even convinced my younger sisters of the show's brilliance. They got their chance to experience the show for themselves in Baltimore, when the North American National Tour of Newsies came to the Hippodrome Theater in December of 2015. Not only did I get to strengthen the bond with my sisters over our now mutual love of the show, but I got to meet the new incarnations of the characters I loved and the equally talented actors that brought them to life. The touring production delivered just as much excitement, energy, and emotion that I had come to expect from Newsies, and I was content in the knowledge that while the show as no longer on Broadway, it was more accessible than ever with a cast that deserved their own place in New York City.

And now, the touring production of Newsies has stopped carrying the banner after over a year of travel across North America. A year of strikes, a year of celebratory tap-dance, a year of dreaming about Santa Fe--everything I have come to associate with Newsies. The show holds a special, permanent place in my heart, and always will. The lessons it teaches, that of never giving up, of standing together when times get tough, of embracing who you are, having carried me through high school and will continue to inspire me through college. The show also displays an impressive variety of musical styles that never leave the audience bored.

"Watch What Happens" has morphed into a kind of anthem for me as an author and as a woman, a song that captures the different of trying to find the write words to say in a world that is not always willing to take you seriously. Other songs, including "Carrying the Banner," "World Will Know," "Seize the Day," and "King of New York" offer upbeat, motivating, and simply fun show tunes that Broadway is known for. Slower ballads such as "Santa Fe" and "Something to Believe In" showcase the diversity of Menken's portfolio and add a bit of a tug on the heartstrings that I always appreciate in a show. The accomplishments of the characters and the messages they leave in their wake made an impression on me at fifteen years old, and as I sit here three years later, I am almost overwhelmed by the impact the newsboys of Manhattan have had on my life.

To my friends, I am the theatre girl. More accurately, I am the Newsies girl. The show has become a part of my identity, and I wish I had a dollar for every time someone said to me, "Oh, I saw an ad for Newsies the other day and thought of you," or every time I was tagged in a Newsies-related post on Facebook. Those who know me now associate the show with me, as I have refused to hide my affection. And I don't plan on stopping now, even though the show neither plays on Broadway nor on tour. In fact, there is nowhere to go but up.

I never would have imagined that I would have the chance to be a part of the show I love. I had resigned myself to the fact that my passion was only meant to be external, that I could only support the show from the outside looking in. But now The Fulton Theatre in Lancaster, Pennsylvania will be holding auditions for a regional production of Newsies in 2017. I plan on being the first one in line.