Newsies vs Newsies: What Changed from Film to Broadway?

I have been thinking about the stage show of Newsies constantly ever since I saw it on Friday night (the 99th performance of the show!). Besides the gorgeous choreography, blocking, and singing the main thing that has me obsessed is how they adapted and changed Newsies for the stage. 

With the musical, they updated it and changed some weak links from the movie. It’s SO much better on stage, as much as I adore the original movie! (I guess read no further if you don’t want Broadway spoilers…)

• They took out Denton’s character and combined that news reporter ally with Jack Kelly’s love interest (Don’t worry she’s not some cougar old lady reporter after 17 year old newsboys. She’s a 16 year old named Katherine who is trying to make it as a real reporter based on Nellie Bly, a real 16 year old female reporter from that time period! Very cool) so there would be a strong female role, deleting the worthless Molly Sue (or Mary Sue whichever you prefer) of a sister Dave has in the film (ugh I always hated her). Thank GOD. Katherine is present throughout the entire show and is actively involved in (and in many ways is at the core of) the strike instead of being a side character. And the lyrics of “King of New York” don’t shy away from referring to her as a king, showing that gender doesn’t matter one way or another in this show or in who can make a difference. Ladies can be just as powerful as the guys, something the movie kind of failed at. 
• The lyrics to the songs were shifted to be more relevant to be used in today’s “battles” (one of the tag lines for the show is “The perfect musical for our time!”) and they also replaced what could have been considered less sensitive phrasing to more political correctness. The movie WAS made nearly 20 years ago so I guess that makes sense. 
• They changed Medda and I was SO thankful. Her song is different (much improved) because, let’s face it, her movie songs are awful. Also, she didn’t have an accent on stage which somehow made her relationship with the kids seem less creepy. I know that sounds weird (and don’t take this to mean I think accents are bad, I LOVE them…), but movie!Medda and her accent always came off to me like…. scary, cougar lady-Chesterthan the mothering, helpful ally I think they wanted her to be. (Also, I think 20 years ago the creep factor didn’t occur to us as much as it does now.) The stage Medda was written to be much more of a mentor and amamma, plus we weren’t left to speculate as to why she and Jack Kelly were friends, like we were in the movie (where we’d have to creepily wonder how they met and it could only lead to something … awk)…
• …because they added depth to Jack Kelly’s character by making him an artist. AN ARTIST. (saklhfclnjrgwlber) Jack paints back-drops for Metta’s stage shows. Instead of being just a rough and tumble newsboy, Jack also has a soft sensitive side where he can paint gorgeous landscapes just from his imagination. He also refuses to take money for the paintings he does for Medda, establishing that Jack also has integrity and loyalty (the audience can assume he refuses to take Metta’s money because she has done so much to save him in the past). It’s a REALLY smart move and, even though it’s simple, it flushes out Jack’s character and adds a lot more to him than it ever occurred to me there could be. (Also, how dreamy! Jack Kelly, with his charisma and bad-boy persona, is also secretly a tortured artist? WTF OMG OKAY DISNEY STOP.)
• They really play up the relationship between Jack and Crutchie, which makes everything that happens in the show much more emotional. It’s not ALL the newsies living together, it’s Jack and Crutchie….. and then they hang with the rest of the newsboys at work. So when Crutchie is taken, it packs a much harder punch. 
• Overall, the entire story is more emotional and powerful. Since Newsies on Broadway has become its own project, much more care was put into every single avenue of production, something that I don’t think really went into making the movie. It’s not dealt with as though it was just for kids, though it is a kid friendly show, and because of that it comes off as a much more powerful story. The silliness you may feel from the movie is absent in the stage show. Not that it isn’t funny, because it IS. 

The only bad thing about it being a stage show is I will never get to see it again, and that breaks my heart, because it was absolutely perfect. I loved it! 

Kara Lindsay (Katherine) and me!

Jeremy Jordan (Jack Kelly) and me!!!

If Disney wants to make my life, they should release this musical on DVD some day in the future for my kiddos to see!

Playoff Blues: What would happen if I owned a sports team.

re: emotions joke - Just clarifying that I had this conversation with my father, who isn't a female, and who made all these points before I even thought about them. He's basically the basketball guru, his perspective is always the perspective I never realized I had. Coaching for 20 years will do that to you.

Also, had this exact same conversation with one of my sportsfan dude friends, so... yeah.

Men have emotions. It was an ironic joke and I laughed, but I had to clarify that.

And I get why Mark would do this. Basically I really think we could have repeated this year with the team we DID have and I wanted THAT.

I don't want to, nor am I willing to, think of a future without Dirk.

So that has a lot to do with my perspective on this...

But also... I am not a business person, and Mark is. So I would probably drive the Mavs into bankruptcy trying to keep as many of our best players for as long as possible without thinking of the future.

Then one day they would all be 41 years old, retire, and I'd own a franchise with no players. 

Or all noobs who will play for free.

Titanic Reflection: Why Does it Work?

So, Titanic has just been rereleased into theaters after fifteen years. It was one of the most successful movies in history and began the careers of what we can now say are two of the most accomplished and talented actors of our time. Yet, despite all of that, plus the enormous fan base this film still has, there are tons of detractors who claim this movie is terrible. Are they right? Actually, they're onto something. Despite its success and the big name actors that are involved, there is a lot wrong with this movie. Which begs the question, then: why does it work? 

Why I Love It 


I watched Titanic for the first time as an 11-year-old, was deeply affected by the tragedy/story, became fascinated with the history, and fell in love with Leonoardo Dicaprio and Kate Winslet. I think a huge amount of the people my age (mostly the girls) probably had similar experiences with this movie, and so it played a huge part in our adolescence. Nostalgia is most likely the reason why 99.8% of people are paying $14 to wear stupid 3D glasses and sit for three hours to see a movie they probably own on DVD. I know when the movie began in my theater, I clapped my hand over my heart and I was in 6th grade again. Same heart pangs and everything.

The movie gets me every time, even when I start out completely convinced I'm not in the right mind-set to cry. It's no use. The following is a glimpse into my mind as I relive watching the movie: Basically from beginning to the middle of Titanic my heart is exploding with rainbows because I love Jack and Rose SO much, and there is all this sexual and romantic tension and … LEO’S BEAUTIFUL PERFECT FACE BEING ALL IN LOVE AND STUFF...

HIS FAAAACE

..but THEN they hit the iceberg and immediately I’m all, “I REGRET THIS DECISION. MISTAKE MISTAKE. ABORT MISSION.” And by the end…I'm weeping for the remainder of the week day. 


Obviously, I adore Titanic. However, while I adore this movie and have no resistance to it's inexplicable charms, there is no way you'll ever hear me describe it as "genius" or "masterful" or "spectacular" in terms of film making.


What's Wrong With It?

James Cameron loves to plaster his name all over this film and make sure to remind everyone that he invented the Titanic -er, that he made the movie Titanic. As the credits began to roll, the first thing that flashed across the screen is "Written and Directed by James Cameron." He's really proud of what he's accomplished, and I guess he's earned it because, as I said, it's ridiculously successful. But I am under the impression that Cameron thinks it's because of him and his writing, which I have to proclaim to be false. 


He writes in circular symbolism and irony that is about as subtle as a sledgehammer. It's not hard to get it upon first viewing, let alone multiple viewings. It’s not “genius” or deep in any way. It’s just… obvious. The characters are all flat, two-dimensional beings and only a fraction of them are dynamic.  It's nothing that another writer couldn't produce with his/her eyes closed. It's not earth-shattering by any means.


I love this movie in spite of how shallow the characters and dialogue are. The love story is done well, but I think it has a lot to do with the arrangement of events created and how they’re acted, not how the events and dialogue are written. 

The dialogue can sometimes be so self-indulgent and cheesy that, if it weren’t Kate and Leo saying the words, I’d roll my eyes. But then there are moments that are meant to pander to the audience, yet they still work for me and make me smile. Blast James Cameron, because some of his cheap tricks still work on me, even though I acknowledge that a trick is what it is. But, again, that doesn't mean it's good film making. It just means Cameron knows the tricks to manipulate.

I had this poster hanging in my room when I was 11. Srsly.

Why It Works

The reasons Titanic works, in my opinion, are these things:


Firstly, the history it’s based on is tragic, fascinating, and unique; naturally people are going to be drawn in by it. If I refuse to give James Cameron credit for most of the things he did with this film, one credit I cannot withhold is how much research he did to make it as real as possible. He immersed himself in the history, studied picture after picture of life on Titanic, even recreated some of the most iconic images in the movie. The sinking of the ship was well-thought out and wonderfully executed. When it comes to film making, Cameron excels in special effects and details. 


He also showed forensic details as well as emotional details of the disaster. What would it look like from a technical standpoint when "A" happens to the ship? What would it feel like from a victim's standpoint? etc... We see horrifying images of the lights blinking on and off, strange groaning as the ship is bent by the pressure of the water. We see haunting images of unused China shattering in piles, an old couple holding one another in bed, knowing they can't make it to a life boat. In that way, Cameron didn't miss a beat. Watching the the last 45 minutes of this movie is enthralling because Cameron has recreated something only the actual people on that ship had seen up until this movie was released, and however morbid that might be, it is also fascinating.


Another reason it works is because the characters are archetypal so it makes them easy to relate to. There are no characters in the movie that are multi-dimensional (unless you want to argue in favor of Rose which would be a skimpy argument, overall). They are mostly vague versions of people and therefore it's easy for many viewers (rather than a small specific group) to latch onto the good guys and abhor the bad guys. 

And lastly, it works because the love story is something many, many people root for. They want to believe a love like that of Jack and Rose can really exist. I was reading some movie responses for Titanic and many said they don't believe that a love like this can exist anymore, which was rather sad to me. One in particular spoke about how materialistic and selfish current day culture is and that it doesn't foster this kind of devotion, claiming that the time in which a love like this maybe could have occurred is gone forever. 


That perspective just drives my point home further that people really want to believe in this kind of love, and if they don't believe they can find it in real life, then where will they go? Maybe... to a movie, where they can cling to the hope they feel when they watch a girl give up her millions to be with a penniless artist who wants nothing more than to make sure she's going to be okay, because nothing is more important to either of them than the other person.