Okay. Newsies. This is the first show that I spent full-price on. At the time, I had heard nothing but good things about it, I was in love with Jeremy Jordan from Bonnie and Clyde, and it was still a limited engagement with a lottery rush. I HAD to see it because, as someone who was not part of this cult who loved the 1992 movie starring Christian Bale (yes, Batman), I had some pretty high expectations for it. I don't want to say those expectations weren't met...but...they weren't. And now is about when I get assassinated via the internet by crazy Newsies fans. I'M SORRY, but I don't get the appeal! In fact, I will go so far to say if Andrew Keenan-Bolger (Crutchie) and Jeremy Jordan (Jack Kelly) were not in it, I'd be kind of pissed that I spent over $100 on this for my birthday. Now, I'm not saying it's not a great show, because clearly people are LOVING it, but it just was not my cup of tea. Let's talk about the choreography for a second, though. THAT was amazing. The men in this musical are absolutely OUTSTANDING. I loved them. I may not have cared about what the action was, but when they were dancing, nothing else in the world mattered. I could not stop staring at them with my mouth agape, genuinely impressed. It has been so long since I have seen that level of talent in a musical and it was refreshing to see something so choreographed. I was just so impressed. I have never seen something more deserving of a Tony in my life and I'm glad they were awarded with the Best Choreography Tony. Kudos. The music was okay. I didn't buy the entire cast recording, but I bought a few songs including "Santa Fe," "The World Will Know," "Seize the Day," and "Brooklyn's Here." Those are the four that really stood out to me, and "Santa Fe" was extra perfect because it was Jeremy Jordan's big belt number. Jeremy Jordan is a phenomenal performer and he really lights up a stage. He's a star. I can't wait to see more from him. Andrew Keenan-Bolger as Crutchie is absolutely perfect. I wish he was (spoiler alert) in the second act. That may have made me like it less, because I was so Crutchie-less for so long. He's charming and so fun and he's just so amazing. I'm surprised he wasn't nominated for a Tony. I did not like Kara Lindsay at all as the Bill Murray character from the film combined with the Sarah character. Her voice made me want to jump off of the mezzanine. Sorry. She also seemed like a hastily created character (which she probably was) and I just didn't...feel anything for her. I didn't need Jack Kelly to end up with her. I don't think it would've hurt to include David and Les's family life - this show definitely could've used more female characters. I didn't see the film, but I like this part of the synopsis when Jack meets their family and everything. It could've been sweet if it was done well. I like to think it couldn't be done well, so they cut it, though - something more shows (especially musical adaptations of films) should try. The set was neat, if you go see it, don't sit too far back in the orchestra - I was advised not to since the set is so high, the mezzanine cuts off some of the action that happens on the third story of the set. The set was kind of neat, but nothing to write home about. I enjoyed the projections - something that seems to be increasingly common in Broadway productions (Bonnie and Clyde, Rent, etc.) and they were used very well in this production. I can't quite pinpoint why I wasn't so blown away with this show. Maybe because it was so hyped up and everyone was like, "You will love it," and my friends have been obsessing about it since it was at Paper Mill. Once was enough for me. If you love the movie, I'd see it, but if you're on the fence, I definitely wouldn't rush to pay full price (though the lottery will probably be crazy for a while if Wicked is any indication). I'd give Newsies (for me) a B-. It did not live up to the hype for me. Newsies has been extended from a limited engagement to an open run, currently playing at the Nederlander. Jeremy Jordan has left to film Smash and Corey Cott is now Jack Kelly. To get tickets and learn more, visit www.newsiesthemusical.com!
Let's talk about the dark horse of the 2012 Tony season: Leap of Faith. This musical, based on the 1992 Steve Martin film, was DESTROYED by critics and it shocked everyone when it was only nominated for one Tony, which was Best Musical. I have never seen the film, so I didn't really know what to expect and frankly, the synopsis didn't particularly strike my fancy, but it was starring Raul Esparza singing music written by Alan Menken. When things like that come together, if you like theater, you go. So, the story is that Esparza plays Jonas Nightengale, a con man that stages revivals to steal money from townies and he blows into a small, down on their luck Kansas town in the middle of a drought. Jonas works with his sister, Sam (played by Kendra Kassebaum) and his friend/singer/book keeper, Ida Mae (played by Kecia Lewis-Evans) and the rest of his Angels to spy and swindle towns, blowing out of town before they know what happened. Which is the plan when the story starts until Jonas meets a woman (the sheriff, Marla, played by Jessica Phillips) and her son, Jake (played by Talon Ackerman), who is in a wheelchair after the car accident that killed her husband and his father. I went into this knowing that reviews were absolutely terrible, but being in love with Raul Esparza and Alan Menken, I did not care. AND I'M GLAD I DID NOT CARE. I absolutely fell IN LOVE with this show. I am devastated that it closed and did not do better. It was like Bonnie & Clyde syndrome all over again and it devastated me. I went twice within a week because I needed more before I couldn't see it anymore. The music was so fun and outstanding. I really enjoyed just about every song and thankfully, there will be a cast recording so this can live on and hopefully others will discover it and the show will get a second life. The lyrics were smooth and fun, every now and then a little verbose, but it was catchy and I caught myself singing "Rise Up" for the next like four days. The ensemble was amazing. They all were clearly so in love with this show and they had so much fun, which really made it energetic and great. There was some audience participation, handing out fake money to put into a collection basket during the first act, taking video beforehand to put on screens and juggling between a live-"revival" and a flashback to retell the story - there were direct addresses, but it worked. This cast was having the time of their lives and it was refreshing to see people who loved something so much and pour their hearts and souls into a show. Plus Bryce Ryness and Louis Hobson were in it, which made me so happy because I love them. Let's single some people out, shall we? Krystal Joy Brown played Ornella, Ida Mae's daughter and one of the Angels. I saw her in a touring production of Rent years ago and I absolutely loved her then she has just gotten better with time. Her voice is absolutely OUTSTANDING and I love her. When she sang "On the Bus" with Kendra Kassebaum and Kecia Lewis-Evans, everyone in the audience, both nights, lost their minds. We were screaming and squealing and clapping. This is a trio of powerhouse women and it's not fair that I cannot see them perform together whenever I feel like it because they were outstanding. Krystal Joy Brown is a true triple threat - she can sing her butt off, dance her butt off, and she can act. I need to see more of her. Kendra Kassebaum is better known for playing Glinda in Wicked, but she was great as Sam. Sam's character was a little static, but she really was sweet and her heart was in the right place. I really enjoyed what Kassebaum did with the character that could've been further developed. Kecia Lewis-Evans as Ida Mae was outstanding. She's just got a phenomenal voice and every time she opened her mouth I just wanted to cry. I'm most excited for the cast recording to be able to listen to her whenever I feel like it. Leslie Odom Jr. from the TV show Smash, played Ida Mae's son, Isaiah, who usually only sees things in black and white and dreams of being a real reverend. I love this man. He's perfect. He's sweet (we waited at the stage door hahaha), but he played this character that I wasn't sure I liked. He can dance, which is what he does most often in Smash, but his voice is absolutely amazing. If Ida Mae's family were real, they'd make me sick because that much talent should not be allowed in one family. He's despicable, but the audience cannot be that mad at him because he's just trying to save the townspeople and his family. Jessica Phillips was a really great love interest/antagonist/star. She reminded me of Idina Menzel, a lot, and she's really great. She has a great voice and she looked beautiful (tall and statuesque) and she had fantastic chemistry with Raul Esparza. The only thing I didn't like was how quick she was to jump in bed with him, I wasn't sure I quite bought that. Lastly, Mr. Esparza himself. He definitely carries this show and his song at the end, "Jonas' Soliloquy" was AMAZING. THAT alone was worth the money. It definitely seemed like a vehicle to let Raul Esparza shine, but I'm not even mad and shine he did. He was truly outstanding and he matched all of the chemistry that everyone threw his way and I cannot believe this cast could do this with this energy eight nights a week and critics were not impressed. The set was absolutely beautiful. It was very simple, but the lighting made everything soft and nice and aesthetically pleasing. They used a lot of the theater, including the audience, the balconies as exits, etc. and that's something I always really enjoy. There were some lulls in the story where things could've been explained a little better or differently (like I said, Jonas' relationship with Marla), but then there were things that I really loved to watch (like Jonas' relationship with Jake). Plus, at the end, it rains. It's a huge water number, which I'm always impressed with on stage because they are so intricate and complicated to do. Way to be, Leap of Faith. This was a FUN show and I'm so mad that no critics seemed to truly appreciate that. It was such a heavy season, I feel, that it was refreshing and nice to see a musical that was just as fun for the audience as it seemed to be for the cast. It didn't even get a chance to truly shine. When they performed at the Tony Awards, my mom was like "Why is Mamma Mia still open and this isn't?" Good question, mom. I need the cast recording IMMEDIATELY. It is coming. Buy it. It was really fun music and a really great show with a lot of heart. Alan Menken tweeted that it would be released mid-September, so I'm waiting, stalking iTunes and Amazon constantly for a release date. I give Leap of Faith a B. It had some flaws, but it was not as terrible as people made it out to be. It had a bunch of complicated and lovable characters. Unfortunately, this show closed May 13th 2012, after only 24 previews and 20 performances. Robbed.
