"Newsies" at Artistry

Artistry's production of Newsies has done so well in its first two weekends, selling out several performances, that they extended it for a week. I saw it the second weekend, and it's easy to see why it's so popular. The musical adaptation of the 1992 cult hit Disney movie appeals to kids as well as their parents, with an inspiring and relevant story about young people standing up for their rights. Artistry has assembled a young, talented, and energetic cast, with some fabulous high-kicking choreography. Catch it at the Bloomington Center for the Arts, now through August 18.

"Newsies" at Chanhassen Dinner Theatres

The Children’s Crusade: kids walk out of their jobs or schools to take to the streets and stand up for what they believe in, for a fairer and safer world. Does this describe recent current events, a historical event, or the plot of a Disney musical? Trick question - the answer is all of the above! At the same time that the children of Stoneman Douglas High School, the site of latest tragic school shooting, are leading children across the country in making their voices heard, Chanhassen Dinner Theatres is presenting the regional premiere of Newsies, a new musical adaptation of the 1992 Disney movie based on the historical newsboy strike of 1899. As is happening today in real life, the kids involved the historical strike and the characters in the musical demand that the people in power listen to them in their call for justice. But the latter group does it with music and fabulous dancing. Children truly are our hope for the future, and Newsies celebrates that idea while providing a fun, entertaining, and inspirational show.

"Newsies" on tour at the Orpheum Theatre

I'm just a little bit too old to be among the ranks of teenage girls that fell in love with the 1992 Disney movie musical Newsies. Loosely based on the historical newsboys strike of 1899, the movie starred a young Christian Bale and was a flop at the box office, but found success among said teenage girls through the burgeoning home video market. So it seems inevitable that Disney would capitalize on this popularity by bringing the movie musical to the stage, as they did with the 2012 Broadway hit that ran for four years and launched a tour that is finally landing in Minneapolis this week. While it's very much a Disney production and I'm still a little too old to completely fall in love with it, I thoroughly enjoyed Newsies because of the fantastic dancing by a huge cast of charismatic young men (this is not a show that employs a lot of women), impressive set, rousing songs, and charming performances by all. But it's only here for a week, so embrace your inner teenage girl and head on down to the Orpheum Theatre.*