A book that inspired a movie, which then inspired a Broadway smash musical, known as Newsies which debut on Broadway in 2012. Newsies is a Disney musical which gave the fans “Something to Believe In”. Newsies explores the hardships newsboys faced during the Newsboys Strike of 1899 in New York City. When a theatre patron attends a show they expect to be transported through time as if they are watching everything as it happens in history. Newsies is what I call a great show, not only because its musical numbers but because it primarily showcases male dancers, which is hard to find a musical that can showcase so many guys. When attending a period show, a patron would hope to see costumes that match the time period of the show. My hope was met …show more content…
The cast of newsies did just that, I left my worries in 2017 as I traveled back to the 1930’s. From the accents to the character development, the acting and singing was phenomenal. Every newsie had an accent from New York, along with the rest of the cast. Not only did they have accents while they talked but also while they sang. The entire cast also did an amazing job of playing different characters. Because this cast was small mostly every character played two or more characters throughout the show. I was never able to spot the same actor playing the same character while in different roles. This helped save space both on stage and backstage because not as many actors were needed. In some spaces its hard to block and choreograph in because of the tightness of the stage. This was not the case in Newsies. While the stage was a thrust stage and was very compact, the director and choreographer utilized the height of the room and the areas around the audience. The actors would face all three sides of the stage and always included every single audience member. The dancing consisted of a lot of tap dancing and flips. The only dancers in the show were the newsies and Katherine. And while Katherine did not do flips she did tap dance with the newsies. The unseen heroes of the show are the ones who do not get an applause. This is good because everything must have gone right if no one notices they were there. This was the case for when I saw Newsies. There were no light cue mishaps, scene change disasters, or any accidents that occurred where the audience could notice. All scene changes were done by the cast members as part of there blocking and choreography. Also the stage manager, Tiffany Meadows, did s fantastic job at calling cues because there were no noticeable late cues during the
Theater is acting, and each actor that was involved in this production was fantastic. Page Ogle who played Dolly did a very good job being a sweet talking, yet manipulative woman in the 1890s. I would have critiqued her on just one thing, slow down!
As far as acting, the performers were able to convey the feelings they needed to. However, some characters such as Ol' Cap'n played by Dick Lambert and Luttibelle played by April Curry, seemed more committed and engaging in their roles than others. A crucial factor in April Curry portraying her role so well was her vocal talent far exceeded that of any of the other major performers. She had an amazing voice that I was dazzled by from curtain up to down and left me craving for more. This almost compensated for my disappointment when it came to the ensemble singing to the soundtrack. Many performers were dependent on the cd and were not confident as to when to begin or stop singing, which dampered many moments of the performers. Another element of acting that I enjoyed was the exaggerated use of cooning throughout the duration of the performance that brought characters to life, and enabled certain moments to seem real.
I could see how Harold Hill’s tactic changed from something along the lines of ‘to deceive’ to ‘to woo’ around the song “The sadder but wiser girl”. Marian Paroo’s tactic also changes from ‘to avoid’ to ‘to love’ around “My white Knight”. These actors also projected extremely well, as I could hear everything being said. They articulated well too, which I believe must be hard for them as every character had a southern accent. The actors easily incorporated their character’s goals into their acting and onstage
To begin with, I particularly enjoyed the actors playing Hannah and Eli because each actor appears
have a very big cast and at one point they even make a joke about
In a season that could involve 200 nights of performances over 100 plays may be produced (Hogan, ciii). With this in mind many actors and actresses would need to be available to play a great number of parts. For example, "in 1794-95 Quick's first appearance was on 24 September, his last on 25 May. This is a period of 177 nights, out of which he acted on 149, in 47 different parts" (Hogan, cii).
Lala, Sunny and Peachy are just a few of the characters that were cast in the play. Be assured, however, that all the others were also suitably cast for their roles in the production. Thus, making the character selection only one of the key elements in the production’s success.
Kislan, Richard. The Musical: A Look at the American Musical Theater. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, 1980. 84, 110, 116-121, 125-127, 128, 134, 163, 195, 201, 209. Print.
It’s 1962 and an overweight teenager, Tracy Turnblad and her best friend, Penny Pingleton are obsessed with the dance TV show Corny Collins. One of the regulars leaves the show leaving a space to be filled. Tracy’s dream has always been to be on the show. With the help of her new black friend Seaweed, she manages to get casted for the show, angering the star, Amber Von Tussle and her mother the station manager, Velma. Tracy is not the typical white teen that believes in segregation and wants to see the Corny Collins show integrated. She sets out to do just that all the while winning the love of heartthrob Link, while having a laugh or two and singing a couple tunes.
In order to pair up some of the parts, the minimum number of players needed to be known. This will determine how many cast members had to be available not just for doubling but for staging the scene with the most roles at one time. This would be scene four in Act one. There is a minimum of twenty-two roles that need to be filled. Minimum because there are three plural roles: Spanish nobles, Trumpeters, and Attendants (Kyd, 2), which means at least two of each, and sixteen roles with individual titles. Thirty-one roles were then left to be divided amongst the cast as double parts and, in some cases, triple parts.
The sound design and choreography intensified the overall musical. They created the time, place, and mood through rhythm and great energy. The actors had wireless, behind the ear mikes, that attached to the mike pack which amplified the sound, making it very clear. I could easily understand what they were talking about or singing.
I experienced Chicago, the Broadway musical, and because I had seen the movie many times before, I knew all the songs and dances by heart. I loved it, but it was actually the movie that influenced me to become a “Chicago fan.” The movie is based on the 1996 Chicago revival of the original musical version of 1975. It was thrilling knowing that the making of the musical into a mainstream production would increase its accessibility and widen its distribution into all the corners of the world; now there is no excuse for people not to experience Chicago, and though not everyone can go to Broadway to see it, just about anyone can indulge themselves in this dazzling movie in the comfort of their homes. In addition to a fantasy world of singing, dancing and Vaudeville, the film also provides a narrative that is explicitly presented through Roxie’s point of view, creating a counter-human side to Roxie’s fantasy world so that the audience can easily identify and engage.
Every face had excellent expressions, presenting their characters perfectly. Also, each actor added their own twist on the characters, anywhere from a slight accent to body language, adding more depth to the entire musical. Furthermore, every actor changed their voice in a way that depicted their character’s emotions and attitude at that particular moment. Also, the color of the lights changes according to each scene and the mood for that particular scene.
FASHION is a play that permeates throughout the centuries. Its themes about fashion and our treatment of it speak strongly to each subsequent generation in America. What is important to us? What matters most to us? How do we want others to see us? How do we want others to accept us? It would be just as easy to produce the play contemporarily today with just a few adjustments. The audience would certainly understand it, and many would see themselves within it.
My experience watching a live theatre performance on stage was a fascinating one, most especially since it was my first time. I attended a staged performance of “The History Boys” in a small theatre called “The Little Theatre of Alexandria” at 8:00 pm on Wednesday June 8, 2016 in Alexandria, Virginia. The overall production of the play was a resounding experience for me particularly the performance of the actors and the design of the scene made the play seem real.