Casting Announced for Broadway's Newsies! Options

[elefant1]

looks interesting

[EllaMental]

The cast's first day at the Nederlander theater. I think it's neat that all 4 SYTYCD guys are in the same dressing room. They're asking YT commenters to vote for a name for dressing room 10.

[lindy88]

The Newsies cast will perform on Good Morning America next Thursday, March 22.

[EllaMental]

Whoo-hoo! Newsies' previews began March 15 & they will continue to tweak it before the opening, but due to the fantastic fan response to the first 7 performances, Disney has already extended it through Aug. Here's Thayne, helping to announce it. I won't be surprised if it is extended beyond that, after the true opening and formal reviews can come out. I'm still hoping for a tour eventually, which is the only way I'll get to see it.


Since reviewers are waiting until the open, I've been lurking on Broadway World's forums. and theater-goers there were ecstatic, mainly about the choreo and dancing. And apparently, standing O's in the middle of an act are a rarity. I'm not a B'way expert, so I concede to these people.

Here are a couple of quotes, who mention "our" guys.

From "adamgreer":The choreography remains the most exciting choreography I've seen on a stage in a very long time. They've made some slight alterations and it looks really tight now. These dancers are so talented, and the additions of the So You Think You Can Dance folks just makes it an even stronger ensemble. I can't be sure, but I *think* the spoon dance (very clever) section of King of New York was new. I don't remember it from Papermill. Regardless, it was wonderful. The dance breaks are exciting because of the boundless energy the cast has. They're thrilling to watch.

(and awwww:)

The entire cast seemed positively overwhelmed by the audience response tonight. 12 of them were making their Broadway debuts this evening, and at several points (during extended applause breaks), you could see the smiles on their faces. I noticed some tears from some of the boys during the standing ovation after Seize the Day.

From "notabb": NEWSIES most valuable player award surely goes to Christopher Gattelli. His dances provide the high points of the show ( using the best of the Menken/Feldman songs ) . I'm sure he would tip his hat to NEWSIES incredible crew of dancers who looked overjoyed and overwhelmed by the audience love flowing to them. So You Think you Can Dance fans will be happy to see 3 of it's best on stage , Alex Wong , Jess LeProtto and the charismatic Evan Kasprzak. And wait til you see Jesse and Evan kick off the spoons dance section. Sometimes you see a show that you can almost feel the joy radiating from a happy audience

(He/she added Thayne's name to the list later, saying it was an oversight. I don't remember the "spoons" dance from the film, so I suppose it's new? Ugh, I so want to see this.)

From "MichaelBennett":
Well that was definitely one of the most electric first previews I've ever been to- I gotta confess that I think a lot of the material is pretty mediocre but you just can't argue with a good ol musical theatre show stopper- and Newsies has them in spades-- the choreography is awfully sensational-
(and)

I'm still floating on cloud 9 from last night's performance! Adamgreer, I think you articulated perfectly what made last night so special. Seeing this amazing group of young dancers making their Broadway debuts to such an overwhelming response was an absolute joy. Even some of the more experienced 'kids' like Andrew Keenan Bolger seemed blown away by the response. It was an evening I'll never forget.


Finally, here are some of the very excited cast from the first night. They're kinda on Cloud Nine.

[jammer587]

You guys, I saw the show on Monday night, and it was incredible. My first Broadway show, and definitely something I'll remember for a long time. I also had the opportunity to see the cast live at Good Morning America. It was so much fun! If you have a chance to see this, do not miss it!

[EllaMental]

You guys, I saw the show on Monday night, and it was incredible. My first Broadway show, and definitely something I'll remember for a long time. I also had the opportunity to see the cast live at Good Morning America. It was so much fun! If you have a chance to see this, do not miss it!

Take any photos? How did the sytycd alums do?

Twitter after some of the shows makes it sound like it's a crazed audience, with wild responses. Were you able to enjoy that aspect of it or was it too much? I imagine things will settle down pretty soon.

Also, I don't remember the spoons dance from the movie, but it's been a long time since I've seen it. Were there actual spoons involved? It was described as "clever", so I'm curious about it.

[jammer587]

Take any photos? How did the sytycd alums do?

Twitter after some of the shows makes it sound like it's a crazed audience, with wild responses. Were you able to enjoy that aspect of it or was it too much? I imagine things will settle down pretty soon.

Also, I don't remember the spoons dance from the movie, but it's been a long time since I've seen it. Were there actual spoons involved? It was described as "clever", so I'm curious about it.

My mom took some shots at the stage door. I'll post them later if people are interested. All our boys were amazing. Like seriously. I loved that they were all featured and had lines as well as singing parts and solo dance stuff.

The audience was going NUTS during the show. It was an incredible experience. After dance numbers would end, the crowd would literally cheer for like, a minute and a half. The applause would start to die down, and then someone would scream and get it going again. It was so fun to look at the guys faces during this, their smiles kept getting bigger and bigger! They are adorable. It wasn't too crazy at the stage door, and I was able to get autographs and tell them how amazing they are, which was all I really wanted. I think it's great that fans are so enthusiastic about the show and the cast. They've worked so hard, and deserve every bit of it.

The spoons dance isn't actually in the movie, but during "King of New York", they brought out spoons and did a little dance while playing them. I believe Evan and Jess started it all, then everyone joined in. It was a really clever idea, since the scene takes place in a restaurant.

[Jess]

I LOVE THAYNE.

BRB going to NYC.

[jammer587]

I LOVE THAYNE.

BRB going to NYC.

Jess, he was so sincere with all the fans. He really took the time to connect with everyone.

Can I come with you? I already need to see it again.

[nycncbrguy]

How adorable is Ryan Steele???

[jammer587]

How adorable is Ryan Steele???

Adorable. And ridiculously talented, too. I'm in love with just about every guy in this show, tbh.

[soulkissage]

RS is super adorable. I love the whole cast too

How was the set? It seemed to dominate the Papermill. I'm hoping it works better at the new theater.

[EllaMental]

Opening night curtain call. Jess is seen first, mid-spin, Evan does a handspring across the stage, then Thayne and Alex come out with Ephraim Sykes. They all reappear in the big group.

On the dancers' second bows (1:15), Jess comes out first with a heel click, Thayne is second, Alex is third and Evan is seventh.

There are lots of glowing reviews coming out, so I am even more hopeful for an open-ended run. Oddly enough, one of the complaints about the dancing (when there are any) is that they are too good. Some people wanted more rough edges, non-technical style. I saw that the choreographer had worked with the guys to make sure their dancing wasn't "perfect", to let go a little and just have fun. From most twitter comments, I think they got it just about right. Most reviews note that the dance sequences are the main draw of the show. I know it would be for me.

[nycncbrguy]

I LOVE THAYNE.

BRB going to NYC.

For Jess! From last night's Broadway Opening!

This post has been edited by nycncbrguy: Mar 30th 2012, 10:42 AM

[nycncbrguy]

Congratulations to Jeremy Jordan and the entire Cast of Newsies on their Broadway Opening!

[nycncbrguy]

YAY! Alex Wong is this week's Next Magazine Cover Model and is featured in a Newsies inspired fashion layout with Thayne and other members of the cast.

This post has been edited by nycncbrguy: Apr 2nd 2012, 12:23 AM

[Jess]

Jess, he was so sincere with all the fans. He really took the time to connect with everyone.

Can I come with you? I already need to see it again.

I'm sure he was.

Of course.

For Jess! From last night's Broadway Opening!

[EllaMental]

Disney is allowing streaming of the full album of the Original Broadway Cast recording. It sounds spectacular! And from the video clips I've seen, it's hard to believe that these guys are dancing full out while at the same time belting out many of these numbers and sounding great while they do it. Triple threats, every single one of them.

You can play the full CD or select by song. Of the new songs by the ensemble, I think I like Once and for All best, after it kicks into high tempo. I don't know how long it will be up:

http://www.wnyc.org/shows/soundcheck/blogs...ies-cast-album/

This post has been edited by EllaMental: Apr 2nd 2012, 6:32 PM

[EllaMental]

The choreographer talks about the dancers and there are brief interviews with Evan, Jess, Thayne, and Alex. Apparently, the "spoon" thing is part of a tap battle between Evan and Jess which kicks off the King of New York number in Act 2. I had wondered what that was about.




BTW, Jess, Thayne was voted one of the top ten hottest male dancers on Broadway. I'll have to find the link to the article. I read it about a month ago.

This post has been edited by EllaMental: Apr 7th 2012, 12:51 PM

[Jess]

BTW, Jess, Thayne was voted one of the top ten hottest male dancers on Broadway. I'll have to find the link to the article. I read it about a month ago.

I think I remember seeing that.