July/August 2015 © Disney You Never Forget The First Time Their Dreams Come True Come to a place where imaginations soar, roller coasters rock and dreams really do come true – the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. Here, you’ll create memories that will last a lifetime – magical memories you’ll hold in your heart, happily ever after. Don’t wait any longer. There’s a magical Disney moment waiting for you right now! For more information or to plan your magical vacation, please contact us at: 10 McEwan Drive West, Bolton, ON 1 (855) FDMAGIC (336-2442) www.fairytaledestinations.com Ontario Registration: #50010111 ©Disney DIS-WDW-Fairytale-NewsiesAd.inddEMT15JA_Fairytale_ad.indd 1 1 2015-06-195/22/15 12:084:34 PM PM DISNEY JP 6843 KM MAY 22, 2015 WDW FAIRYTALE-INVIDIATA AD DIS-WDW-Fairytale-NewsiesAd 5.375” X 8.375” 4.625” X 7.625” .125” 4c ED MIRVISH THEATRE July/August 2015 PUBLISHER Catharine Dunlop Contents EDITOR Laurie Payne NEWSIES: ASSOCIATE EDITOR READ ALL ABOUT IT 4 J. 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Direct all advertising enquiries to Catharine Dunlop, Ext. 508, Visit us online at mirvish.com for everything you [email protected], or visit mirvish. need to know about the Royal Alexandra, Princess com and click on Advertise With Us. of Wales, Panasonic and Ed Mirvish theatres. mirvish.com 3 EMT15JA_Contents.indd 3 2015-06-19 12:30 PM NEWSIES: Read All About It DAN DELUCA (JACK KELLY) (CENTRE) AND THE ORIGINAL NORTH AMERICAN TOUR COMPANY OF NEWSIES. ©DISNEY. 4 mirvish.com EMT15JA_NewsiesEdit.indd 4 2015-06-19 12:52 PM BY MICHAEL LASSELL IF SOMEONE GAVE YOU THE CHANCE to produce a Broadway version of any film in the Disney canon, chances are slim that you’d settle on Newsies, the 1992 live-action musical that is one of the rare financial failures in Disney’s history. And, in fact, it’s a decision that no one ever made. The Tony-winning Broadway rendition of Newsies, which brought audiences to their feet more than once in any given performance, almost wished itself into existence despite odds about equal to those faced by the ragtag band of New York City paperboys who challenged publishing titans Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst at the dawn of the 20th century. “In July of 1899, when Pulitzer and his cronies decided to up the price they charged the Newsies for their ‘papes,’ a boy named Kid Blink threw down his stack of The World and called for a strike,” says Thomas Schumacher, president of Disney Theatrical Productions and the man behind all of Disney’s Broadway hits. “This was a time of widespread child labour, and the rights of those boys and girls were seriously abused. Kid Blink, who is the basis of Newsies’ Jack Kelly, didn’t want much. He just wanted a square deal and a fair shake.” And miraculously, after just two weeks, the paperboys won. Pulitzer capitulated. A compromise was reached, and a step was taken on the road to protecting children in the workforce. That story was all but forgotten until almost 100 years later when a writer named David Nasaw PHOTO: DEEN VAN MEER PHOTO: DEEN VAN published Children of the City: At Work and at Play in 1985. mirvish.com 5 EMT15JA_NewsiesEdit.indd 5 2015-06-19 12:52 PM The husband and wife duo of Bob Tzudiker a small measure of praise for the energetic and Noni White, who would go on to write choreography by the film’s director Kenny The Hunchback Of Notre Dame and Tarzan, Ortega and for its anthemic songs by among other films, concocted their original composer Menken and lyricist Jack Feldman. screenplay, inspired by the real-life strike, Released at a low point of moviegoer interest as a David-and-Goliath tale of plucky street in musicals, the all-singing, all-dancing story kids taking on the giants of newsprint. of a strike by the most vulnerable members Meanwhile, Disney was reinventing of the late 19th-century workforce faded into animation under the leadership of Michael history. Or did it? Eisner and Jeffrey Katzenberg. And that Newsies, it turns out, has a massive fan renaissance involved fusing animation base among 20- and 30-somethings who with the showbiz pizzazz (and structure) of know the movie and who grew up with Broadway musicals — thanks in large part to Disney’s animated musicals. “We suddenly the creative genius of Howard Ashman and had a whole new generation who seemed Alan Menken, who set the bar high in 1989 not to find it remotely unusual that someone with The Little Mermaid. They soon followed should just break into song,” Schumacher it with Beauty And The Beast, and the studio explains. “So without really intending it, was already in production with Aladdin. Disney’s animated films were creating Katzenberg decided to recast the Newsies theatregoers of the future.” script as a musical, much to the shock and They were also creating the talent pool awe of its writers. for their own future. One impressionable The film, starring a teenaged Christian high school student who was captivated by Bale, was made at a cost of $15 million and Newsies was none other than Christopher earned less than $3 million in its initial Gattelli, who created the athletic and release. Critics savaged the film, reserving inventive choreography for the stage ORIGINAL COMPANY, NORTH AMERICAN TOUR OF NEWSIES. ©DISNEY. PHOTO: DEEN VAN MEER PHOTO: DEEN VAN 6 mirvish.com mirvish.com PB EMT15JA_NewsiesEdit.indd 6 2015-06-19 12:52 PM EMT15JA_StClementsSchool_ad.indd 1 2015-06-19 12:10 PM STEPHANIE STYLES (KATHERINE) AND DAN DELUCA (JACK KELLY). ORIGINAL NORTH AMERICAN TOUR COMPANY OF NEWSIES. ©DISNEY. PHOTO: DEEN VAN MEER. VAN DEEN PHOTO: translation of the film. “I remember sitting whack at it,’ I said.” Fierstein watched the in the movie theatre and being blown away movie again and liked what he saw. “I could seeing that many guys my age dancing like already imagine all that energy exploding that,” he remembers. “I was so inspired. It live from a Broadway stage,” he recalls. was life-changing.” “Now, if I could just change the love story, Schumacher had no intention of deepen Jack Kelly’s motivations, reinvent a mounting a Broadway production. What few of the characters, and ditch some of the he did decide, back in 2006, was to develop unnecessary baggage….” a script for licensing, much as he did with “So Harvey takes a look,” remembers the Disney Channel’s High School Musical. Schumacher. “He not only came up with a But solving the problems of the 1992 movie new love story, he fixed a lot of problems and was proving a challenge the creative team structured it like a musical, which was very couldn’t conquer. It looked like a stage important.” Disney staged two workshops manifestation of Newsies was dead in the of the new Newsies and made the decision development water, until multi-talented, to co-produce a short run at the venerated larger-than-life Harvey Fierstein came along. Paper Mill Playhouse in Milburn, New Jersey Fierstein, a Broadway veteran who has (about 25 miles from Times Square). written and acted in both musicals and “There was never any plan to bring it plays, was visiting his friend Menken one to Broadway,” Schumacher says, “but we day. The two were trying to come up with had a great new book and an expanded a project to do together. Fierstein noticed score and Jeff Calhoun as a director and the poster for the Newsies movie on the wall Christopher Gattelli as our choreographer, of Menken’s studio. “What are you doing and we got a pretty good notice in The New with that?” he asked Menken. Fierstein York Times.” Suddenly a Broadway production knew the film from his days babysitting for was a real possibility — and it would his nephews. give the “Broadway musical” imprimatur As Fierstein recounts it, “Alan said, ‘Forget to the licensing product when the show it. We slaved over the adaptation. It’s never became available. going to work.’ I was hooked. There’s nothing The prospect clearly pleased Schumacher, I like more than a challenge. ‘Let me take a who has a great fondness for the show. 8 mirvish.com mirvish.com PB EMT15JA_NewsiesEdit.indd 8 2015-06-19 12:52 PM GLASS SLIPPERS ARE SO BACK. THE TONY AWARD®-WINNING MUSICAL FROM THE CREATORS OF SOUTH PACIFIC & THE SOUND OF MUSIC ED MIRVISH THEATRE DEC 1, 2015–JAN 10, 2016 416-872-1212 MIRVISH.COM DAN DELUCA Broadway night after night. The stunningly (JACK KELLY) (CENTRE) AND THE athletic choreography by Christopher ORIGINAL NORTH Gattelli combines classical ballet, the entire AMERICAN TOUR COMPANY OF Broadway dance vocabulary, and what can NEWSIES. only be called gymnastics. Newsies was ©DISNEY. nominated for eight Tony Awards, including best musical. Gattelli took one home for his choreography. The Tony for best score went to Alan Menken and Jack Feldman, granting Menken his first win after four nominations.