Newsies

During the summer of 2013, my family took a trip to New York City to visit family and to see some Broadway shows. After a disastrous experience a few years back when my brother and I couldn't decide on the same musical to see (we ended up seeing my dad's pick, Phantom of the Opera, and were both emotionally traumatized by what is actually a very creepy musical), my parents told us we could each pick one to attend. My pick was Cinderella, as I'd always had a soft spot for the musical after seeing the Brandi/Whitney Houston TV version as a child. My brother desperately wanted to see Newsies. In retrospect, I'm not sure why I ever harbored any Newsies hesitation. Due to a jam-packed schedule, we ended up entering the Broadway lottery to win tickets to see Newsies and we waited patiently on the crowded street as they called name after name that didn't belong to us. Finally, in a moment fit for Broadway itself, my brother's name was the last one called! We won two tickets to see Newsies in the sixth row of the theater. I was spellbound from the first moment (and not just because I had a crush on the lead actor, but that helped) by the musical's inspiring anthems, the subplot about women in journalism and the mesmerizing dancing. And just like that, Newsies became one of my all-time favorite musicals. I've since listened to the soundtrack about a hundred times, seen the touring version of the show and watched the filmed version of the Broadway musical, with many of the original cast members, several times.

If you're unfamiliar with the Broadway show or the Christian Bale Disney movie, Newsies tells the story of Jack Kelly, who lives in New York City and dreams of escaping to Santa Fe. Jack works as a "newsie," delivering papers rain or shine, but when the cost of the newspapers go up, he works with his fellow delivery boys to start a newspaper strike to demand fair compensation for child workers. Based on the real news strikes of 1899, you'll also find some fun appearances by historical figures, including Teddy Roosevelt and the conniving Joseph Pulitzer. If you missed the stage version, don't you worry! They recorded the show in a special reunion with almost all of the original cast members and released it in theaters and now on Netflix. Jeremy Jordan plays lead Jack Kelly, and while he's a bit too old for the part at the time when they filmed the reunion, he's filled with youthful exuberance that is infectious, and he has the voice of an angel. Kara Lindsay is the precocious Katherine Plumber, a journalist trying to make a name for herself at a time when women are not encouraged to be reporters. They clash; they help each other; they fall in love. Once you've finished your viewing of the Broadway version, then it's time to listen to the soundtrack over and over again. If you're looking for an anthem to give you the confidence to tackle your day, turn on Seize the Day to get inspired. If you're trying to write a story and can't get out of your head, it's time for Watch What Happens. If you're trying to get your friends to come out to your apartment in Bushwick, try Brooklyn's Here. There's something for everyone on the Newsies soundtrack, and it'll have you tapping your toes along to the fun tunes all day!

As Seen on Screen

Speaking of catchy tunes... how about that band Queen?? After reading quite a mixed bag of review for Bohemian Rhapsody, I had incredibly low expectations for the Queen biopic that has been years in the making. Perhaps because I hadn't attached all of my hopes and dreams to this movie, I ended up really enjoying film, which focuses most of its time on Freddie Mercury's story. The acting is stellar. Rami Malek embodies a man that is truly hard to master. He completely transforms himself start to finish in the film, and I appreciated the movie's decision to use Freddie Mercury's voice (combined with Rami's and a Canadian Freddie Mercury impersonator) for the majority of the vocals. As the movie continues to emphasize over and over, there's no one like Freddie, so why have someone do a lackluster vocal impression, when you can use Freddie's actual voice? The movie has gone through its share of drama, from directors leaving the project to shifting lead actors to arguments about the vision and scope of the story, but in the end audiences get a largely cohesive piece of artwork that acts as a love letter to Queen and its ongoing influence in the world and a love letter to Freddie Mercury, who spent a lot of his life desperately searching for a home. Sure, the movie takes some liberties with facts, but a biopic isn't a documentary, so I'm willing to forgive, forget and do the research to find out the real history of events after leaving the theater. The movie also succeeds (in a way that jukebox musicals, for example, don't always do) in stringing Queen song after Queen song throughout the film, in a way that feels organic instead of forced. If I had a complaint, it would be that the movie threw away the opportunity to feature Freddie's bisexuality front-and-center on the big screen. In a review for IndieWire, Jude Dry writes, "Not only does the movie frame queerness negatively, but it completely erases Mercury’s bisexuality, preferring an either/or view. By all accounts, Mercury slept with men and women throughout his life, including with the Austrian actress Barbara Valentin, who remained a close friend until his death. In the movie, when Mercury tells Austin he likes boys, too, she says: 'Freddie, you’re gay.' By erasing his bisexuality, the movie reinforces a heteronormative view of queerness, and says it through a straight mouthpiece." I wonder if the ongoing conflict throughout the movie's filming (including disputes over the focus of the film), led to this disjointed portrayal of Freddie's bisexuality. If you're interested in reading more about the making of the movie, The Wrap put together a timeline of the behind-the-scenes drama of the biopic. Despite all of this, Bohemian Rhapsody is still worth a trip to the theater. Queen's music was created to captivate audiences and make them feel part of the music, and in this respect, the movie absolutely succeeds.

Haven't You Heard?

While she's been busy writing the music and lyrics for Broadway's Waitress and starring in NBC's Jesus Christ Superstar, Sara Bareilles has been a little preoccupied to focus on her own music. But the wait is almost over! The singer announced that she'll be releasing a new album very soon and then put her money where her mouth is and surprise-dropped the first single that week. Armor, while reminiscent of Brave, is something new for Sara Bareilles, who for the first time takes the rhythmic style that appeared throughout her Blessed Unrest album and uses it for her single. This time it's an anthem for women: "To all my sisters and all our friends/We have to thank them, please/Strength means blessed with an enemy." While she initially intended to release the single closer to the actual album drop in early 2019, present events (i.e. the Supreme Court hearings) made her decide that we needed this song ASAP. In addition to the new tune, she also released a video featuring women flexing their muscles and holding up signs with lyrics from the song. The single itself reminds me a lot of Eden, in its Adam/Eve references and tone, and Hercules, both from her 2013 Blessed Unrest album. It was the last studio album that Sara released, so it really has been a while since we've received new music that isn't a Broadway recording or a live concert album. I can't wait to hear the rest, but for now I'll have to settle for playing Armor on repeat.

Required Reading

As a child, I loved Mary Poppins. My brother and I were obsessed with Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke, as they danced their way through London. So naturally I was hesitant to get on board with the sequel, which hits theaters next month and stars Emily Blunt and Lin-Manuel Miranda. However, after the first full-length trailer was released, I've completely come around. I began to feel more comfortable when I saw that Rob Marshall (behind other movie-musicals like Chicago and Into the Woods was on-board. When I saw his vision included 2-D animation and not some weird CGI penguins, I was sold. I've since watched the trailer a couple dozen times, but I was craving new content!! Fortunately, Entertainment Weekly released a full investigation of the highly anticipated film. If you don't have the paper copy on hand, the magazine published installments of the piece in shorter, bite-sized amounts on their website. It's got me planning a re-watch of the 1964 version and counting the days until the sequel hits theaters.