The Disney musical Newsies was a surprise hit on Broadway, running there for over two years from 2012, followed by a successful North American tour of a similar length. However, the show has never come to Australia. But now, Australians have a chance to see a specially filmed live performance screening at 46 cinemas around the country for one day only on February 19 – and while it’s not the subtlest musical ever written, it’s an irresistible, uplifting experience.

^{Newsies being filmed at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre. Photo: Disney Theatrical Productions}

Filmed over the course of five days at the Hollywood Pantages Theater last September, with a cast including several stars of the original Broadway production as well as performers from the tour, the screen version captures the atmosphere of the live event, while at the same time enhancing it with numerous different camera angles and close-up shots. Christopher Gattelli’s Tony Award-winning choreography fairly explodes off the screen, while the sweet story pushes all the right buttons.

Produced by Disney Theatrical Productions, Newsies is based on the 1992 Disney musical film of the same name directed by Kenny Ortega and starring Christian Bale, which was a flop in cinemas but which became something of a cult hit following its release on home video, driven initially by teenage girls. Eventually, Disney decided to adapt it as a stage musical with a book by Harvey Fierstein and lyrics by Jack Feldman. It premiered at the Paper Mill Theatre in New Jersey in 2011, where it proved so unexpectedly successful that it was moved to Broadway in 2012 earning eight Tony nominations and winning two – for Gattelli’s choreography and the score by Alan Menken (The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Little Shop of Horrors).

^{Newsies being filmed. Photo: Disney Theatrical Productions}

Newsies tells a fictional story inspired by the real-life Newsboy Strike of 1899 in New York City. When newspaper titan Joseph Pulitzer raises the price of newspapers – the cost of which is borne by the ragamuffin newspaper boys, most of whom are orphaned and homeless – the charismatic, rebellious Jack Kelly stands up to the might of the powers-that-be and leads the ‘newsies’ in a strike. He is helped by the intelligent, level-headed Davey and his kid brother Les who are selling ‘papes’ because their father has lost his job, and by Katherine Plumber, a well-connected young newspaper reporter with a secret, who Jack falls in love with.

Sure, it’s a fairly formulaic piece, trading in a clear-cut black-and-white morality and narrative (even when Jack experiences a bout of conflicted indecision). The book is sentimental at times, and the love story is unlikely – and yet, for all that, it’s a sweet, heart-warming, uplifting show, with a positive message. The score may not be Menken’s best but there are plenty of tuneful melodies such as Jack’s heartfelt Santa Fe, as well as rousing numbers including Seize the Day, Carry the Banner and King of New York.

Director Jeff Calhoun makes the most of Tobin Ost’s clever set – a monumental piece of scaffolding representing tenement blocks with their fire escapes. But it’s Gattelli’s highly athletic, energised choreography that powers the show with its soaring leaps, scissor jumps, pirouettes, cartwheels, back flips and burst of tap dancing. Combining a street vibe with something almost balletic, it has a quality not unlike West Side Story at times. Superbly performed, by a slightly larger cast than originally, the dance routines deliver an exciting shot of adrenaline.

^{Kara Lindsay and Jeremy Jordan in Newsies. Photo: Disney Theatrical Productions}

Jeremy Jordan, who starred in the original Broadway production, earning a Tony nomination for his performance, exudes enormous charm and chutzpah as Jack and sings with great feeling. He is well matched by his former Broadway co-star Kara Lindsay as Katherine. Though neither of them is within cooee of being a teenager any more, together they make you believe in the characters and their love affair.

Also reprising their Broadway roles are Ben Fankhauser as the steady, wise Davey and Andrew Keenan-Bolger as Jack’s crippled friend Crutchie, both of whom deliver in spades. Performers from the American tour include Steve Blanchard as the ruthless Pulitzer and Aisha de Haas as the kindly, twinkly-eyed vaudeville singer and theatre owner Medda Larkin. But the whole cast is terrific.

The five-day shoot allowed for on-stage cameras to get close-up and over-head footage as well as wide shots of the full stage, and culminated in a live performance with cameras panning over the wildly enthusiastic audience. The whole project has been expertly realised and offers audiences an exciting way to experience a show that they are unable to see live.

Newsies screens at selected cinemas nationally on February 19

TICKETS