Round 6: Inspired by the Headlines and Tragic Myths of Love & Hope
NEWSIES THE MUSICAL
Newsies The Musical is a musical based on the 1992 musical film Newsies, which in turn was inspired by the real-life Newsboys Strike of 1899 in New York City. The show has music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Jack Feldman, and a book by Harvey Fierstein based on film's screenplay by Bob Tzudiker and Noni White. The musical premiered at the Paper Mill Playhouse in 2011 and made its Broadway debut in 2012, where it played for more than 1,000 performances before touring.
Broadway (2012–2014)
- The musical opened on Broadway at the Nederlander Theatre.
- The original cast of the Broadway production featured Jeremy Jordan as Jack Kelly and John Dossett as newspaper tycoon Joseph Pulitzer. The cast also included Kara Lindsay as Katherine Plumber, Capathia Jenkins as Medda Larkin, Ben Fankhauser as Davey, Andrew Keenan-Bolger as Crutchie, and Lewis Grosso and Matthew Schechter sharing the role of Les. The Broadway production cost about $5 million to stage.[6] Newsies recouped its initial investment of $5M in seven months, becoming the fastest of any Disney musical on Broadway to turn a profit.
- Producers announced on August 14, 2012, due to his commitments with NBC's Smash, leading man Jordan would exit the musical on September 4. It was also confirmed that newcomer Corey Cott (who became his alternate earlier in the month due to Jordan's production requirements for Smash) would be his replacement beginning September 5.
- The musical closed on August 24, 2014, having played 1,004 performances.
National tour (2014–2016)
The musical began a North American tour on October 11, 2014, commencing in Schenectady, New York. During the 2014–2015 and 2015–2016 seasons, the tour was expected to play 25 cities, over 43 weeks. It concluded its run on October 2, 2016, in Austin, Texas after 784 performances in 65 cities across the US and Canada.
Film
Following the end of the tour, a limited filmed theatrical release was announced for February 2017. This three-day release grossed $3.47 million. Disney then announced the musical production would be available digitally on May 23, 2017. On August 24, 2017, Disney announced the filmed production of Newsies would be available on Netflix from September 10. The film is now available on Disney's streaming service, Disney+.
What is the story of Newsies?
New York City, 1899. Jack Kelly and his ragtag team of teenaged newsboys make a meager living selling newspapers on the city streets. But when the prices of “papes” are hiked and the newsies are hung out to dry, there is nothing left to do but “open the gates and seize the day!” Led by charismatic Jack and independent, young newspaper reporter Katherine Plummer, the Newsies form a union and organize a strike against the greedy publisher of the New York World. Can a group of idealistic newsboys win against a foe as powerful as acclaimed publisher Joseph Pulitzer?
Inspired by the true story of the 1899 Newsboys Strike, Newsies is an ebullient, joyful, and entertaining musical capturing the strength that young people have when they join together and stand up against injustice. With a funny, poignant book by Harvey Feirstein and stunning music by Alan Menken and Jack Feldman -- including the show-stopping Seize the Day, power ballad “Santa Fe” and lovely new songs like Katherine’s “Watch What Happens -- Newsies is a classic with the power to inspire, is packed with non-stop thrills and a timeless message, perfect for the whole family and every audience.
The choreographer Christopher Gattelli and the actor/dancer Ryan Steele talk about the number "Seize the Day" from the new Broadway musical at the Nederlander Theater.
COME FROM AWAY (2013, Sankoff and Hein)
The musical has been received by audiences and critics as a cathartic reminder of the capacity for human kindness in even the darkest of times and the triumph of humanity over hate.After being workshopped in 2012 and first produced at Sheridan College in Oakville, Ontario, in 2013, it went on to have record-breaking runs at the La Jolla Playhouse in San Diego, California and the Seattle Repertory Theatre in 2015, at the Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C., and the Royal Alexandra Theatre in Toronto in 2016. It opened on Broadway at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre on March 12, 2017, and became a critical and box office success, routinely playing to standing-room-only audiences even during previews. In October 2018 it became the longest-running Canadian musical in Broadway history, surpassing The Drowsy Chaperone's previous record of 674 performances.
The musical premiered at The Abbey Theatre in Dublin, Ireland in December 2018 and then transferred to the Phoenix Theatre in the West End in February 2019.
At the 71st Tony Awards in 2017, the musical was nominated for seven awards including Best Musical, Best Original Score, Best Book of a Musical and Best Featured Actress in a Musical for Jenn Colella, winning for Best Direction of a Musical for Christopher Ashley.
What is the story of Come From Away?
Come From Away chronicles the real-life experiences of the people of Gander, Newfoundland, and the almost 7000 airline passengers who were forced to land there when US air space was closed on September 11, 2001. Twelve actors tell the story of both the Islanders and the Plane People, revealing the fear and uncertainty that came with the terrorist attacks – as well as the profound generosity and compassion of strangers. While some characters and stories are an amalgamation of several people and experiences, others are grounded in true people, such as Captain Beverly Bass, the first female captain for American Airlines; Kevin Tuerff and Kevin Jung, the couple from LA; and Nick and Diane, the couple who met in Gander.The music of Come From Away blends both traditional musical theatre styles (“Me and the Sky,” “Stop the World”) as well as traditional Newfoundland orchestrations (“Heave Away,” “Screech In”). The Islanders are distinguished from the Plane People by their use of a Newfoundland dialect, which they point out in “Welcome to the Rock.” Along with acting out the events of the four days, characters step out from the story to narrate the events. Staging is minimal, making use of only a few tables and twelve chairs to be the airplanes, the buses, and the various locations within Gander.
The creators of Come From Away have stated that this is not a September 11th story, it is rather a September 12th story - a story of the best people have to offer each other, and a reminder that we are all capable of doing good for each other, especially in the darkest of times.
Hadetown won 8 Tony Awards (14 nominations) and made Broadway history as the first production written and directed by women to win best musical.
Hadestown is a musical with music, lyrics, and book by Anaïs Mitchell. It tells a version of the ancient Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, where Orpheus goes to the underworld to rescue his fiancée Eurydice.
The original version of the musical premiered in the town of Barre, Vermont in 2006. There was also a production in Vergennes in the same year and a tour between Vermont and Massachusetts in 2007. Then Mitchell, unsure about the future of the musical, turned it into a concept album, released in 2010.
In 2012, Mitchell met director Rachel Chavkin, and the two started to rework the stage production, with additional songs and dialogue. The new version of the musical, developed for the stage and directed by Chavkin, premiered Off-Broadway at New York Theatre Workshop on May 6, 2016 and ran through July 31. Following productions in Edmonton and London, the show premiered in previews on Broadway in March 2019.
The Broadway production opened to critical acclaim and received numerous awards and nominations. At the 73rd Tony Awards, Hadestown received a total of 14 nominations (the most for the evening) and won eight of them, including Best Musical and Best Original Score.
What is the story of Hadestown?
Welcome to HADESTOWN, where a song can change your fate. It is a love story for today... and always.
Anaïs Mitchell breathes fresh, new life in classic mythology with her folk musical Hadestown. Orpheus, a passionate and talented musician, and Eurydice, an independent and resilient young woman, fall in love at first sight, as though it was--and perhaps is--destined by The Fates. Though neither has much to their name, Orpheus is determined that love will see them through anything. Their love blossoms in spring and flourishes in summer, but is tested when autumn and hardship come. Hardship breeds doubt and difficult choices must be made. When Eurydice unknowingly signs away her soul to Hades, master of the factory Hadestown, Orpheus is prepared to venture to hell and back, armed with nothing but his music and his love, to bring her home once more. Set to Mitchell’s gorgeous folk-rock score, Hadestown tells a poignant, vibrant story of love that manages, even amongst tragedy, to find hope.
Broadway veteran and sentimental favorite André De Shields, 73, won his first Tony for his featured performance in Hadestown Channeling his wise and godly character Hermes, the actor shared three pieces of advice in his acceptance speech: “One, surround yourself with people whose eyes light up when they see you coming. Two, slowly is the fastest way to get to where you want to be. And three, the top of one mountain is the bottom of the next, so keep climbing.”
ONCE ON THIS ISLAND (1990, Ahrens & Flaherty)
Once on This Island is a one-act musical with a book and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens and music by Stephen Flaherty. Based on the 1985 novel My Love, My Love; or, The Peasant Girl by Rosa Guy, it is set in the French Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean Sea. It concerns a peasant girl on a tropical island, who uses the power of love to bring people together of different social classes.
The original Broadway production ran from 1990 to 1991, and the West End production opened in 1994, where it won the 1995 Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Musical.
Celebrate storytelling with this rousing Calypso-flavored tale of one small girl who finds love in a world of prejudice. Once on this Island is a fairy tale celebration of love, hope, life and death.
Ti Moune, a peasant girl, rescues a wealthy boy from the other side of the island, Daniel, with whom she falls in love. Unbeknownst to Ti Moune, the pompous gods who preside over the island make a bet with one another over which is stronger, love or death, the stakes being Ti Moune's life. When she pursues Daniel, who has returned to his people, Ti Moune is shunned because of her lowly status. Her determination and capacity to love, though, is not enough to win Daniel's heart, and Ti Moune pays the ultimate price; but the gods turn Ti Moune into a tree that grows so strong and so tall, it breaks the wall that separates the societies and ultimately unites them.
COME FROM AWAY (2013, Sankoff and Hein)
Come from Away is a Canadian musical with book, music and lyrics by Irene Sankoff and David Hein. It is set in the week following the September 11 attacks and tells the true story of what transpired when 38 planes were ordered to land unexpectedly in the small town of Gander in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, as part of Operation Yellow Ribbon. The characters in the musical are based on (and in most cases share the names of) real Gander residents as well as some of the 7,000 stranded travelers they housed and fed.
The musical has been received by audiences and critics as a cathartic reminder of the capacity for human kindness in even the darkest of times and the triumph of humanity over hate.After being workshopped in 2012 and first produced at Sheridan College in Oakville, Ontario, in 2013, it went on to have record-breaking runs at the La Jolla Playhouse in San Diego, California and the Seattle Repertory Theatre in 2015, at the Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C., and the Royal Alexandra Theatre in Toronto in 2016. It opened on Broadway at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre on March 12, 2017, and became a critical and box office success, routinely playing to standing-room-only audiences even during previews. In October 2018 it became the longest-running Canadian musical in Broadway history, surpassing The Drowsy Chaperone's previous record of 674 performances.The musical premiered at The Abbey Theatre in Dublin, Ireland in December 2018 and then transferred to the Phoenix Theatre in the West End in February 2019.
At the 71st Tony Awards in 2017, the musical was nominated for seven awards including Best Musical, Best Original Score, Best Book of a Musical and Best Featured Actress in a Musical for Jenn Colella, winning for Best Direction of a Musical for Christopher Ashley.
What is the story of Come From Away?Come From Away chronicles the real-life experiences of the people of Gander, Newfoundland, and the almost 7000 airline passengers who were forced to land there when US air space was closed on September 11, 2001. Twelve actors tell the story of both the Islanders and the Plane People, revealing the fear and uncertainty that came with the terrorist attacks – as well as the profound generosity and compassion of strangers. While some characters and stories are an amalgamation of several people and experiences, others are grounded in true people, such as Captain Beverly Bass, the first female captain for American Airlines; Kevin Tuerff and Kevin Jung, the couple from LA; and Nick and Diane, the couple who met in Gander.The music of Come From Away blends both traditional musical theatre styles (“Me and the Sky,” “Stop the World”) as well as traditional Newfoundland orchestrations (“Heave Away,” “Screech In”). The Islanders are distinguished from the Plane People by their use of a Newfoundland dialect, which they point out in “Welcome to the Rock.” Along with acting out the events of the four days, characters step out from the story to narrate the events. Staging is minimal, making use of only a few tables and twelve chairs to be the airplanes, the buses, and the various locations within Gander.
The creators of Come From Away have stated that this is not a September 11th story, it is rather a September 12th story - a story of the best people have to offer each other, and a reminder that we are all capable of doing good for each other, especially in the darkest of times.
IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO LEARN MORE:
Hadestown (2006 First Version, 2019 Broadway, Anais Mitchell)
Hadestown is a musical with music, lyrics, and book by Anaïs Mitchell. It tells a version of the ancient Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, where Orpheus goes to the underworld to rescue his fiancée Eurydice.
The original version of the musical premiered in the town of Barre, Vermont in 2006. There was also a production in Vergennes in the same year and a tour between Vermont and Massachusetts in 2007. Then Mitchell, unsure about the future of the musical, turned it into a concept album, released in 2010.
In 2012, Mitchell met director Rachel Chavkin, and the two started to rework the stage production, with additional songs and dialogue. The new version of the musical, developed for the stage and directed by Chavkin, premiered Off-Broadway at New York Theatre Workshop on May 6, 2016 and ran through July 31. Following productions in Edmonton and London, the show premiered in previews on Broadway in March 2019.
The Broadway production opened to critical acclaim and received numerous awards and nominations. At the 73rd Tony Awards, Hadestown received a total of 14 nominations (the most for the evening) and won eight of them, including Best Musical and Best Original Score.
What is the story of Hadestown?
Anaïs Mitchell breathes fresh, new life in classic mythology with her folk musical Hadestown. Orpheus, a passionate and talented musician, and Eurydice, an independent and resilient young woman, fall in love at first sight, as though it was--and perhaps is--destined by The Fates. Though neither has much to their name, Orpheus is determined that love will see them through anything. Their love blossoms in spring and flourishes in summer, but is tested when autumn and hardship come. Hardship breeds doubt and difficult choices must be made. When Eurydice unknowingly signs away her soul to Hades, master of the factory Hadestown, Orpheus is prepared to venture to hell and back, armed with nothing but his music and his love, to bring her home once more. Set to Mitchell’s gorgeous folk-rock score, Hadestown tells a poignant, vibrant story of love that manages, even amongst tragedy, to find hope.
HADESTOWN TRAILER
Once on This Island is a one-act musical with a book and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens and music by Stephen Flaherty. Based on the 1985 novel My Love, My Love; or, The Peasant Girl by Rosa Guy, it is set in the French Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean Sea. It concerns a peasant girl on a tropical island, who uses the power of love to bring people together of different social classes.
The original Broadway production ran from 1990 to 1991, and the West End production opened in 1994, where it won the 1995 Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Musical.
It was originally staged at Off-Broadway's Playwrights Horizons, running from May 6, 1990 through May 27, 1990. The Broadway production opened on October 18, 1990 at the Booth Theatre and closed on December 1, 1991, after 469 performances and 19 previews.
The first Broadway revival of Once on This Island, produced by Ken Davenport, directed by Michael Arden and choreographed by Camille A. Brown, began previews on November 9, 2017 and officially opened on December 3 at the Circle in the Square Theatre. This production featured a stage covered in sand, with live animals on stage, and set and costume design intended to suggest a wrecked beach community recovering from a hurricane. The revival closed on January 6, 2019, after 458 regular performances. It won the 2018 Tony for Best Revival of a Musical.
The Broadway revival production tour in North America starting at The Carson Center, Paducah, Kentucky on October 12, 2019, with the official opening on October 15 at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center, Nashville, Tennessee. The tour featured onstage seating, "creating a unique experience within the footprint of every theatre we play... Audiences will be invited to put their feet in the sand and surround our company, becoming part of the show." The tour ended early due to the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic.
The first Broadway revival of Once on This Island, produced by Ken Davenport, directed by Michael Arden and choreographed by Camille A. Brown, began previews on November 9, 2017 and officially opened on December 3 at the Circle in the Square Theatre. This production featured a stage covered in sand, with live animals on stage, and set and costume design intended to suggest a wrecked beach community recovering from a hurricane. The revival closed on January 6, 2019, after 458 regular performances. It won the 2018 Tony for Best Revival of a Musical.
The Broadway revival production tour in North America starting at The Carson Center, Paducah, Kentucky on October 12, 2019, with the official opening on October 15 at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center, Nashville, Tennessee. The tour featured onstage seating, "creating a unique experience within the footprint of every theatre we play... Audiences will be invited to put their feet in the sand and surround our company, becoming part of the show." The tour ended early due to the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic.
What is the story of Once on This Island?
Ti Moune, a peasant girl, rescues a wealthy boy from the other side of the island, Daniel, with whom she falls in love. Unbeknownst to Ti Moune, the pompous gods who preside over the island make a bet with one another over which is stronger, love or death, the stakes being Ti Moune's life. When she pursues Daniel, who has returned to his people, Ti Moune is shunned because of her lowly status. Her determination and capacity to love, though, is not enough to win Daniel's heart, and Ti Moune pays the ultimate price; but the gods turn Ti Moune into a tree that grows so strong and so tall, it breaks the wall that separates the societies and ultimately unites them.
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