Newsies

In 1899 the boys who sell newspapers in New York go on strike. The reason is simple: Pulitzer and Hearst raise the price of the bundles the boys have to buy, and unsold papers cannot be returned. Jack Kelly takes the lead, the reporter Katherine writes the story, and every working child in the city joins in. This recording is not a film but a Broadway performance captured on camera. The cameras are placed to watch the choreography, and the dancing is the point: the leaps over stacked papers and the rhythm built on the street set are filmed in single pieces, as they happen on stage. Brett Sullivan directed the capture, with Jeff Calhoun's staging. Jeremy Jordan plays Jack Kelly and Kara Lindsay plays Katherine. The music is by Alan Menken with lyrics by Jack Feldman. The show comes from Disney's 1992 film, which flopped, later became a cult item, and turned into an unexpected success when it moved to Broadway. Who it is for: anyone who likes musical theatre and shows built on choreography. Who it is not for: anyone expecting cinematic storytelling. The camera never leaves the stage, the history is heavily simplified, and the book scenes between songs are weak.