"Newsies," the cult flop Disney film turned stage musical, is notable for a fairly buoyant score by Alan Menken, which manages to feel a lot fresher than some of his more recent efforts ( i.e. "Sister Act."). This is because the best songs come from the movie, which is 20 years old and came out smack dab when Menken was churning out his best work-- "The Little Mermaid," "Beauty and the Beast," et. al.

The story revolves around a true story about a Newsboy strike in 1899 New York, or "New Yawk" as the heavily--and gratingly-- accented cast, headed by Tony nominee Jeremy Jordan, would put it.  The best songs are genuinely stirring, even if they have a tendency to hammer the same "banding together to fight oppression" theme over and over ("The World Will Know," "Seize the Day"). Aside from those, there are a few others-- "King of New York," "Carrying the Banner," "Watch What Happens,"-- that also deliver.  Others, however ("That's Rich," "The Bottom Line," and "Something to Believe In"), suffer from a warmed-over Menken-ness. Worth it mainly for the tracks that recall Menken at his most tuneful.
"Newsies," the cult flop Disney film turned stage musical, is notable for a fairly buoyant score by Alan Menken, which manages to feel a lot fresher than some of his more recent efforts ( i. e. "Sister Act. "). This is because the best songs come from the movie, which is 20 years old and came out smack dab when Menken was churning out his best work-- "The Little Mermaid," "Beauty and the Beast," et. al. The story revolves around a true story about a Newsboy strike in 1899 New York, or "New Yawk" as the heavily--and gratingly-- accented cast, headed by Tony nominee Jeremy Jordan, would put it. The best songs are genuinely stirring, even if they have a tendency to hammer the same "banding together to fight oppression" theme over and over ("The World Will Know," "Seize the Day"). Aside from those, there are a few others-- "King of New York," "Carrying the Banner," "Watch What Happens,"-- that also deliver. Others, however ("That's Rich," "The Bottom Line," and "Something to Believe In"), suffer from a warmed-over Menken-ness. Worth it mainly for the tracks that recall Menken at his most tuneful.