After being able to catch a couple of plays in Broadway, I’ve always been wanting to go back to New York so I can watch more. There’s something really contagious about Broadway plays. It makes you want to sing their songs and even be a part of the whole thing. Haha.
So when the hubby got to catch Newsies last night, a lot of thoughts entered my mind:
1. First & foremost, I’m so proud that an all-Filipino production team, orchestra and a group of triple threat (i.e. uber-talented actors) were onstage. 😀 Come to think of it, a lot of Filipino actors & actresses were also part of Miss Saigon worldwide so it shouldn’t really come as a surprise, right? 😀
2. I’m excited to see the theater scene grow some more in the coming months & years! 🙂
3. I was wondering why the musical score was so catchy only to find out that the music & lyrics were made by Alan Menken, the same man behind Beauty & the Beast, Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Pocahontas, Hunchback of Notre Dame & more! *OMG.* This is practically our childhood guys. *Wait, are you also from my generation? Haha.*
Thanks to the hubby’s photos, I finally understood how backflips are done. Alex Diaz does a mean back flip with this buddies. Yep, the same long guy who was singing in the previous photo. Can you already imagine the demands of this play on its actors? :O
4. The newsies cast have trained for months and months. Check out go.globe.com.ph/newsies for the behind the scenes! I just can’t imagine how much effort was poured into all those rehearsals for all the singing, dancing & acting.
5. Aside from the months and months of training, you will see that each actor has pretty much spent years (if not a decade or two) mastering his / her craft: from backflips, split jumps, fouettes, singing at the top of their lungs while emoting with every word of the song & connecting with the audience.
6. Newsies is based on a strike in New York back in 1899 but the issues they tackle still resonate with the issues we have to face today: rights of the working class & children, women empowerment, and the dynamics of how information gets spread around. *Ahem…just like social media today!* I smiled when they talked about how headlines work (which is just like putting captions & squeezing in a few characters on Twitter. They also mentioned putting photos on stories to make it more interesting. *Ever so familiar? Yes? Yes?*
7. So amazed at the dedication of the actors. I was watching everyone in the foreground and the background and you could see the expressions on their faces. These guys are hard at work: they don’t just chill on the side even when the spotlight is not on their faces.
8. Props to Gian Magdangal for the seemingly non-stop performance! I honestly wanted to congratulate each actor after the show but I was just too shy to tell them. Hehe. I also love Danielle Chopin’s voice (she plays Katherine Plumber) and I really think she should be the voice of one of the Disney princesses. *Either that or I wouldn’t mind if we can trade singing voices too.*
9. Suddenly, I want to talk, discuss, argue, and reflect out loud too…in a melodic form…with matching blending. I wish that I could also burst out into a song whenever I have a thought then an orchestra & choreography would back me up. Haha. But really, that’s what I always feel after watching a broadway play. I remember wanting to be a part of Supercalifragilistic dance sequence in Merry Poppins. Also, long after I watched Miss Saigon, I found myself spending hours and hours singing in front of my piano as I tire my fingers. *Thank god the piano is a non-living object or it would have complained about its owner.* 😀 My high school best friend and I would also burst into song with lines from I Still Believe and then laugh. Yep, that’s mid-conversation.
10. Well, what are you waiting for? Disney, Globe Live & 9 Works Theatrical are bringing the Newsies to you! The shows are in the BGC Ampitheater just in front of the Globe Iconic Store & you may get your tickets at go.globe.com.ph/newsies! Here are the show schedules:
July 7-9
July 14-16
July 21-23
July 28-30
Okay, I promised 10 thoughts but actually, I have more:
11. I can’t wait for Riley to see this show when he’s older. He loves music and dancing so I’m pretty sure this will be such a treat for him! Meanwhile, we had him dress up as a Newsie, holding the playbill that Gian Nicdao laid out (with matching vintage ads here & there)!
12. We’re also very glad to find out that my workout instructor, Teacher Clark made it to the cast! 🙂
Okay, just to give you an idea, we don’t really do backflips in Plana Forma but his Piloxing class is something that you’ll want to attend if you want to feel like you deserve all that good lunch after a workout. 😀
Give me 100 push-ups! J/K that wasn’t the line from the play! Good job Teacher Clark. Hehe.
Well, that was it! 779++ words just right after I declared to the hubby that I was going to blog for a quick bit and it will be a very short one with mostly pictures. Lol.
And oh,
13. Props to the hubby for taking the photos during the play! 😀
I do miss pouring all my thoughts here! Support the local art scene, treat yourself to a world class show this weekend and go see Disney & Globe Live’s The Newsies! 🙂
XOXO,
The Googly Family
