Extra! Extra! Read all about it: Disney's Newsies is busting a move in Vancouver!

I never knew this but Newsies' story is based the real-life Newsboys Strike of 1899 in New York City! It's about a ragtag bunch of orphan and runaway "newsies" who stand up to powerful newspaper publishers when they raise distribution prices at the newsboys' expense.

When the boys first came out, I found myself thinking if kids will know what paperboys are nowaways! When the Joseph Pulitzer, played by Steve Blanchard, said paper sales declining since the war, all I could think about was it kept declining and is almost dead now. Thanks to the Internet those boys would be working in tech instead today! But I digress. The overall story itself is still relevant today because it's a classic David versus Goliath story!

The cast are awesome dancers and acrobats! I am amazed that they can both sing and dance through that strenuous choreography! Keep an eye out for the newsboy named Specs, played by Jordan Samuels; he does a lot of impressive flips! It's no surprise that Newsies was the winner of the 2012 Tony Awards Best Choreography,

Being up seated up close to the stage was great because we got to see the cast's expressions more clearly but we had to look up a lot. The set utilized a lot of vertical space. Though it wasn't an elaborate set it had depth and brought the streets and rooftops of 1966 New York alive.

My favourite song is "Seize the Day". It's the most recognizable song in the set. Though all the songs are really high energy and I loved them all! The lead newsie, Jack Kelly, played by Joey Barreiro, has a strong set of pipes! All his songs were spot on. The little boy, Les, played by Turner Birthisel at the opening performance, was very cute and always stole the scene. He had very funny bits and always stole a laugh from the audience.

Newsies was very enjoyable to watch. The dancing was very impressive and the singing and script always manages to keep a smile on my face. It's a great family musical!

Don't forget to take a picture in the lobby before leaving the theatre! You can be the picture in the headliner and be famous!

Disney's NEWSIES is here in Vancouver for one week only! Performances run from now through Sunday, July 10, 2016 at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre. Tickets are available through ticketmaster.ca or by calling 1-855-985-5000. Reservations for groups of ten or more are now being accepted by calling 1-800-889-8457.

For more information, visit NewsiesTheMusical.com, Facebook.com/Newsies and Twitter.com/Newsies.

The Vancouver engagement of NEWSIES is presented by arrangement with Broadway Across Canada and is a subscription offering of the 2016/2017 Series.




Disclosure: Tickets to the show were received from Broadway Across Canada free of charge for review. The opinions expressed in this post are entirely my own and have not been influenced in any other way.

Get ready for Disney's NEWSIES!

They delivered the papers, until they made the headlines...Direct from Broadway comes NEWSIES, the smash-hit, crowd-pleasing new musical from Disney. Winner of the 2012 Tony Awards® for Best Score and Best Choreography, NEWSIES has audiences and critics alike calling it “A MUSICAL WORTH SINGING ABOUT!” (The New York Times). Filled with one heart-pounding number after another, it’s a high-energy explosion of song and dance you just don’t want to miss. Now is the time to seize the day with NEWSIES, playing July 5 - 10, 2016 at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre in Vancouver.

Show: Disney’s NEWSIES
Dates: July 5 – 10, 2016
Theatre: Queen Elizabeth Theatre
Presale dates: May 6 – 8, 2016
Presale link: http://www.ticketmaster.ca/venueartist/139293/1984863?brand=bac
Presale passcode: 5FANSIES THIS PRE-SALE CODE WILL BE LIVE AS OF FRIDAY, MAY 6 @ 10AM.

NOTE:
ALL SALES FINAL. No exchanges or refunds. Blackout dates and other restrictions may apply. Standard Ticketmaster service fees apply to online or phone orders. Dates, times, prices, and cast subject to change without notice. Offer may be revoked without notice. Limit 9 tickets per person per 7 day period. All prices are in CAD and include a $3.00 CIF. Tickets must be purchased by May 8, 2016.

Read more about Disney's NEWSIES below:

MAMMA MIA! is a feel-good story set to ABBA’s greatest hits, including “Dancing Queen,” “S.O.S.,” “Take A Chance on Me” and “The Winner Takes It All”. These are instantly recognizable songs even people who have never seen the musical or movie is guaranteed to know.

I took my friend who has never seen MAMMA MIA! before to opening night, and I had a funny conversation with her before the show started. She was trying to guess what the musical was about:

A: I didn't read the synopsis. All I know is the Mamma Mia song. Everyone knows that...It might be about eating. An Italian family eating pizza.
Me: Are you sure??? (I showed her the program cover)
A: Maybe she gets married and has to decide between a family and being a career woman.
Me: That's not even close.

Even though my guest was way off, she really enjoyed the show. It is hard not to! There was many a head nodding and toe tapping to the beat of the music. These are catchy songs that can be listened to over and over again; it's probably the reason why MAMMA MIA! is one of the most successful musicals of all time and the eighth longest running show in Broadway history.

Other aspects of the show we loved were the costumes. They were very vibrant and some very ABBA-inspired. The cast seemed very fun and Sophie's mom is definitely the star of the show! We also enjoyed all the little dirty jokes in the script. It made the show very fun and spunky.

And my favourite was the end when the entire cast reprised the "Mamma Mia," “Dancing Queen,” and "Waterloo," and invited the audience to clap, sing, and dance along.

So whether you're seeing MAMMA MIA! for the first time or a repeat customer, you're in for a good time with great music.

MAMMA MIA! is here in Vancouver for one week only! Performances run from now through Sunday, April 3, 2016 at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre.

Tickets for MAMMA MIA! start at $35 (plus applicable service charges).Tickets are available through ticketmaster.ca or by calling 1-855-985-5000. Reservations for groups of ten (10) or more are now being accepted by calling 1-800-889-8457.

For information about MAMMA MIA! visit www.Mamma-Mia.com



Disclosure: Tickets to the show were received from Broadway Across Canada free of charge. The opinions expressed in this post are entirely my own and have not been influenced in any other way.

Here is your chance to purchase tickets to Dirty Dancing before anyone else! The presale link will be active starting Friday, Nov 27 at 10am!

ONCE, winner of eight Tony Awards including Best Musical and winner of the 2013 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album, will play the Queen Elizabeth Theatre for a one week limited engagement from November 17-22. Tickets for ONCE go on sale Monday, September 14 through ticketmaster.ca, or by calling 1-855-985-5000. Tickets start at $25 (plus applicable service charges). Reservations for groups of ten (10) or more are now being accepted by calling 1-800-889-8457.

Performances run Tuesday through Saturday evenings at 8PM, Sunday evening at 7:30pm with Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2pm.

ONCE in Vancouver, presented by Broadway Across Canada, is part of three city Canadian tour including stops in Calgary (November 3 - 8) and Edmonton (November 10 - 15.)

ONCE, which was also named Best Musical by the New York Drama Critics’ Circle, Drama Desk, Drama League, Outer Critics Circle and Lucille Lortel Awards, ran for more than 1,100 performances on Broadway with acclaimed international productions from London and Melbourne to Japan and South Korea.

ONCE features the Academy Award-winning music and lyrics of Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová, a book by award-winning Irish playwright & screenwriter, Enda Walsh (Penelope, Hunger, The New Electric Ballroom), direction by the acclaimed Scottish director of Black Watch, John Tiffany, movement by Steven Hoggett (Black Watch, American Idiot) and music supervision and orchestrations by Martin Lowe (Mamma Mia!). The set and costume design are by five time Tony Award winner Bob Crowley (The Coast of Utopia, Mary Poppins), lighting design is by Tony winner Natasha Katz (Aida, The Coast of Utopia), and sound design is by Clive Goodwin.

ONCE is the celebrated new musical based on the Academy Award-winning film. It tells the story of an Irish musician and a Czech immigrant drawn together by their shared love of music. Over the course of one fateful week, their unexpected friendship and collaboration evolves into a powerful but complicated romance, heightened by the raw emotion of the songs they create together. Brought to the stage by an award-winning team of visionary artists and featuring an ensemble cast of gifted actor/musicians, ONCE is a musical celebration of life and love: thrilling in its originality, daring in its honesty... and unforgettable in every way.

The 2007 Academy Award-winning film, ONCE, was written and directed by John Carney, and starred Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová, with original music and lyrics by Mr. Hansard and Ms. Irglová.

The Oscar winning independent Irish film, ONCE was made for $150,000. Shot in 17 days, it went on to gross $20M worldwide becoming a critically acclaimed international smash. It stars Glen Hansard, from the popular Irish Rock band The Frames, and Markéta Irglová. Glen and Markéta won the 2007 Academy Award for Best Original song for “Falling Slowly,” the Los Angeles Film Critics Award for Best Music, and the soundtrack was nominated for two Grammy Awards.

ONCE was originally developed at the American Repertory Theater (Cambridge, Massachusetts) in April 2011; Diane Paulus, Artistic Director; Diane Borger, Producer.

A developmental run of ONCE at New York Theatre Workshop (James C. Nicola and William Russo) began performances on November 15, 2011 and opened December 6. The production broke box office records and concluded a sold out engagement including a two week extension through January 15, 2012.

ONCE is produced by Barbara Broccoli, John N. Hart Jr., Patrick Milling Smith, Frederick Zollo, Brian Carmody, Michael G. Wilson, Orin Wolf and Executive Producer Robert Cole, in association with New York Theatre Workshop.





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