ENTERTAINMENT CELEBRITY MEDIA COMEDY MUSIC TV CELEBRITY KIDS MOVIEFONE Michael Giltz Freelance writerGET UPDATES FROM MICHAEL GILTZ Read more Christian Bale , Newsies , Newsies Broadway , Papermill Playhouse , Swing Kids , Entertainment News 6 28 2 0React Inspiring Funny Hot Scary Outrageous Amazing Weird CrazyTheater: Newsies Not So Hot Off the Press NEWSIES ** out of **** PAPERMILL PLAYHOUSE Christian Bale has been one of our most talented actors since his brilliant breakthrough in Steven Spielberg's Empire Of The Sun.</p><p> But he has a curious track record with movie musicals.</p><p> In 1993, he starred in Swing Kids , a flop Disney movie about young kids in Germany whowere crazy about big band and swing music just as the Nazis sweep aside their dreams of freedom and the West.</p><p> It's not quite a musical, but it feels like one.</p><p> And ayear earlier Bale starred in Newsies , a movie with just a few modest numbers.</p><p> It told the scrappy true story ofthe street kids who sold newspapers for pennies and went on strike against the powerful Pulitzer syndicate.</p><p> Both films were box office flops but developedardent followings on home video, DVD and cable TV.</p><p> Now Newsies has become a full-blown stage musical at the Papermill Playhouse in New Jersey.</p><p> If it works commercially, it's certain that Swing Kidswon't be far behind.</p><p> The story is family friendly in the Disney fashion.</p><p> Jack Kelly (Jeremy Jordan) is the best newspaper seller around and the natural leader of the hungry waifs who scrape out an existence hawking the latest news.Jack also has a natural gift for drawing -- he paints the sets for the friendly actress and impresario Medda Larkin (Helen Anker).</p><p> That's where he spots eager girl reporter Katherine Plumber (Kara Lindsey), who longs to break out of the society pages and write about something important.</p><p> FOLLOW US 17 Funny Thanksgiving QuotesPHOTOS: Amazing Shots Of Thanksgiving Day...</p><p> Too Much Makeup? PHOTOS: Sasha And Malia Are All Grown Up!EDITION: U.S.</p><p> November 24, 2011 PHOTOS: Amazing Shots Of Thanksgiving Day Parade BalloonsRising! More In Entertainment: Radcliffe's Close Call...</p><p> Thomas Jane Melts...</p><p> Weinstein On Monroe... 'The Muppets' GUESS WHO Like 63 Posted: 9/29/11 07:01 PM ET SHARE THIS STORY Submit this storyGet Entertainment Alerts Sign UpPHOTO GALLERIESCONNECT FRONT PAGE POLITICS BUSINESS ENTERTAINMENT TECH MEDIA LIFE & STYLE CULTURE COMEDY HEALTHY LIVING WOMEN LOCAL MORELike 51KRihanna Movies Television The Oscars Game Changers 2011 More Log inHer chance arises when mogul Joseph Pulitzer decides to squeeze more money for his empire by raising the price they charge the newsies for their copies, almost ensuring they'll be lucky to break even at bestbut giving him more cash in his pocket.</p><p> Who cares about some street urchins? Jack is tempted to abandon his pals and follow the dream of a better life out West.</p><p> But he rallies the lads, Katherine writes the front page story and soon the entire city knows about the horrible working conditions for kids all over the city and the newsies that have taken on the powerful Pulitzer.</p><p> It's as squeaky clean and wholesome as you'd expect from a show drawn from a Disney film.</p><p> The boys are living rough on the streets, but their clothes are so neat and the lads so fresh-faced (despite a smudgehere and there) they look ready for church on Sunday.</p><p> The talk is of unionizing, but impressionable youth in the audience are more likely to be drawn to musical theatre than fighting for workplace rights. (On the other hand, take kids to this and Billy Elliot and Les Miserables and they might just get radicalized after all.) Jeremy Jordan is our hero Jack. (He's also due to star on Broadway soon in the musical Bonnie & Clyde .) He and Lindsey handle their paper-thin roles with ease, not a simple task when the story is filled in with such broad strokes.</p><p> Jordan has a solid voice that gets stronger the more he emotes.</p><p> Lindsey on the other hand has a tendency to a harsh or strident tone when belting it out.</p><p> But they're both personable and the biggest reason the show goes by painlessly.</p><p> Anker - the actress with a heart of gold -- makes the most outof her comic number "Don't Come A-Knockin'," though costume designer Jess Goldstein is at fault for hewing too closely to Disney's sexless vibe.</p><p> Medda's stage costume should be sexy and fun, not frumpy and saggy, especially when the actress playing her is a knockout.</p><p> Overall, this production is impressively full scale and ready for Broadway on a technical level.</p><p> But the show itself still needs a lot of work.</p><p> It feels both thin and over-stuffed.</p><p> One big reason are the songs: itfeels like there are more reprises than actual numbers.</p><p> The four from the movie are fine but unfortunately they are not matched or outshone by any of the new ones.</p><p> Ultimately, we end up with more questions than answers.</p><p> Maybe I missed a passing reference, but why does Jack romanticize Santa Fe? Did he read about it? See it in a movie? Meet a guy who was headed there? It's his dream so it would be nice to know where it came from.</p><p> And what's his relationship with Medda? She's clearly a mother figure, but we have no idea in what way.</p><p> Did she hide him from the copsor give him food when he was hungry? None of the other newsies move beyond a type -- the toughs, the cripple, the kids from good homes (they've got TWO parents) suddenly having to support their family.</p><p> How about a song where the kids sell newspapers and deliver the headlines of the day? Or another wheresome of them take center stage.</p><p> If Joseph Pulitzer is going to be the villain of the piece, he should do something truly villainous or at least become more complicated and interesting than the paper tiger he remains here.</p><p> Show Jack's growth as athinker and Davey's growth as a fighter more clearly.</p><p> Davey -- played nicely by Ben Fankhauser -- is the kid from a stable home and the intellectual of the bunch.</p><p> The songs need more work, along with the choreography by Christopher Gattelli.</p><p> Act Two has a rousing opener with "King Of New York." But it'shard to tell if the eager cast of performers is simply not razor tight or whether Gattelli is going for a loose, unprecise vibe.</p><p> In any case, something is off because too often the performers seem ever so slightly out of sync.MOST POPULAR ON HUFFPOST 1 of 2 Fox News Viewers Know Less Than People Who Watch No News: Study Charlie Angus What if They Declared an Emergency and No One Came? 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They believe in thematerial.</p><p> Now they just need material that believes in them enough to tell a richer, more complicated story.</p><p> The Theater Season 2011-2012 (on a four star scale) All's Well That Ends Well/Shakespeare in the Park ** Broadway By The Year: 1997 ** 1/2 Crane Story ** Cymbeline at Barrow Street Theatre *** Follies *** 1/2 Hair *** Hero: The Musical * 1/2 Lake Water ** Master Class w Tyne Daly ** 1/2 Measure For Measure/Shakespeare in the Park *** Newsies ** Olive and The Bitter Herbs ** 1/2 One Arm *** The Select (The Sun Also Rises) ** 1/2 Septimus & Clarissa *** 1/2 Silence! The Musical * 1/2 Spiderman: Turn Off The Dark * 1/2 Sweet and Sad ** Unnatural Acts *** Zarkana ** NEW YORK MUSICAL THEATRE FESTIVAL 2011Ennio: The Living Paper Cartoon ** 1/2 Kissless * 1/2 FRINGEFEST NYC 2011Araby * The Bardy Bunch ** Books On Tape ** 1/2 Civilian ** Hard Travelin' With Woody *** Leonard Cohen Koans *** 1/2 The More Loving One ** The Mountain Song *** 1/2 Paper Cuts *** Parker & Dizzy's Fabulous Journey To The End Of The Rainbow ** 1/2 Pearl's Gone Blue *** Rachel Calof ** 1/2 Romeo & Juliet: Choose Your Own Ending ** 2 Burn * 1/2 Walls and Bridges ** What The Sparrow Said ** 1/2 Yeast Nation *** Thanks for reading.</p><p> Michael Giltz is the cohost of Showbiz Sandbox, a weekly pop culture podcast that reveals the industry take on entertainment news of the day and features top journalists and opinionTOP VIDEO PICKS 1 of 9 MOST DISCUSSED RIGHT NOW 1of 2 HOT ON FACEBOOK 1 of 3More Entertainment News at THR.com More Celebrity News at People.comFor 'We Bought A Zoo'; Names His 5 FavoriteMovies Miss Piggy KeepsPaparazzi at Bay byTossing Cupcakes READ MORE Melanie Amaro Reveals Her'True Self' on X Factor READ MORE Tiffani Thiessen: We Have 'Built In' Babysitters READ MORE ET to GO: Behind the Scenes With the Muppets Who Has a Crush on Dave Grohl? 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'Pete & Pete' Reunion: Cast, Creative Crew...makers as guests.</p><p> It's available for free on iTunes.</p><p> Visit Michael Giltz at his website and his daily blog.</p><p> Download his podcast of celebrity interviews and his radio show, also called Popsurfing and also available for free on iTunes.</p><p> Link to him on Netflix and gain access to thousands of ratings and reviews.</p><p> Note : Michael Giltz was provided with free tickets to these show with the understanding that he would be writing a review.</p><p> Follow Michael Giltz on Twitter: www.twitter.com/michaelgiltz Buy a link here Sponsored Links 57-Year-Old Mom Looks 25 Her clever $6 Wrinkle Therapy Angers Botox Doctors. www.iconsumerknowledge.com Weight Watchers® Online Get online weight loss tools and resources from the brand you trust. www.WeightWatchers.com New Trick in TENNESSEE If you drive 25 mi/day or less you better read this...</p><p> Insurance.Comparisons.org "African Fruit Burns Fat" How This Strange 62-Cent African Fruit Is Making Americans Skinny HealthScienceMag.com/AfricanMango More in Entertainment...</p><p> HOT ON TWITTER 1of 2 HUFFPOST'S BIG NEWS PAGES Holidays Film Unions scotland Europe Conservative Party Energy Prices Business Black Friday Buy a link here Sponsored Links The New "Skinny" Fruit How This Strange 62-Cent African Fruit Is Making Americans Skinny. www.HLifestyles.com Charmin® Toilet Paper We All Go.</p><p> Why Not Enjoy The Go w/Charmin® Toilet Paper.</p><p> Try Today! www.Charmin.com/Toilet-Paper eBay® - Official Site Visit eBay for great deals on a huge selection of items.</p><p> Shop eBay! www.ebay.com MORE BIG NEWS PAGES » ENTERTAINMENT CELEBRITY MEDIA COMEDY MUSIC TV CELEBRITY KIDS MOVIEFONE Advertise | Log In | Make HuffPost your Home Page | RSS | Careers | FAQ Bachman With 'Lyin' Ass Bitch' Like 4K The Smartest Show On TV Proves It With Secret Scene Like 938 elizrael RetweetFox News Viewers Know Less Than People Who Don't Watch Any News: Study http://t.co/klJgOR3q theellenshow RetweetI'm so thankful for @MarloThomasand Jennifer Aniston and the incredible work they do for children.</p><p> You can help them. http://t.co/8e6dE FRONT PAGE POLITICS BUSINESS ENTERTAINMENT TECH MEDIA LIFE & STYLE CULTURE COMEDY HEALTHY LIVING WOMEN LOCAL MOREUser Agreement | Privacy | Comment Policy | About Us | About Our Ads | Contact Us Copyright © 2011 TheHuffingtonPost.com, Inc. | "The Huffington Post" is a registered trademark of TheHuffingtonPost.com, Inc.</p><p> All rights reserved.</p><p> Part of HuffPost News
