Critical Reaction

Critical Reaction

"Like the publishers of successful tabloids throughout history, the team behind Newsies knows exactly what it's selling. And it presents the full range of its merchandise early and brazenly... keep coming at us in full-speed-ahead phalanxes, fortified by every step in a Broadway-by-the-numbers dance book."
– The New York Times

"Stop the presses! Disney has produced a winning, high-energy musical for family audiences that doesn't include a single flying witch, talking animal, or dancing teacup."
– Entertainment Weekly

"A cheerfully old-fashioned mix of a stirring story with a catchy score."
– NJ.com

"Rousing songs by Alan Menken and Jack Feldman, high-energy dance numbers, an appealing cast and an uplifting story make this reconceived version one of Disney Theatrical's most entertaining new properties in years... Newsies adheres to a time-honored Disney tradition of inspirational storytelling in the best possible sense."
– Hollywood Reporter

"[A] barnstorming, four-alarm delight. ...Not since Wicked has there been a big-tent, family-friendly Broadway musical that gets so much so right. ...The Alan Menken-Jack Feldman score pleasingly blends music-hall orchestral swing and power pop, and Feldman's lyrics are more graceful than you'd expect from a show aimed primarily at tweens. Harvey Fierstein's book brims with sass and big-hearted sympathy for the underdog. ...Old-fashioned book musicals with pluck, brains and heart are so rare these days; when you see one as blissfully fun as Newsies, it belongs on the front page in 72-point type."
– TimeOut New York

"Newsies delivers with wit and heart, stick-in-your-head melodies and dazzlingly athletic choreography."
– USA Today

"There are lots of musicals that inspire and stimulate. Only one makes you want to rush outside to buy a newspaper, join a union and hug someone from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. ...Fierstein has nicely built into the plucky David-versus-Goliath story a romance – something the film didn't really have – between Jack, the leader of the strikers, and Katherine, a reporter with a hidden past who is desperate to leave fluffy features and cover hard news."
– The Huffington Post

"Sparked by a star-making performance from Jeremy Jordan, a tunefully friendly score from Alan Menken and Jack Feldman, and high-leaping choreography by Christopher Gattelli, Newsies is Disney's happiest outing since The Lion King. ...Librettist Harvey Fierstein, too, has punched up his joke book, providing a breezy if simplistic framework."
– Variety