It is true. I recently fell off the blogging bandwagon. Call it lack of motivation, busy work weeks, or just plain laziness, the truth of the matter is that I have not been inspired to write as of late. But now is the time to seize the day. And why do we fall, Bruce? So we can learn to pick ourselves up.
For those of you who have read my blog closely (bless you all) and are up on pop culture, you will have noticed that this is my second reference to Christopher Nolan’s (or as I say, Christian Bales’s) masterpiece Batman Begins. You may be thinking, “dang, two references, this must be this girl’s favorite movie!” In which case, you would be wrong. So so very wrong. While I do greatly appreciate this film for its many witty quotes and numerous scenes of Christian Bale flying from rooftops – give me a choice and I would pick watching Christian Bale dance and sing through the streets of New York City every single time. That’s a no brainer. That’s right, my favorite movie has and will always be Disney’s classic Newsies.
This heartwarming musical, inspired by the true story of the 1899 New York City newsboy strike, debuted in 1992. At the time it received less than glamorous reviews. One writer went as so far to say the film, “suffers from sluggish storytelling, a vocally challenged cast (led by an uncomfortable-looking Christian Bale) and poorly shot dance numbers bursting with anachronisms.” The critiques and poor publicity (however unjust, untrue, and misplaced as they were…), did not keep the film from infiltrating hearts and homes throughout the country. My heart and home was no different. Though I cannot remember the first time I saw Newsies, I know I was young (six maybe) and I know I have watched it hundreds of times since.
I am a fan of this musical, to say the least. When I got my first CD player, the Newsies Soundtrack was the first CD I purchased (to be followed by Chumbawamba…go figure). I used to sit in my room and sing the female vocal parts over and over again (mind you, of the 16 tracks, there are only four songs with female vocals) practicing for the one day I would get to perform Newsies on the big stage. I also spent many evenings playing and rewinding, playing and rewinding, playing and rewinding the VHS trying to learn the choreography. To this day I can still (proudly?) replicate many of the dance steps.
You see, I was convinced that one day Newsies would make it to Broadway and I was even more convinced I would play a leading role in the show. Well, many years later, I am pleased to announce my dream has come true…at least partially. Newsies has finally made it to the big stage. And while I am not starring in the ensemble, I have the best seats money can buy! This weekend I’m headed up to Jersey (the show has yet to be picked up by New York Broadway) to see the show I have dreamt of since the age of six. So, here’s to dreams coming true (partially). Carryin’ the banner!
And as for Christian Bale looking uncomfortable, I’ll let you be the judge of that:
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