Newsies has been a huge hit on Broadway, and they’ve been nominated for 8 Tony Awards.
From Thursday to Sunday, 40 friends and family members will take to New York City for a reunion of sorts, and it will be my second trip to the Big Apple.
Since I’m new to this whole New York thing, I’m still not particularly looking forward to the rudeness, congestion or smell of Gotham. On the other hand, it will be exciting to see family members that I haven’t seen in years.
But there’s one reason why I’m especially excited about this mini-vacation — seeing Newsies on Broadway.
That might sound a little weird if you don’t know me. After all, this was a sports blog three days ago, and now I’m talking about Broadway plays.
What a smooth transition it’s been.
My brother, Ryan, is a cast member in the Disney musical, and in under two months, the show’s initial Broadway run has been nothing short of spectacular. Eight Tony nominations, five nominations for Outstanding Male Dancer in a Broadway Show (one of which is Ryan) and an open extension on their Broadway run through at least Nov. 18.
If you’re in New York City, you have to go see this show, and I’m not even getting a cut of my brother’s earnings to say that (although I’m open to it if you’re offering, bro).
The show has to be the most exciting show on Broadway. It’s two hours of fast-paced flipping and running up and down a complex web of staircases made to resemble New York City exterior stairs that hang from buildings. There are constant, high-risk moves from the nearly-all-male cast, but it yields very high reward for the audience.
I may be biased, but the critics aren’t, and Newsies has been getting rave reviews.
My brother was still in college a year ago. Since then, he moved to NYC, landed a gig on a show that seemed destined for greatness and rode the Newsies train from a theater in New Jersey all the way to their big break at the Nederlander in Manhattan. The theater could be a little less cramped, but it’s about a block from Times Square and the New York Times is at the end of the road. It’s about as good as it gets for an up-and-comer.
He has a great gig as the character “Race” in the 1990s movie-turned-play, and I’m excited to see my family members react to seeing him perform live for the first time, which will be the case for some of them. We’ve been seeing him perform for years, but it’s hard to picture your brother on Broadway. I knew he would be successful, but holding a large role in a successful play in his first year out of college?
And getting shout-outs from celebrities?
Hey @ just saw your rap on the show website & got a much-needed laugh! Way 2 drop some rhymes, white boy! Gr8 job in the show!
— Lisa Lampanelli
That’s pretty cool. And, if I can brag for a second, I’m a pretty proud brother.
Back to home page
I’m going to be up there for the US Open Labor Day wknd. I’ll look into checking it out on one of the nights we don’t have tennis.
I’m jealous that you get to go to the Open, and yeah, definitely check it out.
Continued success to your brother Sean, and to you as well with Breslanta!
Thank you…both have been great so far!
Nice work Sean!
Thanks a bunch!
So you just commented on my blog, so I went to your blog to see what you write about… imagine my surprise (and ENVY) to learn that your bro is in Newsies… you could say, I’ve been mildly obsessed with Newsies since 1993? 1994? See exhibit A and B. Can’t wait to see it in NYC soon!
That’s awesome! Yes, my brother is a Newsie…Race, to be specific. Be sure to go check out the show!