Extra! Extra! Read—er, watch—all about it!
Globe LIVE’s unprecedented success with American Idiot and A Christmas Carol raked in a number of theatergoers and enthusiasts at the Globe Iconic Store, which served as the venue of the musicals. This time, the telecommunications giant is partnering again with 9Works Theatrical and bigwig Disney for a more challenging show this July: Newsies.
The high-octane musical, originally a book by Harvey Fierstein, is loosely based on the 1899 strike where a group of young newspaper hawkers hoped to improve compensation in the child labor force. When released as a film in 1992, Newsies was surprisingly a flop. However, when adapted for the stage in 2011, originally produced on Broadway by Disney Theatrical Productions the following year, Newsies was nominated for eight Tony Awards and went home bagging Best Choreography and Best Original Score.
“When Joe [Caliro] and I saw Newsies, we told ourselves, ‘What did we get ourselves into?’ Kasi pala medyo, ang hirap. [And] we’re mounting our first Disney show at that,” said 9Works Theatrical Managing Director and Executive Producer Santi Santa Maria.
He was referring to Globe LIVE Executive Producer & Adviser for Creative Marketing & Multi-Media Businesses Joe Caliro, who beamed that the company is considered a benchmark partner by the multinational entertainment conglomerate. Caliro, together with 9Works Theatrical Director Robbie Guevara, shared that Disney is very protective of their rights and works, making securing the license to stage the play a first in a series of feats.
Intensive training
What proved to be the second challenge the artistic team had to overcome was rehearsing for the play itself. “We usually rehearse for two months, but this time around we needed extra time just to rehearse, only because the choreography was out of this world,” explained Santa Maria.
“A triple threat is really hard to find,” Caliro said. “To take on Newsies, you need a team of triple threats.”
To groom triple threats, a term used to call performers who excel in singing, dancing, and acting, Globe LIVE established Training Ground. This rigorous preparation takes on the many challenging forms of dancing: ballet, jazz, hip hop, and tap to name a few, plus acting and voice lessons. Training Ground is available for streaming via YouTube.
“In the theatrical space, this is Globe LIVE season,” prided Caliro. “We’re in this to help raise the bar of theater in the Philippines.”
The family-friendly Newsies is set to rock the Globe Iconic Store BHS Ampitheater this July 2017. For ticket price and inquiries, head over to TicketWorld here.
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