#girlsies

[frogmanfae]

Making uksies Brooklyn all girls was a great idea. So great that, actually, I think we should do it again, except this time even better. Everyone is a woman. All female cast. 100% girlsies.

#im right #newsies #uksies #newsies uk #girlsies #all girls #all girl newsies

[itzmoss]

ok so there are the uksies character descriptions i have seen and i cant help but think about this one

like i think abt this all the time like i

bobbie what

what do you mean

what i

IS SPLINT DEAD?

like WDYM SHE DIDNT GET BACK UP IS SPLINT DEAD?

does this need to be recognized by the fandom more like???

i think ive seen maybe two other people post abt this

CAN WE TALK ABT IT MORE LIKE??

ok idk what else to say other than i think abt this all the time

#newsies #uksies #west endsies #brooklyn newsies #brooklyn girlsies #girlsies #splint newsies #stray newsies #spot conlon

[ill-say-anything-i-hafta]

So, you think Newsies Jr. is a watered-down cash grab? I just finished reading the script (so you wouldn't have to!) and the differences are surprisingly rad:

-There are multiple canonical girl characters in the Manhattan newsies ensemble. Two of them back up Katherine and make Jack agree to give her an exclusive.

-Crutchie is badass and gets more to do. They menace the Delanceys with their own crutch instead of Jack doing it on their behalf, and instead of being "too slow," they get arrested while covering for Jack and encouraging him to run! (I have been wondering for a while whether the fight scene could be staged this way/wanting to write fix-it fic about it.)

-Btw I say "they" because Crutchie is never referred to by any gendered words in the script. They even cut the "your brother" tearjerker. Crutchie's canonical real name is the gender neutral Casey and the stage directions and casting breakdown use they/them.

-Same goes for Les, referred to in stage directions as "David's younger sibling."

Medda's song "That's Rich" " got removed and replaced by a feminist anthem.

-Spot, hyped as the toughest newsie in all five boroughs, is explicitly a girl. Everyone shrinks in fear when she turns up. (Is this where uksies got the idea?)

-Darcy got replaced by Dorothy.

Hannah is the one who has the idea to give Jack a job drawing cartoons. And Katherine negotiates double pay for him!

-No slurs -- not even from the Delanceys while they mock Crutchie, and def not from bff Jack.

-No "Something to Believe In"; no kiss, shifting the emphasis of the story away from hetero romance to a celebration of the strike and friendship.

I feel like Disney is kind of telling on themselves by making the play less sexist and ableist ONLY in the version for young audiences ...

#I do miss Racetrack's cigar tho #canonically genderqueer crutchie #crutchie morris #hannah newsies #katherine pulitzer #spot conlon #girlsies #analysis #newsies jr #newsies #livesies

[thesongofpurplesummer]

FANSIES WHAT IF THE GIRL THAT LES TALKED ABOUT (Sally) WAS ALSO THE YOUNGEST BROOKLYN GIRLSIE

#newsies #newsies uk #girlsies #uksies #les jacobs #brooklyn girlsies #brooklyn newsies #musicals #uk newsies #spot conlon #les newsies #mack newsies #lucky newsies #splint newsies #stray newsies #scope newsies #ritz newsies #pips newsies #spot newsies #newsies the musical #newsies forever #poor guys head is spinning #benonce #newsies cast #newsies london #london newsies #newsies broadway #newsies davey #newsies 2017 #broadway

[aceofspades-sml]

So not normal about them

#one last time... #newsies uk #uksies #newsies #girlsies

[brooklynbadboys]

A History of Girlsies

After a rise popularity of the 'girlsies' after Newises UK introduced Brooklyn as an all-female group of Newises, I decided to look deeper into the history of newsgirls at the time.

This is only for fun and a way for me to acknowledge the women at the time who until Newsies UK, were rarely given a spotlight in Newsies media.

Late 1800s

In 1868, there were roughly 300 newgirls and 2000 newsboys living in New York, but exact numbers were hard to state as newsies were 'at all hours in all public places’

Prior to mid 1800s, many newsgirls had to dress as boys in order to bypass social prohibitions

There were newsgirls of different backgrounds, education, class and age, but most were age 8-20

Many newsgirls were expert sellers, making names for themselves, having their own territories and gaining devoted customers

Multiple sources state the intelligence of the newsgirls being higher than that of the newsboys, likely having to work more than the newsboys to make the same wage

The media at the time presented newsgirls as pretty, witty and resourceful, whilst the newsgirls described themselves as real people in unfortunate situations

People within society had opposing reports on newsgirls, as some stated them to be stylish, respectable and intelligent, whilst others stated their crudeness, and raggedness and coarseness

There are many more mixed accounts, as others report newsgirls as heroic, behaving far better than the newsboys, respecting the city more and going out of their way to help civilians

The newsgirls were widely disliked as the idea of girls working on the streets was seen as evil and it was believed that the girls would put the newsboys out of business

It was also believed that the girls would be corrupted and lose their innocence and therefore should leave the work to the boys

This led many newgirls to work in less seen areas of the city, as the newsboys ran the city, making their presence known

What was most loved about the newsboys, such as their camaraderie and hardwork, was hated about the newsgirls

The girls often faced injustices and dangers far greater than the boys. Newsgirls as young as eleven were often harassed, robbed by male street workers, abducted and assaulted. This was used in the defence of banning all newsgirls under sixteen

The New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children

In the late 1880s, the community disliked the newsgirls so deeply that they wanted to get the girls off the street for good. It was passed that girls under 16 were no longer allowed to sell papers

They disguised this cruelty as an act of kindness to protect the girls and guide them to a life of motherhood and domesticity

The girls listened before one day fighting back, all swarming to the streets

A few years later, another attack on the newsgirls occured due to complaints from newsboys, publishers and patrons

Newsgirls were given warnings, and if they were to return to selling papers, then and their parents would be arrested and punished severely

By the end of the 19th century as few as 12 newsgirls under 16 were left in New York City

This ban extended to the newsboys in 1899, but little consequence was given and enforcement was low, unlike the ban on newsgirls

Newsgirls in New York:

Notable New York Newsgirls

Winnie and Sadie Horn (‘the soubrette newsgirls’)

In the late 1800s, they were two of the most famous newsgirls, working from 3pm to 3am everyday

Winnie was blind in one eye and dressed eccentrically, reporting to have spoken in Shakespearean English. She would scribble quotes from literature, such as the bible and Shakespeare, on her newspapers

Winnies loyal customers ranged from the New York City mayor to Theodore Roosevelt

Winnie was known as ‘winsome Winnie’ and ‘queen of the newsies’

They stated that them and their sisters were ‘born newsgirls’

Winnie was notable and had many mentions in the papers up until her death:

Mary Welter

Marywent to school until she was 13 and wanted to continue, but she had to support her family

She sold papers at twenty-third street ferry and upwards of 10 dollars a week ($328)

She would stay focused on business when and the competing newsboys inevitably began to act up throughout the day, she would take their customers

Newsies the musical

Before Newsies UK, there were no newsgirl characters. Despite claims of characters such as Smalls being women, they were dressed as newsboys and the Smalls Broadway actress, Laurie Veldheer, stated that Smalls is a boy.

Smalls in Newsies OBC:

With characters as old as 17 (Jack Kelly), and newsgirls of over 16 being allowed to work at this time, along with evidence of newsgirls taking part in the strike, there is no reason for newsgirls to have been left out of the story. There are arguments that may be made about Brooklyn being all women and the inaccuracies of this, but I pose to that how accurate is it for the newsies to be singing, dancing, and flying.

Brooklyn in Newsies UK:

A final note: This may seem redundant after titling this post ‘the history of girlsies’, but I feel the need to point it out: ‘Newsies’ isn’t a gendered term. Newsgirls throughout history have referred to themselves as ‘newsies’. There is no need to other newsgirls and separate them from the term. They are newsies and their gender doesn’t change that.

I hope this can shed some light on newsgirls and their history, and why their stories should be heard alongside the retellings of the newsboys.

Sources:

Extra: The history of America’s girl newsies

Backstage at “newsies” with Ben fankhauser and Tommy bracco

“The newsgirl question”: competing frames of progressive era girl newsies

Newsies vs. The World

#newsies #newsies uk #broadway #uksies #musicals #west endsies #jack kelly #spot conlon #girlsies #brooklyn #spot #newsies 1992 #newsies broadway #92sies #newsies history #newsboys #history

[baura-bear]

I made a slide show presentation with a run down of the UKsies cast for anyone trying to familiarize themself or for anyone trying to help out a friend!!! I have a slide for every member (hopefully I didn’t forget anyone lol!) but this is a great source if you’re trying to memorize names and faces! I even have a fun little game at the end! This was super fun to make!!!! 

#i did this instead of writing an essay and studying for a test #so much time #newsies #newsies uk #uksies #newsies fandom #newsies musical #michael ahomka lindsay #Ryan kopel #bronte barbe #mukeni nel #mark samaras #matthew duckett #matt trevorrow #girlsies

[this-is-ali]

I love her, your honor.

#imogen bailey #stray #the poor guy's head is spinning #newsies uk #newsies #newsies musical #girlsies #musical #theatre #video #uksies #west endsies #i love her your honor #immie b

[girlsies-week-2023]

Information on some of my favorite Girlsies !!! For sillies !!!

(working title was me infodumping about girlsies under the excuse that it is relevent to the event)

I don't have the energy to go through & update this post at the moment, but @thegroundsofbrooklyn has a post here that has more info on the UK Brooklyn Girls !!!

Starting out with our number one, the original girlsie: Charlie (Hard Promises) !!!

Charlie was the original love interest for Jack in Hard Promises, and she was a newsie !! Her story was that she was living in a house of prostitution with her aunt (with her aunt trying to shield her from as much as possible to stop her from going into that life / being exposed to it) and she was planning to (and did!) go with Jack to Santa Fe at the end.

Next up: Smalls (Papermill - Broadway) (Manhattan / Possibly The Bronx) !!!:

I know that whether or not Smalls is a girl is up to interpretation but I am interpreting her as a girl & including her in this list (same with Sniper).

Smalls is a Bronx newsie (as implied by her yelling so's da Bronx during Brooklyn's Here), but she's still allowed in Manhattan (hence being there for KoNY in some versions), so she's probably allowed to wander around on her own.

According to Liana Hunt, she lives in a family with at least one parent and a ton of brothers who all work to support them, so she's sort've eager to be one of the boys in that sense — she's also super tough.

Talls !!! (Broadway) (Manhattan / Possibly The Bronx):

Talls was Caitlyn Caughell's newsie whenever she was on for that track. I have no information on her besides the fact that she was played by Caitlyn Caughell & is probably a play on her height of some kind — + also being a play on Smalls. Smalls & Talls <3

Sniper !!! (Tour) (Manhattan / Possibly The Bronx):

I'm going to be mixing in other backstories for this because as far as I'm aware Sniper's the only newsie on that list with a backstory that isn't from their actress ? + she has more involvement in the show when she isn't a girl so I'm going off that

But according to Alex Wong — Sniper's last name is Wah, and she's the daughter (son in this backstory but it's okay) of Sam Wah, who owns the laundromat above Jacobi's (the sign of which can be seen in the pre-uksies Jacobi scenes). She's named after her 'incredible aim' with a slingshot.

In certain versions, she's one of the scabs, the last one to throw down her papers, and the one to go 'Ah, what the hell? My father's gonna kill me anyway!' in the proshot. In the tour, she was also the one to yell so's da bronx.

Puddles !!! (Tour) (Manhattan / Possibly The Bronx):

Puddles is in the same group as Talls in the sense that there is like no canon lore about her & there isn't even any information besides her name and the fact that she was played by Melissa Steadman Hart during the tour. However she has the cutest nickname and deserved to be included in this list.

Marriott! Buttons !!! (Marriott) (Manhattan):

According to Adrienne Storrs, the actress for Buttons, she's been a newsie for three years. Her parents are poor Italian immigrants that don't speak English, so she works to support them. She was convinced to start selling Newspapers by JoJo after being caught pickpocketing on the street.

Buttons & JoJo are best gal pals, she sees Specs as a younger brother figure (she's always looking out for him), and Race and Albert are her favorite people to joke around with!

She has (had?) a rich boyfriend that went to jail for forgery a bit before the strike, so she's a little heartbroken during it, but she's 'continuing to live her life and she has the best newsie friends'.

She has a really positive mindset in general.

She also (along with JoJo) checked Katherine out when she walked into Jacobi's and later taught her how to Irish dance during KoNY with JoJo !!!

Marriott! JoJo !!! (Marriott) (Manhattan):

According, once again, to Adrienne Storrs, JoJo (who's real name is Josephine) is 'one tough cookie'. She was originally a pickpocket, but Jack found her and took her under her wing for ten percent of her earnings when she was almost twelve. She was one of the original newsies in the Manhattan group, and after three years she started seeking out other girl newsies (& that's when Buttons came along !!). She's been a newsie for about five years, 'not too far behind how long Jack had been selling'.

She has an Irish father and a Romanian mother and they were circus artists that came to America with P.T Barnum in the 1870s. She was born in 1882 (making her seventeen at the time of the strike) and she was raised around a circus.

Rafaela (Marriott) (Brooklyn):

Once again, according to Adrienne Storrs, Rafaela's parents moved from Spain to Puerto Rico in the 1880s and she was born there in 1885. They moved to New York City when she was five and she's very close with her brothers, who were six and eight at the time. All three children became newsies at the same time, being expected to work as much as their parents did.

She didn't go to school, she taught herself how to read and speak English, using her time as a newsie as a teaching device. She's super tough, and she had to grow up really fast. She 'has a strong sense of community with her family and fellow Brooklyn Newsies'.

Joey (Marriott) (Brooklyn):

You guessed it, information yet again from Adrienne Storrs!

Joey is Racetrack Higgins' cousin, and she's super positive. She's also secretly a really good fighter.

Hildy (Marriott) (Brooklyn):

You'll never guess where this info is from.

Hildy is German, and her parents own a sausage shop, and she likes to get into trouble.

Honorable mention to Nancy, Hazel, and Muriel from Newsies Jr.

I don't have the energy to read through all of newsies jr rn to find out which lines they have, however I can tell you off the top of my head that they are very supportive of Katherine and probably also on the younger side (because. Newsies Jr. Obviously).

If anyone who's played them would like to mention their backstory in the rbs or in this accs ask box, that would be lovely !!!

Spot Conlon (UK) (Brooklyn):

Using Lillie-Pearl's backstory for Spot here, because Clarice never got the opportunity to share hers if she had one :(

Lillie-Pearl's backstory for Spot is that her parents were Irish and African American immigrants living in Seneca Village.

Spot in Uksies is very close with Davey !!! According to Lillie-Pearl, she doesn't call him Davey, she calls him David, and in her cameo description she added 'making rhymes with Davey' into her list of things she enjoyed. She is also very close with her girls (obviously), specifically Lucky & Stray, who she did the handshake with depending on what point in the show it was. She also liked Race, depending on the day.

(She also probably isn't on awful terms with most of the Manhattan newsies, especially if they're girls.)

Lucky (Newsies UK) (Brooklyn):

Lucky doesn't have a lot of canon lore too her HOWEVER I can tell you that she used to do the handshake with Spot back when she existed, was called Tops for some performances, AND her real name is Eliza !!! She also interacted with Scope a lot during The Rally.

Mack (Newsies UK) (Brooklyn):

Mack's real name is Jeanie MacDonald, but she shortened it down to Mack because she didn't like her name.

She's a Scottish immigrant whose family moved to the U.S (just North of New York) to start a farm, but a plague of locusts destroyed the farm, so they had to move into the city for work.

She couldn't stand being stuck in their one bedroom cramped apartment, so her father suggested that she take up work as a Newsie.

Splint (Newsies UK) (Brooklyn):

Splint's arm is in a Splint !!! For some mystery reason that definitely isn't because Bobbie's hand was injured at the time of the first preview. Definitely not.

She doesn't appear after The Rally, which is because — according to Bobbie — she falled down & died :( (Bobbie needed 2 be there as Hannah)

Also her real name is Splinty McSplint.

(Bobbie also said that if she were to have a love interest it would be Buttons.)

Scope (Newsies UK) (Brooklyn):

I have no canon info about Scope besides the fact that she has the world's cutest pigtails and hung around Lucky at The Rally a lot :(

Ritz (Newsies UK) (Brooklyn):

Ritz' real name is Rita, and her nickname comes from ritz crackers and also Lucy's last characters name !! That's all the canon info we have on her as far as ik :(

Stray (Newsies UK) (Brooklyn):

Stray's nickname comes from her feeding all of the stray animals of New York !!!

She is related to Specs in some way (probably siblings, considering the fact that Sam & Immie are).

She becomes a Bowery Beauty when she's older, and her real name is from a newsgirl turned dancer but Immie doesn't remember who that is — the closest I got in my research is Lillian Russell, who wasn't a newsgirl but yk close enough.

(Her love interest would've been Mike !!)

Pips (Newsies UK) (Brooklyn):

Again, no canon information on Pips as far as I'm aware, besides the fact that she is literally adorable

#girlsies week 2023 #newsies #girlsies #newsies uk #uksies #spot conlon #smalls newsies #brooklyn girlsies #hard promises #toursies #bwaysies #i was gonna add references & stuff 2 this but it's 1am & i'm tired #i just want 2 get this over with #anyways !! yeah !! i'm normsl #askbox is always open if you have questions / notes

[the-woild-is-y-erster]

im really crankin these out huh

eel actually keeping his word and keeping up with newsiestober???!? wild!!!!!

anywhizzle newsiestober day 6

@newsiestober2023

prompt: girlsies

i decided to take a different spin on it, and genderswapped them :) so please enjoy, the girls ever

#ignore how racer looks clinically insane and jacks lips look weird #istg it looks so much better irl #newsiestober #newsiestober2023 #newsies #girlsies #livesies #racetrack higgins #spot conlon #jack kelly #davey jacobs #crutchie morris #eel draws things!

[this-is-macy]

I cried so hard watching the Newsies UK cast's Olivier performance last night and I want to talk about why!

Firstly, I just love this show so much! I can't afford to travel overseas which means I haven't gotten to see much of the UK production, sadly, so this medley was an absolute treat! Honestly, it blew me away! It brought me to happy tears to see that this show and these songs are in such great hands! BUT it goes so much deeper than that.

Two actors in this cast are disabled. As a disabled person myself, I can't tell you how validating it feels to see people like me being cast in professional theatre. Unfortunately, it's still rare. Even in a show like Newsies which features disabled characters and is based on a historic event that was led by a disabled person. It makes me feel incredibly encouraged and empowered to see them up there on that stage! (Especially given that one of them is visually impaired like me!!!) Mukeni Nel and Matthew Duckett, y'all are my heroes. 💜

And, of course, I lost it when the Brooklyn girlsies came out! Historically, women and girls also worked as newsies and were involved in the strike, and it feels SO good to finally see that represented in the story!

I can't stress this enough: REPRESENTATION 👏 IS 👏 SO 👏 IMPORTANT! 👏

(Also, I want to see this show so 👏 damn 👏 bad! 👏 😭)

#newsies uk #uksies #west endsies #britsies #newsies #olivier awards #mukeni nel #matthew duckett #disability representation #representation #musical #theatre #musical theatre #west end #newsies musical #disabled #disability #visually impaired #girlsies

[jackmkelly]

i think i could genuinely talk about girl newsies until i run out of breath & pass out i love them so much

#newsies #newsies uk #brooklyn girlsies #smalls newsies #girlsies

[chimeofthecomet]

GUYS LOOKIE mack lore! and a canon spelling, i was using mac 😅 I care so much abt the brooklyn girls for knowing so little, plus lindsay was so lovely to talk to after she saw my drawing 💖💖💖💖

#newsies uk #uksies #newsies mack #jeanie macdonald #hehe i get to debut that tag #west endsies #newsies london #britsies #newsies mac #brooklyn girlsies #girlsies

[thesongofpurplesummer]

I looked up the lyrics to ‘Letter From the Refuge’ from Newsies, and on the website, they had an ad titled ‘Am I Gay Quiz’

I’m not sure how to feel

#newsies #newsies cast #newsies broadway #newsies uk #newsies london #newsies crutchie #crutchie morris #crutchie #musicals #broadway #andrew keenan bolger #andy richardson #matthew duckett #girlsies

[aceofspades-sml]

If I see one more "uksies ruined the whole Sprace dynamic" post I'm gonna explode because while okay we are all used to them being gay icons have you considered the potential uksies Sprace holds right now ? They could be bi4bi. T4T. Enby lovers. Partners in crime. Idiots to friends to lovers. Respectable young man who is also an idiot x scary girl who can kick the shit out of him but likes him for some reason.

Your honor. Uksies Race has the potential to reach a whole new level of dumb (affectionate) here. Uksies Spot can reach a whole new level of done™ in this relationship and you bet I'm here for it.

#yes we all know and love gay sprace but THEM #their dynamic has so much potential and this is the hill i will die on #newsies #newsies uk #uksies #sprace #spot conlon #racetrack higgings #west endsies #girlsies

[brooklynbadboys]

Do the girlsies in Brooklyn have names?

they do <3

#newsies #newsies uk #uksies #brooklyn #girlsies #spot conlon #mac #lucky #scope #splint #stray #west endsies #west end