Broadway 2 A Day: 2010-2013 (Bonnie & Clyde, Once, Newsies)

Hello all and happy belated Thanksgiving - I'm a bit behind on this challenge (shocking) but am determined to finish no later than January. 

In recent news, theatrical genius Stephen Sondheim passed away yesterday at the age of 91 - leaving behind a powerful legacy. I plan to post a compilation of some of my favorite lyrics of his soon so stay tuned. 

In the meantime let's check in on these 2010s shows.

• Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark
• Have I heard of it before? Yes, this show made a lot of headlines for cast member injuries and going over budget
• Did I enjoy it? Not really
• Synopsis: The musical follows the story of teenager Peter Parker, whose unremarkable life is turned upside-down—literally—when he’s bitten by a genetically altered spider and wakes up the next morning clinging to his bedroom ceiling. This bullied science-geek—suddenly endowed with astonishing powers—soon learns, however, that with great power comes great responsibility as villains test not only his physical strength but also his strength of character. (Broadway.com)
• Favorite song: If The World Should End
• Leap of Faith
• Have I heard of it before? Nope
• Did I enjoy it? I sort of tuned this one out
• Synopsis: Leap of Faith is a stage musical based on the 1992 American movie of the same name, which starred Steve Martin. The music is by Alan Menken, with lyrics by Glenn Slater and a book by Janus Cercone and Slater about a con man posing as a man of faith, who is redeemed by the love of a good woman. (Wikipedia)
• Favorite song: Dancing in the Devil's Shoes
• Ghost
• Have I heard of it before? Yes, but I still haven't seen the movie and need to
• Did I enjoy it? Yeah there's some really touching songs in here
• Synopsis: Longtime couple Sam and Molly are happily in love and living together in Brooklyn. Walking back to their apartment one night, they are mugged at gunpoint, leaving Sam murdered on a dark street. Sam is trapped between this world and the next as a ghost and unable to leave Molly--- who he quickly learns is in grave danger. With the help of a storefront psychic named Oda Mae Brown, Sam tries to communicate with Molly in the hope of protecting her. (Stage Agent)
• Favorite song: With You
• Lysistrata Jones
• Have I heard of it before? Nope
• Did I enjoy it? I think I would have to see this one live
• Synopsis: Lysistrata Jones is a new transfer student to Athens U., and is shocked at the apathy and lack of school spirit amongst her friends. First she tries to create a cheerleading squad and a team mascot to drum up support. When that doesn’t work, she takes inspiration from Aristophanes’ play in which wives goes on a sex strike until the men quit fighting the Peloponnesian War. Lysistrata gathers the girls around her to take a pledge to give up “giving it up.” Guided by Hetaira, the narrator and chorus, Lysistrata vows to inspire and motivate the students around her to find their passion for their school and each other. (Stage Agent)
• Favorite song: Where Am I Now?
• Bonnie & Clyde
• Have I heard of it before? Oh yeah, I was obsessed with this show when it came out and may or may not have watched the bootleg recording more than once.
• Did I enjoy it? As always - Jeremy Jordan and Laura Osnes were perfect in this show
• Synopsis: Frustrated with their poor, ordinary lives, Bonnie and Clyde both dream of the exciting lives they have seen in the movies. After escaping from jail, Clyde meets Bonnie and recognizes a fellow dreamer. Their craving for fame and thrills leads them into a life of crime and a life on the run. Despite the pleas of their families, the couple embarks on a series of robberies at gunpoint, continuously evading the police and becoming the celebrities they desperately wanted to be. They are soon joined by Clyde’s brother, Buck, and the “Barrow Gang” plans increasingly ambitious heists. As their fame and ambition grow, their inevitable fate draws closer. (Stage Agent)
• Favorite song: Dyin' Ain't So Bad
• Once
• Have I heard of it before? Yes! Another musical based on a movie that I need to watch.
• Did I enjoy it? Yeah, the music is very folksy and moving
• Synopsis: You know the story: Guy meets Girl. But in Once, an unconventional and romantic musical based on the award-winning 2006 film, what follows is not a traditional love story. Guy, a heartbroken musician busking for coins on the streets of Dublin, meets Girl, a Czech immigrant with a complicated history and a broken vacuum cleaner. Despite their differences, Guy and Girl find common ground, a shared language, and genuine love in creating music together. With a cast of incredible actor-musicians who accompany themselves on the soaring, gut-wrenching folk-rock score, Once is a unique theatrical experience. (Stage Agent)
• Favorite song: Falling Slowly
• Newsies
• Have I heard of it before? Oh yeah. This was the first show I was on Broadway in NYC my sophomore year of high school and I've seen it on tour and watched the pro-shot on Disney+ a couple times since.
• Did I enjoy it? I love this show - great music, amazing dancing - fun for the whole family
• Synopsis: New York City, 1899. Jack Kelly and his ragtag team of newsboys make a meager living selling newspapers on the city streets. But when the prices of “papes” are hiked and the newsies are hung out to dry, there is nothing left to do but “open the gates and seize the day!” Led by charismatic Jack and independent, young newspaper reporter Katherine Plummer, the Newsies form a union and organize a strike against the greedy publisher of the New York World. Can a group of idealistic newsboys win against a foe as powerful as acclaimed publisher Joseph Pulitzer? Inspired by the true story of the 1899 Newsboys Strike. (Stage Agent)
• Favorite song: Once And For All
• Bring It On
• Have I heard of it before? Yes, but yet again another movie turned musical I haven't watched yet
• Did I enjoy it? It was catchy and I'm sure the onstage cheerleading stunts would be cool to see
• Synopsis: Bring It On: The Musical tells the story of Campbell Davis, a young cheerleader who dreams of leading her squad to victory at a National competition. The story focuses on the world of competitive cheerleading and the intense rivalries it creates. Campbell’s future is secure: handsome boyfriend, a killer squad, and the newly awarded title of cheer captain. Suddenly, however, she is mysteriously reassigned to another school: the inner-city Jackson High, where she knows hardly anyone and worse: they don’t have a cheerleading squad. Despite the challenges of fitting in at a new school, Campbell befriends some tough girls on the dance squad and helps them become a powerhouse competitor for the National Cheerleading Championships. (Stage Agent)
• Favorite song: What I Was Born to Do

• Nice Work If You Can Get It
• Have I heard of it before? Yeah I have but it's never been one of my favorites
• Did I enjoy it? It's nice but to be honest we probably didn't need another show of Gershwin songs
• Synopsis: A new take on the 1920s musical farce, Nice Work If You Can Get It features the iconic music of George and Ira Gershwin. Billie Bendix, a tough-as-nails bootlegger, and wealthy playboy Jimmy Winter, meet on the weekend of his impending wedding. Jimmy has a habit of marrying chorus girls, but needs to settle down with a respectable woman before his mother will hand over the family business. He has gotten engaged to Eileen Evergreen, the self-proclaimed finest interpreter of modern dance, hoping that this will be a better choice than his usual chorus dancer. Needing somewhere to stash 400 bottles of gin, Billie swipes Jimmy’s wallet and hides her stash in his empty Long Island beach house. However, when the wedding party arrives at the beach house, the bootleggers must juggle the guests and their business. (Stage Agent)
• Favorite song: Someone to Watch Over Me 
• Chaplin 
• Have I heard of it before? Yes, only because Jenn Collela was in it
• Did I enjoy it? Yeah it's got some fun songs
• Synopsis: In 1913, Chaplin arrived in Hollywood aged just 24 years old. He experienced a meteoric rise from an unknown, small-time London music hall performer to becoming one of the richest, most famous man in the movie business. His iconic role as The Little Tramp propelled him to stardom but fame and notoriety posed its own challenges for Chaplin. With three failed marriages, a paternity suit, and a ruthless journalist determined to expose him as a communist, Chaplin’s fall from grace was meteoric and he spent the remainder of his life exiled in Switzerland. Charlie Chaplin: The Musical moves backward and forward throughout time, exploring how Chaplin’s childhood and inner insecurities shaped Hollywood’s greatest star….and also created his biggest problems. (Stage Agent)
• Favorite song: All Falls Down