#i could never be in charge of costuming for a newsies production

[make-friends-with-the-rats]

let newsgirls wear skirts!

[newsiepedia]

Mod Strings has Opinions: How to Make Jack and Katherine’s Love more Believable

To be honest, I think Jatherine gets a bad rep in the fandom. Sure, it’s far from a healthy relationship, but people shouldn’t feel scared to ship or even feel neutral about a canon pairing. I believe a few minor changes to the direction and organization of the show could turn Jatherine from a forced heterosexual romance to something people can look at and say “Yeah, that’s cute!”

For this experiment, I will be following a few rules. The first is I’m not allowed to add or remove any lines unless they were added or removed in professional productions of Newsies. I also can’t shuffle individual words or phrases to change their meaning- that’s just cheating. However, larger scenes or conversations can be moved to a different part of the play, and of course direction, actor’s choices, staging, and makeup will play the biggest role. Now, without further ado: how to make Jack and Katherine’s romance more believable.

Act 1, Scene 2:

No changes are necessary. Jack and Katherine don’t know each other, so it doesn’t weaken their relationship for Jack to try to sell her a paper by flirting with her or Katherine to turn him down. 

Act 1, Scene 3:

Here’s where we have to make some small changes. During Don’t Come A Knockin’/ I Never Planned On in the productions most people are familiar with, Jack’s first real dialogue with Katherine is him flirting with her even after she says she isn’t comfortable with it. However, the dialogue could also be played as Jack being genuinely curious about her work and Katherine being annoyed at the distraction. 

Additionally, in a Newsies production where Helen Anker played Medda, the songs Don’t Come A Knockin’ and I Never Planned On were separated, with Medda and her showgirls singing the first and Jack and Katherine singing the second. (Newsies Cut Songs) The same could be done in our theoretical performance, with I Never Planned On moved to a scene where Jack knows Katherine a little better.

Act 1, Scene 5:

This scene could be one of the hardest ones to fix. Jack and Katherine have an argument during which they poke fun at things the other can’t help. However, again, this dialogue could be interpreted as closer to a playful banter. As they aren’t supposed to be in love yet, it’s less important to make changes here.

This could also shift their relationship’s arc: instead of being a classic “people who hate each other at first fall in love” story, their romance could be more portrayed as two very different people learning about the others. 

Act 1, Scene 6:

The scene after Katherine first meets the newsies is one of the most important for her and Jack’s relationship- it’s where they first show mutual attraction. This could be amplified during their first dialogue by playing Katherine as more flattered and less annoyed at Jack’s flirtation, and by playing Jack as at least a little more concerned with the strike than a regular beat with the star reporter. 

Between Katherine agreeing to cover the strike and Watch What Happens would be a good place to insert I Never Planned On. If the song is placed here, it sounds more sincere. After all, Jack now actually knows a little about Katherine’s personality now. 

Watch What Happens doesn’t need to be changed a lot- it already furthers Katherine’s arc of learning about the newsies, and she shows attraction to Jack. My only suggested change might be to soften her sharp tone during the line “Plain- spoken, know nothing, skirt-chasing, cocky little son of a-” (Newsies Live script, page 38) to make it seem more like she’s trying to concentrate than that she actually thinks that about Jack. 

Act 2, Scene 3:

Not much to change here. Make Katherine’s tone a little more concerned rather than sarcastic in a faux strong-independent-woman style. Jack doesn’t really talk to her until Watch What Happens (Reprise), so his tone can be kept the same.

Act 2, Scene 4:

My main fix would be to Katherine’s costume and makeup. During the rest of the show, she could wear relatively simple clothes, with few if any costume changes. During this scene, however, she could wear more expensive clothes (due to manipulation from her father). This would make Jack’s later accusation that she sold the newsies out seem less like a wild jump to conclusions. 

As for Jack, his tone when he finds out that Katherine is Pulitzer’s daughter should be a little more concerned than betrayed or angry. 

Act 2, Scene 6:

During this scene, both Jack and Katherine are working under the assumption that the other betrayed them. Counterintuitively, the fix is to play this part up. If their delivery starts out as angry at each other but slowly changes to them being upset that the other doesn’t trust them, it could show that they aren’t the kind of people who would usually pick these sorts of fights- they’re just very stressed. Katherine kissing Jack could then be seen as a way to end the fight, rather than an impulsive decision.

After the kiss, the lines become much calmer, and so should the actors’ delivery. Katherine can still obviously be touchy- she just experienced emotional abuse by her father for being a girl, so she would be defensive. However, her assuming that Jack has bad intentions can be toned down, and Jack’s responses can be delivered as compassionate rather than embarrassed.

Something To Believe In is... not my favorite. In my opinion, portraying Jack and Katherine as each others’ “something to believe in” downplays both their connection to their friends and their own value as people. The cut song Then I See You Again is much more detailed about why they love each other, instead of stating that they do. It puts more emphasis on their relationship as a source of mutual comfort and joy, even without the strife of the strike. (Then I See You Again Lyrics) Besides, I just think the tune is nicer. I think the song should be substituted here.

If the dialogue in Something To Believe In wasn’t cut with the song, it could be portrayed as much more joking. 

Act 2, Scene 7:

By this time, Jack and Katherine are a unit. A team. Make their direction smooth and the pace of their lines together fast, like they know how to work together. I also quite like the idea of Jack and Katherine holding hands or hugging during Once and For All, as it would be a very emotionally charged time for them and they’d need each others’ comfort. 

Act 2, Scene 8:

During the last scene, I think it might be better to downplay Jack and Katherine’s love. After all, they’ve only known each other for the duration of the strike. Therefore, Jack should be more swayed to stay in New York by his fellow newsies than Katherine. That isn’t to say that Katherine doesn’t sway him- if all the steps outlined are taken, Jack and Katherine’s relationship will be significantly cuter and more sincere. Their kiss when Jack decides to stay should not be cut out (although it could be supplemented by a newsie group hug to show both Jack and Katherine’s inclusion in the larger family).

Jack and Katherine got, in my opinion, a raw deal from the show writers. When they could have had a dynamic relationship, they instead got a typical Disney-style enemies to lovers arc that didn’t do justice to either of their characters. However, that doesn’t mean that fans can’t enjoy their relationship.