History Theatre / Newsies

* GenderFlip: Given that Katherine is a composite of a male and female character from the film, the male character's role got this treatment.

* TrueCompanions: The newsboys are like this; they refer to each other brothers several times throughout the narrative.

* VagueAge: How old is Katherine? Old enough to be a reporter, young enough to be an honorary member of a children's crusade (thereby playing AdultsAreUseless straighter) and [[spoiler: start a relationship with 17-year-old Jack.]]
** Thanks to the (in some cases) fairly extreme DawsonCasting, the majority of newsies fall under this trope. The only ones with their ages explicitly given in the show are Jack and Davey (both 17) and Les (10). Everyone else is assumed to be anywhere from 14-17 (since Jack is heavily implied to be the eldest), though good luck getting everyone to agree on specific ages for specific newsies...

* BelligerentSexualTension: Telling that [[spoiler: Jack and Katherine's]] first kiss is in the middle of a shouting match.

* RoleReprisal: Given that the play ran from 2011-2017, it would be easier to name the performers who ''didn’t'' return at some point.

* FaceHeelTurn: A forced instance. When the strike looks like it's succeeding, Pulitzer [[spoiler:hauls Jack in and offers him money in exchange for him giving up on the strike. Jack's not interested until Pulitzer threatens Jack's friend and co-leader, David, and David's brothers; then he caves, and shows up at the newsies' rally to speak against continuing the strike and urge them to settle. One of Pulitzer's goons hands him money as he leaves. It doesn't last.]]

* SpiritedYoungLady: Katherine Plumber. When Jack mentions there's never been a female reporter she says, "Wake up to the new century."

* NeutralFemale: Katherine doesn't do anything to assist the boys when they're [[spoiler: attacked by the police]] and even runs away. While it's justified by the time period and her own belief that violence is unladylike, it's still a bit jarring since Les (who is a child) and Crutchie (who has a physical disability) get involved.

** Crutchie gets hit with this. Once the strike starts Davey and Katherine become more prominent and he gets relegated to the background. [[spoiler: It doesn't help that he’s arrested near the end of Act I and doesn’t reappear until the end of the play.]] The tour version and live recording mitigate this by giving him a solo.

* NeutralFemale: Katherine doesn't do anything to assist the boys when they're [[spoiler: attacked by the police]] and even runs away. While it's justified by the time period and her own belief that violence is unladylike, it's a bit jarring since Les (who is a child) and Crutchie (who has a physical disability) get involved.

** Subverted by the police in the first riot: Romeo thinks they're there to help them, until the cop whacks him in the face.

* ParentalAbandonment: Oscar and Morris, according to the back of their trading cards.

* ThePiratesWhoDontDoAnything: for a show about Newsies, the times that they actually sell papers can be counted on one hand. Justified, in that they're striking for most of the show.

** Katherine braves a couple of scuffles, writes what she believes, helps to cheer up Jack, and defies Pulitzer's printing ban and [[spoiler: parental ban on seeing Jack.]]

* DemotedToExtra: Spot Conlon. One scene he shared with Jack in the movie occurs offstage with a different character.

* MouthyKid: Les. The way he threatens Mr. Pulitzer to his guard's face really sells it.

* LeftHanging: The trolley strike. It's part of the inciting incident for the story and various characters have personal connections to it, but it doesn't get any resolution.

* HeterosexualLifePartners: Jack and Crutchie, and also Jack and Davey, by the end.

** Some of the newsboys have little-to-no dialogue, minimal impact on the plot, and even go unnamed, despite being present for the majority of the show. However, if one takes their singing and dancing into consideration, then it's a [[DownplayedTrope downplayed]] example.
** Crutchie gets hit with this too. He's Jack's best friend, but once the strike starts Davey and Katherine take up most of Jack's time and Crutchie relegated to the background. [[spoiler: It doesn't help that he’s arrested near the end of Act I and doesn’t reappear until the end of the play.]] The tour version and live recording mitigate this by giving him a solo, but he and Jack don’t have a single scene alone together after the prologue.

* PluckyGirl: Katherine, again. She braves a couple of scuffles, writes what she believes, helps to cheer up Jack, and defies Pulitzer's printing ban and [[spoiler: parental ban on seeing Jack.]]
* ThePollyanna: Crutchie is visibly upset about once in this show, and Jack quickly cheers him. The rest of the time he's smiling like crazy and is one of the most spirited supporters of the strike.
** Subverted with the addition of [[spoiler: "Letter From the Refuge"]] in the tour version.

** Some of the newsboys (with the exceptions of Jack, Les, Davey, Race and Albert) only have two lines and some of them are unnamed.
** Crutchie gets hit with this too. He starts off as Jack's best friend, but once the strike starts David and Katherine take up most of Jack's time and Crutchie gets pushed to the background. [[spoiler: It doesn't help that he’s arrested near the end of Act I and doesn’t reappear until the end of the play.]] The tour version and live recording mitigate this somewhat by giving him a solo but he and Jack don’t have a single moment alone together after the prologue.

* OneSceneWonder: [[spoiler:Governor Roosevelt]] shows up during the final meeting between Jack and Pulitzer, but nearly every line he speaks gets laughs and cheers from the audience.

* DawsonCasting: Most of the teens in the film are played by grown men. Justified in that the dancing is too strenuous for the average teenager, especially if they haven't been taking dance classes since a very young age.

* CharacterDevelopment: David goes from being reluctant to join the strike to being one its most ardent supporters.

** Teddy Roosevelt is mentioned once by Jack (Jack hitched a ride in the backseat of his carriage to escape the Refuge) and once by Pulitzer (who tried to prevent him from getting elected). [[spoiler:The man himself shows up to help the Newsies.]]

* DemotedToExtra: Spot Conlon is a glaring case. One scene he shared with Jack in the movie occurs offstage with a different character.

* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: [[spoiler: Mr. Pulitzer might be a greedy businessman who tried to get Theodore Roosevelt removed from office, and he sure makes life hard for the newsies... but he supports his daughter's efforts to become a reporter.]]

** David and Les think well enough of their parents to provide for them after their father sustained a work injury. Furthermore, their impromptu dinner invite to Jack suggests their parents have no problem with unexpected guests.

* HeterosexualLifePartners: Jack and Crutchie, and also Jack and David, by the end.

* InvisibleParents: One has to wonder how Mr. and Mrs. Jacobs (Les and David's parents) feel about their sons joining a labor strike.

* IWillPunishYourFriendForYourFailure: [[spoiler: This is how Pulitzer convinces Jack to betray the strike. When Jack visits his office Pulitzer threatens to have Crutchie beaten, and have Les and David dragged off to the Refuge themselves.]]

* LeaningOnTheFourthWall: The show takes delight in snarking about itself. One highlight mocks Jack's "Santa Fe" motif:

** Another is the finale when Governor Roosevelt notes how "let's not keep those children out there singing...endlessly..."

** Some of the newsboys (with the exceptions of Jack, Les, David, Race and Albert) only have two lines and some of them are unnamed.

* PowerTrio: Jack, David and Katherine give off this vibe as strike leaders.

* {{Tsundere}}: Katherine is this towards Jack; her solo song even has a whole verse devoted to her conflicting feelings.

** DownplayedTrope. Some nuns give the boys free drinks; Mr. Jacobi lets them stay at his deli; Medda allows the boys to hide in her theater and use it to host their rally. She also offers to pay Jack for his paintings; and finally, [[spoiler: Theodore Roosevelt shows up in full support of the newsboys and has Snyder arrested for abusing juvenile inmates.]] Even then, some Newsies express their exasperation:

** Subverted again by the Brooklyn newsies. They show up as reinforcements so late in Act 2 that they don't do anything suitably heroic.

* IWillPunishYourFriendForYourFailure: [[spoiler: This is how Pulitzer convinces Jack to betray the strike: he threatens to have Crutchie beaten while he’s in the Refuge, and have Les and David dragged off to the Refuge themselves.]]

* MouthyKid: Les, in spades. The way he threatens Mr. Pulitzer to his guard's face really sells it.

** Some of the newsboys (with the exceptions of Jack, Less, David, Race and Albert) only have two lines and some of them are unnamed.

* DemotedToExtra: Spot Conlon in the play interacts less with the main cast than in the film.

* AdaptationalWimp: Unlike their film counterparts, the Brooklyn newsies don't carry slingshots or participate in the one fight scene in the show.

* AdaptationalAngstUpgrade: Jack has a lot more angst over [[spoiler: Crutchie getting captured and injured]] than he does in the movie.
* AdaptationalWimp: Unlike their film counterparts, the Brooklyn newsies don't carry slingshots or participate in the one fight scene in the show.
* AdaptationDistillation: Jack's brief time as a scab is tied in better to the plot, by making him realize how important he is to the strike as a leader everyone else can get behind.

** Subverted again by the Brooklyn newsies. They show up as reinforcements so late in Act 2 that they don't do anything suitably heroic. They're even absent from the only fight scene in the show.

* DeadpanSnarker: Race is the champion of dry wit since he gets ''at least'' one quip per scene.
** Katherine is this whenever she's dealing with Jack.
** Even Crutchie gets a zinger at Jack's expense in the prologue.

** The Brooklyn newsies might be the worst offenders. They arrive late in Act II and most of them (besides Spot Conlon) don’t speak after their song “Brooklyn’s Here”.
** The other newsboys don’t fair much better, since most of them only have two lines and some are unnamed.
** Crutchie gets hit with this. He starts off as Jack's best friend, but once the strike starts David and Katherine take up most of Jack's time and Crutchie gets pushed to the background. [[spoiler: It doesn't help that he’s arrested near the end of Act I and doesn’t reappear until the end of the play.]] The tour version and live recording mitigate this somewhat by giving him a solo but he and Jack don’t have a single moment alone together after the prologue.

** Subverted again by the Brooklyn newsies. They show up as reinforcements so late in Act 2 that they don't doing anything suitably heroic. Notably, they're absent from the only fight scene in the show.

* TheCavalry: Subverted by the Brooklyn newsies. They show up as reinforcements so late in Act 2 that they don't doing anything suitably heroic. Notably, they're absent from the one fight scene in the entire show.
** As if Jack's victory weren't secure enough, [[spoiler:[[BigGood Governor Roosevelt]] shows up to ensure that Pulitzer doesn't try to cheap out the newsies]].

* TheCavalry: Spot Conlon and his Brooklyn newsies show up as reinforcements late in Act 2.