Designated Davey Says

Incorrect Newsies quotes, personal Newsies headcannons, and more!

[designated-davey]

Who Up Jackin' they Kelly

[designated-davey]

Straight Newsies Characters?

At least in the part of the Newsies fandom I typically take part in, the general consensus is that most of the characters are queer in some way or another, most agreeing Jack is bi, Davey is gay, etc.

So I was thinking to myself I was thinking "hm, which specific characters do I believe to be straight?" and I came up with a list of, I kid you not, SEVEN. SEVEN characters out of what is more than 30. In fact, that seven has an asterisk for a reason I will explain in a bit.

Those characters are as follows: (disclaimer because ofc some Newsies characters are heavily based off actual historical figures but I think it's fair to say Disney has written them in such a way that the characters are pretty separate from their actual historical figures)

Les: Les is younger than 10, of course, so it's hard to say, but I feel like he's just gonna be a strong Ally. Like, "you call my friend a slur and your knees will be meeting my baseball bat" type.

2. Pulitzer: Disney's Pulitzer would drive a cybertruck if he were alive in the modern real world and I cannot be convinced otherwise.

3. Roosevelt: Disney's Roosevelt would be an ally but I don't think he'd be queer.

4. Medda*: This is my asterisk because my HC is simply that Medda likes men, so if Medda is being portrayed as a woman (as I believe she most often is) then Medda is straight, but if Medda is portrayed as a man in drag (which I've never seen but like the idea of) then Medda is gay.

5. and

6. The Delancey Brothers: Their knees would be meeting Les's baseball bat.

7. Weasel: He's probably not homophobic to the extent the Delancey's are, but he's got vibes of like... being against The Queers™ but not giving enough of a shit to say anything about it. Silently homophobic.

Of course these are my own personal headcanons and opinions, if you think different, great. If you have any questions I'd be happy to answer them. If you think I've forgotten someone let me know and we can discuss.

[designated-davey]

Chat is this a "Haha classic Disney" moment?

Because it just occurred to me that Theodore Roosevelt would have been definitely married in 1899 when Newsies takes place so like... did Disney just ignore that so he could have his little... uh... fling or whatchamacallit with Medda? Or am I missing something here?

[designated-davey]

Overanalyzing Unimportant Newsies Lines Part 1

"With that puss we could easy sell a thousand papes a week" -Jack Kelly, Act 1 Scene 1

Jack says this TO Davey ABOUT Les, basically saying that since Les is so young and cute, people will be more inclined to buy papers from him out of pity etc.

Obviously a throwaway line, but it left me wondering, does the math check out?

Well, Jack buys 100 papers for himself, Davey buys 20 papers for himself and Les, and then Jack buys 50 more papers for Davey and Les, adding up to 170 papers. Assuming they sold all of them, which it's implied they did, obviously they sold 170 newspapers in a single day.

Assuming they're consistently selling 170 papers 7 days a week, that's 1190. So, yes, Jack's math does check out. Hell, even if they were only selling papers 6 days a week, they're easily selling 1000 papes a week, even allowing some wiggle room.

So... what other Newsies Lines would you like to see me overanalyze?

[designated-davey]

Newsies AU where the last Pulitzer's Office Scene goes as:

Pulitzer: I can't put the price back where it was, I'm sorry. I can't. There are-

Jack: Oh yeah? Well why don't I just draw you pregnant then?

Pulitzer: ...What?

[designated-davey]

So my nephew's Newsies performance was this past weekend.

While my nephew did great, what I really want to comment on is that I have been converted to the idea that Crutchie should be a girl. I don't know what exactly it is, maybe just for more women to be in the show, maybe because I adore wholesome brother-sister relationships and Jack and Crutchie are like my favorite found-sibling duo ever, maybe because "your sister, Crutchie" tore my goddamn heart out... I literally went back into that fic I was writing and made Crutchie a girl.

That is all. Thank you for coming to my ted talk.

[designated-davey]

The Newsies doing a "Hear Me Out" cake

Romeo: Hear me out... Miss Medda

Jack: ...

Jack: THAT'S MY MOM??

[designated-davey]

An inside joke from my Nephew's Newsies cast

He said to imagine the Newsies (especially the younger ones) going to the roof and waking Jack and Crutchie in the middle of the night like "Jack I had a bad dream" or "Crutchie I threw up"

So "Crutchie I frew up" is the running joke apparently and I actually kinda love that lmao

[designated-davey]

Newsies fun fact

You can do the Cotton Eye Joe line dance to Seize the Day once it's past the slow part at the beginning. That is All.

[designated-davey]

Crutchie, talking about his time in the refuge: It was crazy. Race, who once got a note from Crutchie where he misspelled "Grinch" as "Grink": Was the Grink there?

[designated-davey]

Someone who knows more about pokemon help me.

Who would Jack Kelly choose as his Gen 1 Starter Pokemon? This isn't important for anything but I just wanna know. I wanna say charmander but my pokemon knowledge is inCREDIBLY limited so if I could get input from anyone who knows more then it would be greatly appreciated.

[designated-davey]

Can we take a moment...

to thank the people who adapted Newsies from movie to musical for going with "Jack" and "Davey" as the character's names rather than "Cowboy" and "Mouth" because they very well could have made either decision but I just don't think I'd survive if I had to tell people my favorite ship was called CowMouth and it wasn't from some Cartoon Network sugar high show.

I mean I guess they could have also gone with Francis but let me tell you, Jack WAS never and WILL never be a proper Francis. I don't care what Mr. and Mrs. Sullivan named him they are wRONG.

[designated-davey]

What the hell happened to Jack in the refuge?

Or I guess specifically what did Snyder do to Jack? Because Jack is just so so much more terrified of Snyder than he is of other law enforcement.

I feel like it's kept pretty vague, there's a lot of room for interpretation.

I kinda wish that there was more physical scarring on Jack so we had more of an idea but I get there's really not much of a point in a stage production since most if not all of the audience wouldn't see it and you'd probably never see it on Christian Bale Jack Kelly because of how he dresses.

I don't know, all I know is I might make a fic where after Snyder is arrested Jack still has to deal with refuge nightmares and doesn't really understand why.

[designated-davey]

Screaming Crying Throwing Up?? From Joy??

I have been gifted an old copy of 92sies in novel form and I don't think I've ever been more excited in my life.

From my first impressions and looking at the chapter names I've noted that it seems like David is the main character in the novel rather than Jack as it is in the film and musical.

I can't wait to read all about it.

[designated-davey]

My nephew has created more "lore" for his particular Newsies production.

So basically, the way I understand it, it happens a couple times in their choreography where two characters will face each other, join opposite hands (think like the start of a bro hug?) and shuffle their feet before releasing hands and scooting back from each other.

My nephew has decided, for no other reason than because he says so, that this is a Newsies Marriage Ritual. The fact they're all teenagers be damned.

So far it has happened with two pairs: Jack and Davey, and Race and Finch. Obviously I'm a big fan of Javid/Javey but Race and Finch isn't a ship I've ever even heard of before. But, you know what, whatever. I'll take it.

[designated-davey]

The Goings On Of The Small Newsies Production My Nephew is Part Of

My Nephew has come up with many "AUs" based on things that happen at rehearsal, my top 10 favorites (in no particular order) of which are listed below with no context:

Newsies but Jack is sobbing the entire time

2. Newsies but everyone is a Leech

3. Newsies but Les exercises his second amendment rights (Ok I know I said no context but for this one I'll give it to avoid concern, he keeps pointing finger guns and going "bang bang")

4. Newsies but Jack longs for Coca-Cola

5. Newsies but Davey sells Les to Jojo because their family can't afford to feed him

6. Newsies but Davey is a pathological liar

7. Newsies but Davey is a drag queen and Jack is a housewife

8. Newsies but Crutchie is a Mean Girl™ 

9. Newsies but Jack shows up late to every scene he's in

10. Newsies but Katherine is actually a twin

[designated-davey]

I've had this question on my mind for years but I've never had the balls to ask anyone else what they thought.

CW: Mention of Suicide

So when I first watched Newsies the Broadway Musical in like 2017 or 2018 I had just come off of a Dear Evan Hansen kick, so naturally I had certain things on the mind.

I grew up with 92sies but it wasn't until I watched the Broadway Version that I started to wonder...

Is Santa Fe like... a metaphor for suicide?

Is Jack a PG version of suicidal?? The question has haunted me for years and I want to know if anyone else thought the same thing or if I'm just crazy.

[designated-davey]

My wife pointed out to me that I should listen to "Something To Believe In" again with this in mind and holy fucking shit. Katherine's part is sweet and all, because sure, she never expected to meet someone, especially a man, who takes her seriously in her profession and believes in her. Jack's part, though, just feels so much heavier. Especially that "An angel come to save me" bit?? Like... laying it on a bit thick there, aren't we, Disney?