So I saw Newsies’ live recording last night with my friend and got carried away came up with this:
Josh reaches out for help, and puts his grief into art instead of scaring his friends.
A few years later, Sam and Ashley join a community theatre company, then try to convince the gang (but mostly Josh and Chris) to join them as well.
The play being put on is Newsies, so the gang watches the Disney(?) live recording together.
Everyone tells Josh he has to try out for Jack because he reminds me them of him, so he goes for it.
Chris gets really into his audition for Crutchie, but his singing isn’t the best and he can’t get the dancing/physicality down.
They all still applaud his effort.
Due to the lack of female characters, Jess and Sam try out for just about everyone.
Ashley happily signs up to work on costumes, just excited to see her friends on stage.
Emily’s too busy with school, Matt doesn’t want to “waste time dancing around,” and Mike would rather watch than act, so they don’t join.
Instead, the gang saves them front row seats for opening night, and the three attend, even though it’s a little awkward.
Especially when Matt and Mike are sitting together for ten minutes while Emily “goes to the bathroom.”
She’s actually sneaking backstage to wish everyone luck.
Josh ends up being cast as Jack and is really proud, not imagining himself ever really acting. Sam is shocked to be cast as Katherine. Jess is cast as a nun and Mike teases her about it for at least a week. Chris doesn’t get the part, so he ends up developing an app to run lights and sound and has a lot more fun that way.
Chris and Ashley spend the whole play crushing big time, and everyone in the cast and crew knows it except for them. They interact awkwardly and shy away from overtly flirting. The cast has a bet going on for when they’ll start dating: some say opening night, Josh jokes they’ll be dead before either one admits it.
By closing night, Sam and Josh have become the newest pair in the group to date.
Sam barely puts the script down or sleeps until she knows all her lines, being a “little” stressed out over the size of her part. Coffee becomes her best friend.
Josh offers to help by running lines together, which lowers her intensity and makes it easier to remember them.
During rehearsal, they shy away from the kissing for a month, until the director tells them they have to start getting into it.
One time when they’re running lines/practising their songs at Sam’s house, they have their first kiss together during “Something to Believe In.” The track runs out. Neither one remembers the next line.
It takes until the after party for anything else to happen out of character. Everyone in the company is sitting in a field, most people are inebriated, and they’re playing truth or dare. The girl who played Medda dares Sam to kiss whoever she finds most attractive. Josh asks her out immediately after, and the circle erupts with laughter and whistles.
They also use truth or dare to set Chris and Ashley up, but they’re a lot more shy about it.
