Show Synopsis:
People from various professions describe what their work is and who they are in their jobs through songs and stories.
Character:
John Rushton, a bright 11-year-old boy.
Song Context:
John is finishing up his paper route for the day when he starts to explain what he likes about being a newsboy.
Fun Facts:
1. This musical is based on Studs Terkel's sociology book Working, comprised of accounts and interviews he collected in the early 1970s.
2. Stephen Schwartz gave the following pointers to the actors working to develop their various characters: " In the preface to the book, Studs tells about the telling gesture that illuminates character. See if you can find one or two for each of your people, a gesture or physical habit that grows out of their work or environment. Think about how they stand, how they sit, how they move, where their center of balance seems to be. Do they speak rapidly or haltingly? Are they shy or aggressive in speaking? How has their work affected them physically? I expect you to begin rehearsal with very definite choices made."
3. This song was written in an attempt to have a more cohesive storyline in the production, creating relationships and positions for a mother, father, and son. In later versions of the musical, that idea was not highlighted, and this song is often cut.
"Gee, it's neat to be a newsboy,
You ride your bike around the neighborhood.
You get known at the stores
And ou-ta your chores
And it pays real good
If you're eleven.
Gee, I dig the world of finance
And doing business like my daddy does
And I could grow up to be Horatio Alger,
Whoever he was.
Oh, I like my paper route quite a bit,
But there's one part that's my favorite:
You put your hands around the paper,
Throw the paper in the bushes,
Watch the bushes go boin-n-n-g-g-g.
You watch the bushes go sproin-n-n-g-g-g,
You watch the bushes go -
So when your head is draggin'
Cause your mommas been a-naggin'
And your sister's been annoying,
Go throw the paper in the bushes
Watch the bushes go boin-n-n-g-g-g-g-g.
Hey, it's boss to meet the public.
You learn who pays you quick and who forgets,
You learn new words to swear
And things to beware
Like having debts
And German Shepards.
Hey, it's nifty making contacts -
There's major people in half a mile
And I could grow up to be the President someday
If I practice my smile,
And anytime I want to call it quits
I just think about those fringe benefits.
You put your hands aroung the paper,
Throw the paper in the bushes,
Watch the bushes go boin-n-n-g-g-g.
You watch the bushes go sproin-n-n-g-g-g
You watch the bushes go...
So long as I'm in business,
You know where you can find me,
Working and enjoying.
Throw the Paper in the bushes
And Watch the bushes go
Boing
G-g-g-g-g-g-g!"