NEWSIES is a Disney Theatrical Productions musical based on their 1992 film Newsies. The original film took its inspiration from the Newsboys Strike of 1899 in New York City. NEWSIES has a book by Harvey Fierstein with music by Alan Menken and lyrics by Jack Feldman. It premiered at the Paper Mill Playhouse in 2011 and made its Broadway debut in 2012, where it played for 1004 performances. The stage version contains songs from the movie and several new numbers. Those who grew up on the film version will notice that this new adaptation has written out Jack's original love interest Sarah Jacobs as well as the New York Sun reporter Brian Denton, who writes about the Newsies. These characters have been replaced by a new character, Katherine Plumber, a reporter who is a composite of the characters from the original film. The North American tour, which is currently playing at the Bass Concert Hall, started in October 2014 and is ending its 43 week run on October 2, 2016 here in Austin, TX.
The Public Theater announced complete casting today for the New York Premiere of PARTY PEOPLE by UNIVERSES (Steven Sapp, Mildred Ruiz-Sapp, and William Ruiz a.k.a Ninja. Developed and directed by Liesl Tommy with choreography by Millicent Johnnie, PARTY PEOPLE begins performances on Tuesday, November 1 and runs through Sunday, December 4, with an official press opening on Tuesday, November 15.
Everything about the national tour of Disney's NEWSIES, playing this week at the Capitol Theatre (with a rare return engagement scheduled for August due to high demand), is mesmerizing. With a rousing score, striking stage pictures, fluid movement, sympathetic characters, and athletic dancing, there is always something to excite.
The Independent Reviewers of New England (IRNE) today announced the nominees for the 20th Annual IRNE Awards, which honors the best of the previous year's actors, directors, choreographers, designers and companies across the full spectrum of large, mid-size and fringe theater companies.
It's not unusual for movies to be adapted for the stage these days, in fact, it's become rather commonplace. But typically, musicals written for the screen that flop (even though they might have a rather substantial cult following), are usually avoided for obvious reasons. Although, that didn't stop the producers of XANADU from plowing forward, go figure. The Disney film NEWSIES actually seems likes a logical choice to revamp and produce on the stage, and it wound up winning Tony Awards for best score and choreography back in 2012, and becoming quite the hit. So why am I so surprised? I guess because the current touring production, while occasionally dazzling, comes off slightly uninspired and flat. Now, don't get me wrong, there are some really fine performances, an eye catching scenic design, cool effects, and energetic choreography that certainly lives up to expectations. And, like the film, an awful lot of people, both young and old, are guaranteed to truly love this show, as evidenced by the very enthusiastic response from the audience at the performance I attended.
Jeffrey Hatcher's stage adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel A CONFERERACY OF DUNCES, now in its world premiere at the Huntington Theatre Company in Boston, feels like a lost opportunity. Much like its obnoxious and oversized central character Ignatius J. Reilly, a slovenly, unemployed 30-year-old still living with and supported by his sweetly doting mother, the play is a lumbering behemoth that is often equal parts boring and boorish.
I've always liked the intimacy of the Neuhaus stage at the Alley Theatre. I was left feeling like I witnessed real theatre magic through the special effects, interesting dialogue, and over the top violence in LIEUTENANT OF INISHMORE, and felt hopeful and inspired by the end of ROCK N' ROLL. But THE OTHER PLACE, written by Sharr White and directed by Don Stephenson, didn't really leave me thinking or feeling anything special after seeing it. It seemed more like an acting exercise for the talented cast rather than a play that would provide any type of catharsis for the audience.
The stage production of NEWSIES, now playing a limited run at the Providence Performing Arts Center, features the same stirring and beloved songs that captured the hearts of moviegoers, as well as newly choreographed, high-octane dance numbers that dazzle with gravity-defying leaps and spins.
Alley Theatre Artistic Director Gregory Boyd announces the cast and creative team for The Other Place. Josie de Guzman leads the cast as Juliana Smithton, a neurologist whose research leads to a potential breakthrough for a new treatment. Just as it does, her life takes a disorienting turn. During a lecture to colleagues, she enters into a mystery that blurs fact with fiction, the past with the present, until the elusive truth is unraveled in a windswept cottage on the shores of Cape Cod. The Other Place, by Sharr White and directed by Don Stephenson, begins previews October 23 and opens October 28, with performances continuing through November 15, 2015.
The Huntington Theatre Company presents the world premiere production of A Confederacy of Dunces, adapted by Jeffrey Hatcher from the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by John Kennedy Toole, directed by David Esbjornson (Guess Who's Coming to Dinner and All My Sons) and featuring Nick Offerman of NBC's 'Parks and Recreation.' Performances begin November 11, 2015 and will run through December 13, 2015 at the BU Theatre / Avenue of the Arts.
Disney's Theatrical Productions high energy stage version of the 1992 film NEWSIES opened last night at Shea's after a tryout at New Jersey's PAPERMILL PLAYHOUSE and subsequent Broadway run. Based on the Disney film, Harvey Fierstein's book delineates the struggle in 1899 of a group of newsboys who strike against the powerful newspaper magnates, led by Joseph Pulitzer.
You can't help but cheer for the loveable Newsies in Disney's Broadway musical based on the real news boy strike of 1899 and the financial flop film they produced on the matter in 1992. Disney's Newsies is a well written, incredibly designed, choreographed, and acted hit! Audiences are getting all of the great Disney quality music they've come to expect from legendary composer Alan Menken along with a story line that is as timely as ever with university, teacher, and grocery workers strikes appearing almost daily in the headlines.
A lot may seem familiar in Disney's Broadway musical NEWSIES now on tour in Boston, but the dancing chorus of a dozen or so able-bodied newsboys makes this production soar.
Based on the 1992 Disney film of the same name, which in turn was inspired by the real-life newsboys strike of 1899 in New York City, Newsies tells the captivating story of a band of underdogs who become unlikely heroes when they stand up to the most powerful men in New York.
As reported last night, Broadway's ever-evolving REBECCA scandal continues, with press agent Marc Thibodeau having been found liable for sending emails that caused a potential investor to pull $2.25 million from the musical, a move that forced the project to a halt.
In the latest legal news from Broadway's ever-evolving REBECCA scandal, Deadline writes that press agent Marc Thibodeau has been found liable for sending emails that caused a potential investor to pull $2.25 million from the musical, a move that forced the project to a halt.
Stop the presses! Stop the presses! Newsies is hitting the headlines in a way that is worthy of front page, above-the-fold coverage. If you're looking for an uplifting powerhouse show that will inspire you to action then Newsies is the show for you.
As BroadwayWorld last reported in October, Rebecca producer Ben Sprecher is still working to bring the much-delayed musical to Broadway in Fall 2015. Fans need wait no longer for a taste of what the show will sound like though! Audio selections of 'Last Night,' 'She's Invincible,' 'I'll Never Forget Her Smile,' 'Free Now,' and 'Rebecca' have just been posted on the show's official website. CLICK HERE to check out clips featuring Lisa O'Hare, Pia Douwes, Sierra Boggess and Julian Ovenden.
Despite the fact that THE LITTLE MERMAID was considered an initial failure, Disney exec Thomas Schumacher reveals that there is a good chance it may return to North America in its latest incarnation.
The New York Daily News reports that Mark Hotton, who in 2012 scammed the producers of REBECCA out of $65,000 and all-but extinguished the musical's plans for a Broadway run, was sentenced today, October 10, to almost three years (34 months) in federal prison.
