Alan Menken-Jack Feldman-Harvey Fierstein Musical Adaptation of Newsies to Premiere at Paper Mill Playhouse

Paper Mill Playhouse will open its 2011-2012 season with the premiere of a new Disney stage musical, Newsies, to run September 15-October 16, with an opening on September 25. Jeff Calhoun will direct.

Featuring music by eight time Academy Award-winning composer Alan Menken, lyrics by Jack Feldman, and a new book by four-time Tony Award winner Harvey Fierstein, Newsies is adapted for the stage from the live-action Disney feature film musical. The new stage version introduces several brand-new songs by the original team of Menken and Feldman while keeping many of the beloved songs from the film, which featured a screenplay by Bob Tzudiker & Noni White.

Newsies is inspired by the real life ‘Newsboy Strike of 1899,’ when newsboy Kid Blink led the ragged orphans and runaways known as newsies on a two-week long action against Joseph Pulitzer, William Randolph Hearst and other powerful newspaper publishers. Set in New York City at the turn of the century, the musical is the tale of newsie Jack Kelly, who dreams of a better life far from the hardship of the streets. But when Pulitzer and Hearst raise distribution prices at the newsies’ expense, Jack finds a cause to fight for and rallies his army of newsies to strike.

For tickets and more information, click here.