Theater News

Alan Menken Writing New Songs for Broadway’s Newsies

Alan Menken
(© Tristan Fuge)
Alan Menken
(© Tristan Fuge)

Alan Menken is writing new tunes for the Broadway production of Newsies, according to a posting the songwriter made to his Twitter account. The musical, based on the film of the same name, is, as previously reported, scheduled to begin previews at the Nederlander Theatre on March 15 before officially opening on March 29.

Featuring music by Menken, lyrics by Jack Feldman, and a book by four-time Tony Award winner Harvey Fierstein,Newsies is adapted for the stage from the live-action Disney feature film musical, inspired by the real life “Newsboy Strike of 1899.” The stage show was seen at Paper Mill Playhouse earlier this year and already contained new songs as well as many Menken and Feldman wrote for the film, which had a screenplay by Bob Tzudiker & Noni White.

Set in New York City at the turn of the century, the musical tells the story of Jack Kelly, a charismatic newsboy and leader of a ragged band of teenaged ‘newsies,’ who dreams only of a better life far from the hardship of the streets. But when publishing titans Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst raise distribution prices at the newsboys’ expense, Jack finds a cause to fight for and rallies newsies from across the city to strike for what’s right.

For more information and Newsies tickets, click here.

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Closed: August 24, 2014