Theater News

Daniel Yearwood and More Join Erin Weaver, Edward Gero in Arena Stage's Newsies

Molly Smith will direct this new production of the Alan Menken-Jack Feldman-Harvey Fierstein musical.

Daniel Yearwood will play Jack Kelly in Arena Stage's upcoming production of Newsies.
Daniel Yearwood will play Jack Kelly in Arena Stage's upcoming production of Newsies.
(photo provided by Arena Stage)

Arena Stage has announced additional casting for its production of Newsies, directed by Molly Smith, and running November 1-December 22 in the Fichandler Stage.

Joining the previously announced Erin Weaver and Edward Gero are Daniel Yearwood (Once on This Island) as Jack Kelly, Joe Montoya as Crutchie, Josiah Smothers and Hazel Hay as Les Jacobs, Ethan Van Slyke, Thomas Adrian Simpson, Nova Payton, Rory Boyd, Wyn Delano, Michael Hewitt, Christian Douglas, Jamie Smithson, Carole Denise Jones, Emre Ocak, Chaz Wolcott, Tro Shaw, Bridget Riley, Luke Spring, Michael John Hughes, Tomas Matos, Tanner Pflueger, and Kelli Youngman, with swings Lucy Spring and Shiloh Orr.

The creative team includes Parker Esse (choreographer), Laura Bergquist (music director), Ken MacDonald (set designer), Alejo Vietti (costume designer), Kimberly Purtell (lighting designer), Daniel Erdberg (sound designer), Anita Maynard-Losh (associate director, text director), Suzanne Román Jones (assistant music director), Michael John Hughes (assistant choreographer), Lisa Nathans (dialect and vocal coach), and Jenny Male (fight and intimacy consultant).

Set in New York City at the turn of the century, Newsies 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.

Based on the 1992 Disney movie, Newsies features a Tony Award-winning score with music by Alan Menken and lyrics by Jack Feldman, and a book by Harvey Fierstein.