The Paramount Arts Theatre is presenting “Newsies” as its opener for the ninth Broadway Series through October 20. It’s a tale about the 1899 newsboys strike which is interesting, inspirational, and informational; a show that the whole family will enjoy.
The music and the dancing all add to the story of the newsboys who take on a greedy newspaper tycoon.
High in the skyscrapers of New York City, Joseph Pulitzer, is plotting a way to increase the revenue of his declining newspaper.
Down in the streets, scrappy newsboys hawking Pulitzer’s paper are barely making enough to survive. When Pulitzer raises the price of the paper, charismatic delivery boy Jack Kelly organizes a strike to show the tycoon and his cronies they’re not going to be pushed into the gutter.
Liz Lauren photo
Newsies is based on the popular 1992 Disney movie, which was inspired by the real-life newsboys strike of 1899 in New York City. It is packed with unforgettable songs, including “The World Will Know,” “Seize the Day” and “King of New York.” The stage version was first presented by Disney Theatrical Productions on Broadway in 2012, where it ran for more than 1,000 performances.
In our everyday breaking news headlines we read about CEO billionaires who exploit their employees and it is closely-related to the defiant newsies, homeless, and orphaned children of immigrants who squared off with newspaper barons, Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst.
It’s no surprise Newsies was nominated for eight Tony Awards, and won best choreography and best score, because its music is by Alan Menken, the eight-time Oscar-winning musical genius behind some of the most popular Disney films of all time. Book is by Harvey Fierstein, based on the film’s screenplay by Bob Tzudiker and Noni White.