Newsies will now play an open ended run

Disney Theatrical Productions have announced that the Broadway premiere of the musical Newsies will now play an open ended run. A new block of tickets for performances 20 Aug - 18 Nov 2012 will go on sale 21 May.

Following a pilot production at Paper Mill Playhouse last fall, the show unexpectedly came to Broadway for a 12 week run. Opening with ticket sales from all 50 states, the limited run proved so successful that it was extended another 10 weeks, through 19 Aug 2012. Another round of critical praise following its Broadway opening and 23 major theatrical nominations - including eight Tony Award nods - followed.

"Ever since the Paper Mill Playhouse run ended six months ago, the audience has re-written the playbook for Newsies," said Thomas Schumacher, Producer, Disney Theatrical Productions. "We continue to be astonished by a passion for this show that is as heartfelt as it is widespread and find ourselves, once again, in the wonderful position of altering our plans to respond to palpable demand."

The current cast is scheduled to stay with the production.

Newsies opened at the Nederlander Theatre on 29 Mar 2012, following previews from 15 Mar 2012.

The musical opened to mostly excellent reviews: Good, old-fashioned family entertainment (NY Daily News); Make a beeline for this Disney winner (Back Stage); Corker of a family musical (Variety)

Newsies has a score by eight-time Academy Award winner Alan Menken (Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Sister Act), lyrics by Jack Feldman and a new book by four-time Tony Award winner Harvey Fierstein (La Cage aux Folles, Torch Song Trilogy), adapted for the stage from the 1992 live-action Disney feature film musical of the same name.

The musical, directed by Tony nominee Jeff Calhoun (Big River revival) and choreographed by Tony nominee Christopher Gattelli (South Pacific revival), is set in New York City at the turn of the century, and tells the tale 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.

Newsies is inspired by the real-life 'Newsboy Strike of 1899,' when newsboy Kid Blink led a band of orphan and runaway newsies on a two-week-long action against Pulitzer, Hearst and other powerful newspaper publishers.

The musical's principal cast features Jeremy Jordan, as rebellious newsboy leader 'Jack Kelly,' John Dossett as 'Joseph Pulitzer,' Kara Lindsay as 'Katherine Plumber,' Ben Fankhauser as 'Davey,' Andrew Keenan-Bolger as 'Crutchie' and, Lewis Grosso, Capathia Jenkins 'Medda'and Matthew Schechter alternating the role of 'Les.'

Newsies played at Paper Mill Playhouse in New Jersey from 15 Sep - 16 Oct 2011 for what was originally intended to be a pilot production before the title was licensed for regional, professional and amateur productions.

However, such was the popular response to the production from critics and audience members that Disney Theatrical Productions decided to bring the show immediately to Broadway.

The musical is adapted from the 1992 movie which also features a score by Alan Menken ad lyrics by Jack Feldman. The stage play for the movie was written by Bob Tzudiker and Noni White.

Matthew Schechter (Les), Jeremy Jordan (Jack Kelly) Ben Fankhauser (Davey), Andrew Keenan-Bolger (Crutchie) and company More production photographs