‘Newsies’ Set to Tour North America in 2014

The Dr. Phillips Center recently made the exciting announcement that they would give the community a sneak peek at the highly anticipated 2014-15 inaugural Broadway season by implementing the Tony Award winning Broadway musical Newsies as a part of its lineup. This announcement comes only days after the construction milestone of the concrete pour of the Alexis and Jim Pugh Theater stage. Needless to say, a Newsies national tour is in the works.

The President of the Dr. Phillips Center, Kathy Ramsberger, shared in a statement, “This is the ideal opportunity to announce one of our inaugural season shows with the launch of the Newsies national tour. The overall support for the project is increasing as our inaugural season takes shape. We wanted to ensure our community hears the news from us.”

Newsies is set in New York City at the turn of the century. It is the rousing 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.

The show is produced by Disney Theatrical Productions, a division of the Walt Disney World Company and also a donor of the Dr. Phillips Center’s 2,700 seat Broadway Theatre. President and producer of Disney Theatrical Productions Thonmas Schumacher made a statement saying, “We continue to be overwhelmed by the passion and support for Newsies on Broadway and are elated that the show will continue on the road. The enthusiasm from North American audiences and theatres for a Newsies tour has been palpable, proving that the affection for this title is deeper and more widespread than even we imagined. I am so proud that patrons will soon have the opportunity to enjoy Newsies in their own backyards.”

Since its premiere on Broadway at The Nederlander Theatre in March 2012, Newsies has exceeded expectations.  Within only a few weeks of its first Broadway performance ticket orders came in from all 50 states. What was originally a transfer to Broadway as part of a limited engagement of a couple dozen performances transformed into what is now nearly 700 performances. The production has set and broken seven Nederlander Theatre house records and became the largest hit of the 2011-12 season.