This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
"Newsies," the touring show of the Broadway musical inspired by a 1899 strike in New York City, will return to Utah for five shows Aug. 25-27.
The majority of the show's tickets for the first run, scheduled June 7-12, quickly sold out to season ticket holders, so producers decided to bring the show back. Tickets for the August run will go on sale Monday, May 23.
The demand for tickets was unprecedented, according to MagicSpace Entertainment CEO John Ballard, who presents the Broadway at the Eccles series.
Utah has been incredibly enthusiastic about Disney shows, said Jack Eldon, vice president, domestic, of Disney Theatrical Productions.
The musical, which won a Tony Award for its score, is based on Disney's 1992 film. The film, directed and choreographed by Kenny Ortega, didn't rock the box office originally but went on to earn cult popularity among young fans, and serves as something of a precursor to Ortega's wildly popular "High School Musical" films.
"Newsies" focuses on the big dreams of young Jack Kelly, who in New York City at the turn of the 20th-century leads a rag-tag crew of news boys on a strike that takes on money-bag publishers Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst.
The stage musical was written by Harvey Fierstein, with music by Alan Menken and lyrics by Jack Feldman. The touring show includes a new song "Letter from the Refuge," as well as favorite songs from the film, such as "Seize the Day."
Tribune dance critic Kathy Adams called "Newsies" "the most dance-rich show since 'A Chorus Line,'" after reviewing a Broadway performance during its opening month in 2012. The show's original cast included Utah dancer Thayne Jasperson, (now in "Hamilton," whose performed in the "High School Musical" films and a 2008 finalist on TV's "So You Think You Can Dance.")
"Of note is the musical's raw approach: a stage filled with boys competing for attention, a story that didn't emerge from a cartoon and a score created before rock stars mistook themselves for composers and arrangers for stage," Adams wrote.
The show's 2012 Broadway run, scheduled for 101 performances, was extended for more than 1,000 shows, with an attendance of more than 1 million theatergoers, became the highest-grossing show of 2011-12 Broadway season.
'Newsies'
The Disney stage musical sold out its June run, but the touring show will return to Utah in August. Tickets, which range from $45-$85 (plus fees), go on sale on Monday, May 23, for five shows Aug. 25-27. Tickets are on sale at the Capitol Theatre box office, 50 W. 200 South, Salt Lake City, at artsaltlake.org or 801-355-2787.
Tickets for the 2016-17 season are available at Broadway-at-the-Eccles.com.