The stage musical was adapted from the 1992 Disney movie musical of the same name. Tony nominee Jeff Calhoun directs the limited engagement of Newsies, which features music by eight-time Academy Award-winning composer Alan Menken, lyrics by Jack Feldman and a new book by four-time Tony Award winner Harvey Fierstein.
Here, Breslin takes the camera backstage at the Paper Mill and inside cast members' dressing rooms. Breslin checks in with his co-stars before the performance to see how they prepare to take on Newsies—Jeremy Jordan, who plays leading man Jack Kelly, and John Dossett, who plays Joseph Pulitzer, go head-to-head in a scream off to warm up their vocal chords.
To check out Part 1 of the backstage tour, click here.
Newsies, according to press notes, is “inspired by the real life ‘Newsboy Strike of 1899,’ when newsboy Kid Blink led the ragged orphans and runaways known as newsies on a two-week-long action against Joseph Pulitzer, William Randolph Hearst and other powerful newspaper publishers. Set in New York City at the turn of the century, the musical is the tale of newsie Jack Kelly, who dreams of a better life far from the hardship of the streets. But when Pulitzer and Hearst raise distribution prices at the newsies’ expense, Jack finds a cause to fight for and rallies his army of newsies to strike.”
To check out the behind-the-scenes action at Newsies, look below: