Read all about it: ‘Newsies’ made theater headlines

October 30, 2014 at 12:05a.m.

The Tony Award-winning Disney production “Newsies” comes to Cleveland from Nov. 4-16 at Playhouse Square’s Connor Palace, and then moves to Pittsburgh’s Benedum Center from Nov. 25-30.

The popular musical features a Tony Award-winning score with music by eight-time Academy Award-winner Alan Menken and lyrics by Jack Feldman, as well as a book by four-time Tony Award-winner Harvey Fierstein.

“Newsies” is inspired by the real-life Newsboy strike of 1899, when a newsboy named Kid Blink (seriously!) led a band of orphan and runaway newsies on a two-week-long action against powerful newspaper publishers Pulitzer and Hearst.

Here are a few fun facts regarding the show:

Upon opening on Broadway in March 2012, “Newsies” was intended for just 101 performances, but audience demand led to 1,005 performances with more than a million tickets sold.

“Newsies” broke seven Nederlander Theatre house records and became the highest-grossing show from the 2011-12 Broadway season.

Overall, the show received 23 major theatrical nominations, including eight Tony Award nods. The production won the Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards for Score and Choreography.

“Newsies” began as a 1992 feature film starring Christian Bale, Bill Pullman and Robert Duvall that bombed at the box office but became a cult classic on video and DVD.

The new stage version features seven brand-new songs by Menken and Feldman, as well as feature-film numbers “Carrying the Banner,” “Seize the Day,” “King of New York” and “Santa Fe.”

During the song “Seize the Day,” 42 sheets of paper are danced on or torn during each night. These single-use sheets are either recycled or given to audience members during the performance.

Speaking of newspapers, the antique Chandler & Price printing press used in the show was manufactured in the early 1900s and weights 1,200 pounds. It’s fully capable of printing, and an expert printer, who specializes in vintage machines, was brought in to train staff and actors in its intricate workings.

Finally, “Newsies” experienced an extended life on Broadway due to its dedicated fans, who are called Fansies.