Extra! Extra! “NEWSIES” is here! Friday, August 24, 2012
From the Bowery to the box office to Broadway…… and now Stanton’s!
Vocal selections from Disney’s newest Broadway smash “Newsies,” are off the press and now available from Stanton’s. In a story almost as unlikely as the real-life events of the 1899 New York newsboys’ strike that inspired it, “Newsies: The Musical” started its life in a brief, less-than-stellar appearance at movie theatres in 1992. In the years following, however, through the magic of home video, “Newsies” became a quietly growing sensation, especially among young people, who related to its “respect the next generation” attitude, and its dynamic musical score by Academy Award winner Alan Menken and Jack Feldman.
In 1994, “Beauty and the Beast” opened on Broadway and proved that Disney could successfully translate one of its films to the stage. “Newsies” fans immediately saw the potential, and a movement began to grow that would take almost 20 years. Music Theatre International, one of the chief theatrical licensing agents for shows, was deluged with constant requests by high schools, colleges, and community theatres to rent a stage version of “Newsies,” but nothing existed. In fact, composer Alan Menken and the Disney organization experimented with the possibility several times, but couldn’t find a formula they felt would work. Enter Tony Award winning playwright and actor Harvey Fierstein, also a fan of the movie, and confident he could adapt the story for the stage.
In 2011, “Newsies: The Musical” opened at the Papermill Playhouse in Milburn, New Jersey and was an immediate success. Thomas Schumacher, President of Disney Theatrical Productions, admitted that “Newsies” was the first Disney production for which the fans basically demanded that it be staged. Those fans flocked to see it from all over the country, and the call for “Broadway!” grew even louder, a call which was resoundingly answered on March 15, 2012 when the show opened at Broadway’s Nederlander Theatre.
Top that off with over 150 sold-out performances to date, and two Tony Awards, and “Newsies” is truly the “King of New York.” Order the piano/vocal collection today!