The U.K. premiere of Disney’s Newsies, the 2012 Broadway musical featuring music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Jack Feldman, and a book by Harvey Fierstein, has just released new behind-the-scenes photos at London’s Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre.
In this new production, which continues through July 30, theatregoers are thrust right inside the action as the newsies dance, sing, jump, and fly around the streets of 19th-century New York City. The musical officially opened December 8, 2022, following previews that began November 29. Read the reviews here.
Directed and choreographed by 2023 Olivier winner Matt Cole, the cast is led by Michael Ahomka-Lindsay (Emmett in Legally Blonde at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre) and Bronté Barbé as Jack Kelly and Katherine Plumber, respectively.
The company also features Moya Angela, Lindsay Atherton, Imogen Bailey, Samuel Bailey, Josh Barnett, Jack Bromage, Bobbie Chambers, Alex Christian, Arcangelo Ciulla, George Crawford, Spencer Darlaston-Jones, Ross Dawes, Joshua Denyer, Ross Dorrington, Matthew Duckett, Jacob Fisher, Morgan Gregory, Jamie Golding, Damon Gould, Barry Keenan, Ryan Kopel, Sion Lloyd, Mireia Mambo, Forbes Masson, Mukeni Nel, Kai Oxley, Bradley Perret, Mark Samaras, Rory Shafford, Owen Stringer, Matt Trevorrow, Lillie-Pearl Wildman, and Lucy Young, with Nesim Adnan, Ben Dalton, Harry Newby, and Ethan Sokontwe as Les.
Check out the behind-the-scenes photos below:
Bronte Barbe
George Crawford
Moya Angela
Bronte Barbe and Ryan Kopel
Michael Ahomka-Lindsay and Bronte Barbe
Mukeni Nel and Mark Samaras
Matthew Duckett
Cast of Newsies
Michael Ahomka-Lindsay
Ross Dawes
Cast of Newsies
Cast of Newsies
Cast of Newsies
Company of Newsies
The production also has set design by Morgan Large, musical supervision, dance arrangements, and musical direction by Nigel Lilley, costumes by Natalie Pryce, lighting by Mark Henderson, sound by Tony Gayle, orchestrations by Simon Hale, performer flying by John Maddox for Suspended Illusions Ltd, casting by Lucy Casson, children’s casting by Jo Hawes, fight direction by Rachel Bown-Williams and Ruth Cooper-Brown for RC Annie, associate direction by Rachael Nanyonjo, associate choreography by Jane McMurtrie, associate musical direction by Chris Ma, and production management by Lee Batty and Andy Fox for Setting Line.
Based on the Disney film written by Bob Tzudiker and Noni White, Newsies was originally produced on Broadway by Disney Theatrical Productions. Opening night was March 29, 2012, at the Nederlander.
Newsies was inspired by the real-life “Newsboy Strike of 1899,” when newsboy Kid Blink led a band of orphan and runaway newsies on a two-week-long action against Pulitzer, Hearst, and other powerful New York newspaper publishers.
The stage version introduced seven new songs by the original team of Menken and Feldman—including a song written after the Broadway premiere specifically for the tour, “Letter from the Refuge”—while keeping many of the beloved songs from the film, including “Carrying the Banner,” “Seize the Day,” “King of New York,” and “Santa Fe.”
The musical took home Tony Awards in 2012 for Best Choreography (Christopher Gattelli) and Best Original Score (Menken and Feldman) and was nominated for Best Actor (Jordan), Best Book (Harvey Fierstein), Best Direction (Jeff Calhoun), Best Orchestrations (Daniel Troob), Best Scenic Design (Tobin Ost and Sven Ortel), and Best Musical.
The current London production won the 2023 Olivier for Best Theatre Choreographer.
Newsies is produced by Tristan Baker & Charlie Parsons for Runaway Entertainment, Gavin Kalin, Hunter Arnold, Kater Gordon, and Dianne Roberts, by permission of Disney Theatrical Productions.
Visit NewsiestheMusical.co.uk.
