Sara Krulwich/The New York Times A scene from “Newsies.â€The Broadway musical “Newsies,†a David-vs.-Goliath story about the 1899 strike of New York City newsboys, has recouped its $5 million capitalization, becoming the fastest of any Disney musical on Broadway to turn a profit, the show's producers said on Thursday.
Based on a 1992 Disney movie that was a box-office dud, Disney Theatrical Productions first developed the stage version of “Newsies†with an eye toward licensing the musical to regional and school productions as a revenue generator. But a try-out production of the show in fall 2011, at the Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn, N.J., proved so popular with audiences and critics t hat Disney, in a relatively unusual move for the company, quickly transferred “Newsies†to Broadway.
Performances began in March. The show opened to generally positive reviews, and went on to be nominated for eight Tony Awards, including best musical and best actor for its then-star, Jeremy Jordan. The production won two Tonys: score for Alan Menken and Jack Feldman and choreography for Christopher Gattelli. Mr. Jordan departed in late summer to star in the NBC series “Smash,†but ticket sales for “Newsies†have held up relatively well with his replacement, Corey Cott, a Broadway newcomer.
“Newsies†becomes the fifth Disney musical on Broadway to turn a profit; the others are “Beauty and the Beast,†“The Lion King,†“Aida†and “Mary Poppins.†The company's two other Broadway musicals, “Tarzan†and “The Little Mermaid,†were critical and commercial disappointments. While “Newsies†is the fastest of the successful shows to recoup, in just over nine months, it was also the one with the smallest capitalization.
