Photo Flash: Neil Patrick Harris Unites with NEWSIES Cast for Disney Parks Christmas Day Parade

Cast members from Newsies, the Tony Award® winning new American musical, will appear with Neil Patrick Harris in the opening number of the 2013 Disney Parks Christmas Day Parade. The original song, "Are You Ready For Christmas?," is staged by Newsies' Tony Award winning choreographer, Christopher Gattelli and written by David Javerbaum ("The Daily Show," Cry-Baby) and Adam Schlesinger ("Fountains of Wayne,"Cry-Baby), who have previously penned tunes for Neil Patrick Harris' hosting turns on The Tony Awards and The Emmy Awards. The parade airs on ABC, beginning at 10:00am EST/ 9:00am C/P, on Christmas morning, Wednesday, December 25, 2013. Check out phtoos below!

Since bursting onto Broadway, Newsies has set and broken seven Nederlander Theatre house records on its way to becoming the highest-grossing show of its season. The show received 23 major theatrical nominations - including eight Tony Award nods - and won Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards for Score and Choreography. One of Broadway's highest profile hits, it has been featured nationally on "Dancing with the Stars," "The View," "Good Morning America," "Nightline," "Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade," and "The CBS Thanksgiving Day Parade."

Newsies features a Tony Award-winning score with music by eight-time Academy Award® winner Alan Menken and lyrics by Jack Feldman, with a book by four-time Tony Award winner Harvey Fierstein. Produced by Disney Theatrical Productions, Newsies is directed by Tony nominee Jeff Calhoun and choreographed by Christopher Gattelli, who won a 2012 Tony Award for his work.

The Broadway company of Newsies features Corey Cott as Jack Kelly, John Dossett as Joseph Pulitzer, Kara Lindsay as Katherine Plumber, LaVon Fisher-Wilson as Medda Larkin, Ben Fankhauser as Davey, Andy Richardson as Crutchie, and Joshua Colley and Luca Padovan alternating the role of Les.

Set in New York City at the turn of the century, Newsies is the rousing tale of Jack Kelly, a charismatic newsboy and leader of a ragged band of teenaged 'newsies,' who dreams only of a better life far from the hardship of the streets. But when publishing titans Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst raise distribution prices at the newsboys' expense, Jack finds a cause to fight for and rallies newsies from across the city to strike for what's right.

Photo Credit: Mark Ashman/Disney