Novi Native Among Cast for Disney's NEWSIES, Coming to Detroit Tonight

Casting has been announced for the Detroit engagement of Disney's NEWSIES. The Tony Award-winning production will begin performances at the Detroit Opera House tonight, December 15 for a limited engagement through December 27.

The production features Joey Barreiro as "Jack Kelly", Steve Blanchard as "Joseph Pulitzer", Morgan Keene as "Katherine", Aisha de Haas as "Medda Larkin", Stephen Michael Langton as "Davey", Zachary Sayle as "Crutchie", and John Michael Pitera and Ann Arbor, Michigan resident Ethan Steiner alternating the role of "Les." Additionally, this national tour features Novi, Michigan, native Iain Young (ensemble member).

Rounding out the cast are Josh Assor, Evan Autio, Bill Bateman, Josh Burrage, Kevin Carolan, Benjamin Cook, DeMarius Copes, Nico DeJesus, JP Ferreri, Sky Flaherty, Kaitlyn Frank, Michael Gorman, David Guzman, Jeff Heimbrock, Stephen Hernandez, Meredith Inglesby, James Judy, Eric Scott Kincaid, Eric Jon Mahlum, Nicholas Masson, Alex Prakken, Michael Ryan, Jordan Samuels, Melissa Steadman Hart, Andrew Wilson and Chaz Wolcott.

NEWSIES, the new American musical, features a Tony Award-winning score with music by eight-time Academy Award winner Alan Menken and lyrics by Jack Feldman, a book by four-time Tony Award winner Harvey Fierstein and is 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 entire creative team has reunited to bring the break-out smash musical to audiences across North America.

When it opened on March 29, 2012 NEWSIES was intended for a Broadway run of just 101 performances. The show's fiercely devoted fans had other ideas, however; they propelled the show to a run of 1005 performances, attendance of more than 1 million and a gross of over $100M.

While on Broadway, NEWSIES set and broke seven Nederlander Theatre house records and became the highest-grossing show from the 2011-12 Broadway 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.

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.

NEWSIES is 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 newspaper publishers.

The stage version introduces seven brand-new songs by the original team of Menken and Feldman, including a song written specifically for the tour called '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.'

Since the film's 1992 theatrical release and subsequent DVD release, NEWSIES has grown into a cult phenomenon, and for years had been the single most requested title of all the Disney musical films not yet adapted for the stage. (The film featured a screenplay by Bob Tzudiker & Noni White (Tarzan, 102 Dalmatians).)

Performance times for NEWSIES appearing December 15 - 27, 2015 at the Detroit Opera House, located at 1526 Broadway, in Detroit, are:

- Tuesday through Saturday evening performances at 8:00 p.m.

- Sunday evening performances at 6:30 p.m.

- Saturday matinees at 2:00 p.m.

- Sunday matinees at 1:00 p.m.

- Monday, December 21 performance at 8:00 p.m.

- Wednesday, December 23 matinee at 1:00 p.m.

- No performances on December 24 or December 25

- Sunday, December 20 at 6:30 p.m. is a special open captioned performance

- Thursday, December 17 at 8:00 p.m. is KIDS NIGHT ON BROADWAY

Broadway in Detroit and NEWSIES will participate in KIDS NIGHT ON BROADWAY Thursday, December 17 at 8:00pm. At this special performance, doors will open for families at 6:30 p.m. Pre-show activities in the Detroit Opera House lobby include giveaways from WDVD, NEWSIES themed craft making with Arts & Scraps, free ice cream samples from Treat Dreams, interactive demonstrations from the Michigan Science Center and more. Specially priced tickets for this performance are available for families including a free KIDS ticket with the purchase of an ADULT ticket at full price. For details and to purchase specially priced Kids Night On Broadway tickets, visit www.broadwayindetroit.com/kidsnight or the Detroit Opera House and Fisher Theatre box offices.

Regular priced tickets for NEWSIES range from $35 - $89 (includes facility fees only, not parking) and are now on sale at all Ticketmaster locations, by phone at 1-800-982-2787, online at www.broadwayindetroit.com or www.ticketmaster.com . Tickets are available for purchase at the Detroit Opera House and Fisher Theatre box offices. A limited number of premium seats are available through Ticketmaster and at both box offices. Tickets for the open captioned performance may be purchased in person only at the Fisher Theatre box office or by phone at 313-872-1000, ext. 0. For group sales (12 or more) email groups@broadwayindetroit.com or call 313-871-1132. Performance schedule, prices and cast are subject to change without notice.

Ticket buyers are reminded that the Detroit Opera House, Fisher Theatre and Ticketmaster are the only official retail ticket outlets. Ticket buyers who purchase tickets from a ticket broker or any third party should be aware that the theatre is unable to reprint or replace lost or stolen tickets and is unable to contact patrons with information regarding time changes or other pertinent updates regarding the performance.

For more information, visit NewsiesTheMusical.com, Facebook.com/Newsies, Twitter.com/Newsies and www.BroadwayInDetroit.com. Follow Broadway In Detroit on Facebook (BroadwayInDetroit), Twitter @BroadwayDetroit and Instagram @Broadwayindetroit.

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