Newsies brings New York City strike to life on stage

The cast of Newsies, on at Calgary's Storybook Theatre through June 3 (Photo courtesy Storybook Theatre)

Before there was a writer's strike in Hollywood, there was the story of a newsboy strike on Broadway stages.

Newsies, the final production of Storybook's Theatre 2022-23 season, tells the story of an 1899 strike by newsboys protesting  the efforts of newspaper publishers to raise distribution prices at their expense.

The strike is led by Jack Kelly, a charismatic newsboy who leads a ragtag band of "newsies" in rebellion against the publishing titans.

"StoryBook cannot wait to share the wonderful true story of the newsies strike of 1899 in a way that only Disney can make happen," said the theatre's artistic producer, JP Thibodeau, in an event announcement.

Based on a 1992 movie that was inspired by a true story, Newsies features a Tony Award-winning musical score by Alan Menken and Jack Feldman, with a book by Tony Award-winner Harvey Fierstein, the writer of Torch Song Trilogy, Le Cage Aux Folles and Kinky Boots.

Newsies runs at Storybook's Beddington theatre through June 3. There are 7 p.m. shows Tuesdays through Saturdays and 2 p.m. matinees on Saturdays and Sundays.

For more information, go to storybooktheatre.org.