Although it may seem like Salt Lake City always has a cast of Newsies waiting in the wings, (Pioneer Theatre Company mounted a production last season) this classic is tried and true, and is ready to please audiences, something Hale Center Theater excels at. The production, which opened last week runs all summer long to Sept. 1 at the Centre Stage in the Mountain America Performing Arts Centre in Sandy.
In case you aren’t familiar with the story, Newsies is inspired by the true story of the Newsboys Strike in 1899 in New York City.The story follows ragamuffin Jack Kelly and his team of “newsies” who sell newspapers on the streets of New York. Newspaper mogul, Joseph Pulitzer, decides to raise prices on the newspaper forcing Jack and his cohorts to go on strike. With the help of their valiant friend/reporter, Katherine Plumber, the newsboys fight against injustice and, for some reason, dance a lot.
You will remember this story from Disney’s film. It became a household favorite soon after and in 2011 was adapted to a musical that premiered at the Paper Mill Playhouse. It went on to make its Broadway debut in 2012, running over 1,000 performances.
Ticket prices will be $40 for adults and $20 for youth ages 5-17. Performance times are 7 p.m. Monday – Saturday. Matinees will run on Saturday only at 12:30 p.m. and 4 p.m. No one wants to experience those awkward moments of infants crying in the theater so no one under the age of 5 will be permitted in the theater. For ticket information call, 801-984-9000 or visit Hale Center Theatre’s website.
