Jeremy Jordan on Saying Goodbye to Bonnie & Clyde and Hello to Newsies

Broadway favorite Jeremy Jordan doesn’t just sell newspapers on stage, he makes headlines in real life! Not only is Jordan starring alongside Dolly Parton and Queen Latifah in Joyful Noise (which opens nationwide on January 13), he’s also gearing up to star in Broadway's Newsies, which begins previews March 15 ahead of a March 29 opening at the Nederlander Theatre.

Jordan will reprise the role of Jack Kelly, which he originated in the Paper Mill Playhouse production of Newsies in fall 2011. “It feels great,” Jordan told Broadway.com of bringing the musical to the Great White Way, even though his new job did mean saying goodbye to his previous Broadway show Bonnie & Clyde, which closed on December 30 after 36 regular performances.

“It’s bittersweet. I was hoping to maybe do a year with Bonnie & Clyde and then just go straight to Newsies,” Jordan said. When a Broadway transfer for Newsies was announced sooner than expected, Jordan was disappointed he might not be able play the spirited newsboy leader after all. “Nobody expected [Newsies] to come within five months of closing at Paper Mill. It’s unheard of for things to come that quickly," Jordan remembered. "But then Bonnie & Clyde closed and I had many conflicting emotions. I thought, 'Oh, now I can do Newsies, but look what's had to happen in order for that to come about.' It's good for my career, but the circumstances weren't the best.”

Jordan's career certainly is taking off, with the boost of his profile clearly visible online. “You can follow the trajectory of my career by my Twitter followers," Jordan said with a laugh, "six months ago [I had] 400. Now [I have] 3,000.” 

With the past behind him, Jordan is ready to don his newsboy cap again alongside his fellow onstage protestors. “I’m excited for everyone to hear the casting announcement because I have a lot of friends that are ‘potentially’ going to be in it,” Jordan said with a grin, refusing to reveal any names of likely cast members. “It’s gonna be a really great group of people.”