Newcomer Corey Cott begins his run as rebellious artist Jack Kelly in Disney’s popular musical Newsies on September 5. Cott assumes the role from original star, Tony nominee Jeremy Jordan, who departed the production on September 4 to film TV's Smash. Directed by Tony nominee Jeff Calhoun, Newsies is currently running at Broadway’s Nederlander Theatre.
Cott is a 2012 graduate of Carnegie Mellon University's School of Drama. His university credits include Suddenly Last Summer, Assassins, A Midsummer Night's Dream, and Sweeney Todd. He also appeared in the New York reading of Bare, directed by Stafford Arima.
Cott joins a cast that includes Kara Lindsay, John Dossett, Capathia Jenkins, Ben Fankhauser and Andrew Keenan-Bolger.
Newsies features the movie's original music as well as additional songs by Oscar-winning composer Alan Menken and Tony-winning lyricist Jack Feldman, in addition to a book by four-time Tony winner Harvey Fierstein and choreography by Christopher Gattelli. Inspired by the real events of the Newsboy Strike of 1899, Newsies follows a young New York City newsboy (Cott) who leads a group of orphans in a protest against Joseph Pulitzer, William Randolph Hearst and other powerful newspaper publishers.