Way back in the day, before big-city newspapers had to contend with newfangled concerns like online readership, they focused solely on what they could cram into print and put into human hands. That task was made harder because cities had numerous dailies then, all trying to boost circulation.
With the bottom line constantly an issue, some publishers would do anything to save a dime — exactly what Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst did in New York in 1899, when they raised the price newsboys had to pay per 100 papers by 10 cents.
A dime was a big deal in 1899, and those newsboys refused to take the increase lying down. So they went on strike, singing and dancing up a storm the whole time.
OK, they didn't really add the showbiz flair. But they raised their voices and feet in a 1992 Disney movie musical about the strike called "Newsies," which inspired an adaptation that was a hit on Broadway in 2012 and arrives at the Hippodrome Theatre this week.
"When I heard an early reading of the show, I found it had great heart, which is a prerequisite for me," says Jeff Calhoun, who directed the original stage version of "Newsies" and the touring production. "I was moved by the story of kids against Goliath."
The real kids sort of won their fight. The price hike remained, but, for the first time, the newspaper companies agreed to buy back unsold copies, which was a big plus for the youthful vendors. The end of the strike was greeted with more singing and dancing in the street — figuratively in 1899, literally in "Newsies."
"It's the classic story of the underdog," says Christopher Gattelli, whose choreography for "Newsies" earned him a 2012 Tony Award. "That kind of story never gets old. There's always someone who feels like an underdog at some point."
The movie form of "Newsies," directed by Kenny Ortega and featuring a teenage Christian Bale as the ringleader of the strike, was something of an underdog itself. Critics sniffed at it and audiences stayed away, but the flop went on to develop a devoted fan base.
Gattelli was not among those in 1992 who dismissed the cinematic "Newsies."
"I absolutely was a fan," says the choreographer, 41, who grew up near Philadelphia. "The movie came out when I was the median age of the newsies. There I was in the theater seeing all those men dancing on the screen. It blew my mind. It was really inspiring."
Calhoun, 54, who grew up on the other side of Pennsylvania near Pittsburgh, has yet to see the movie all the way through. When he joined the team that created the stage version of "Newsies" — the first edition bowed at the Paper Mill Playhouse in New Jersey in 2011 — Calhoun deliberately avoided the film.
"I didn't want to be influenced by the director," he says. "You can't un-see something."
The creators did preserve several songs from the movie that were written by multiple-Academy Award-winning composer Alan Menken ("The Little Mermaid," "Beauty and the Beast," etc.) and lyricist Jack Feldman. Those two collaborators also wrote new numbers for the theatrical show, which won a Tony for best score.
The book for the musical was adapted from the movie by Harvey Fierstein, whose latest movie adaptation for Broadway is "Kinky Boots," which won a Tony for best musical.
Why put "Newsies" onto the stage?
"Disney said it was the No. 1-requested movie title from people wanting to do an adaptation," Calhoun says. "Disney saw revenue opportunity to create something that could be licensed. It just snowballed from there. It came together fairly effortlessly. It felt like the stars were aligned."
As the Paper Mill Playhouse premiere neared, the creative team became aware of a buzz from loyal fans of the original "Newsies" who were eager to check out the new treatment.
"I didn't realize the movie had gained this cult status," Calhoun says. "I wasn't prepared for that. Then I figured the [movie's fans] would all come to the first performance, and that would be it. But it was the same the second night and the night after, and it was the same when the show went to Broadway."
That "Newsies" was only a cult favorite may have been a benefit in the formation of the musical.
"We weren't tackling an American classic," Calhoun says. "If you tried to put 'The Godfather' on the stage, you'd be crazy."
And the fans kept coming. The Broadway run for "Newsies" was initially planned as a three-month engagement, but the box office lit up. The $5 million production grossed more than $100 million before closing last summer after just over 1,000 performances.
That touring production, launched last month, will play about two dozen cities this season. Baltimore is among the first half-dozen or so stops; Washington will get the show in June.
In addition to auditioning a new cast for the road tour, the team behind "Newsies" took the opportunity to reconsider everything about the musical.
"This was our chance to make any improvements we wanted," Calhoun says. "There's a new song in Act 2. Harvey did edits to the book. The show feels very, very fresh."
The trademark leaping newsboys, choreographed by Gattelli, remain. The plethora of big dance numbers drew some carping in the press when the musical opened on Broadway, a criticism Calhoun dismisses.
"That just makes me laugh," the director says. "I'm a football fan. It would be like complaining that [a quarterback] threw 12 touchdown passes in two weeks — too much of a good thing."
Gattelli, who choreographed the famed 2008 Lincoln Center Theater revival of "South Pacific" and will do the same for that theater's revival of "The King and I" this spring, sees the routines in "Newsies" as essential.
"All of the dancing happens for a particular reason," he says. "And each dance takes on a different sheen."
Casting for the premiere production of "Newsies" had been difficult, says Calhoun, whose next project is a musical based on the family made notorious by the A&E series "Duck Dynasty."
"No one knew what our show was," he says. "No one was beating a path to our door. Now all of a sudden they found us. I think 'Newsies' is the show for this generation [of aspiring actors/dancers]. For me in the '70s, wanting to get out of Pittsburgh, the show was 'A Chorus Line.' "
Gattelli spotted performers who had unsuccessfully tried out for the Broadway cast returning with more finely honed skills to the tour auditions.
"I think this show has inspired a lot of guys to work a little harder," the choreographer says. "My favorite story is about the guy who had his picture taken with the 'Newsies' cast doing their signature leap in Times Square last year during a Broadway flea market. One year later, he got into the cast and is now on the tour."
That tour promises the same visual experience Broadway audiences had, including an imposing set design by Tobin Ost featuring three automated, revolving towers, each weighing more than two tons.
"It would not have the same impact if it was pared down," Calhoun says. "I'm in awe of the set, to be honest, the NASA-like engineering of it. 'Newsies' tells a powerful story, with the big production values that people expect from a show."
If you go
"Newsies" opens Tuesday and runs through next Sunday at the Hippodrome Theatre, 12 N. Eutaw St. Tickets are $25 to $175. Call 410-547-7328, or go to ticketmster.com.