This may come as a surprise, but “The Outsiders” really works as a Broadway musical. Sure, it has lasted decades as a young adult novel and, yes, it gave a number of actors their first breaks on the big screen. But on stage, it pops to life and grabs the heart in ways you might not have imagined.
Like so many coming-of-age dramas, it should be riddled with cliches (and there are some) but the new adaptation sparks to life with inventive direction, compelling songs and attractive leads.
Brody Grant, as 14-year-old Ponyboy Curtis, the story’s narrator, has a unique voice that’s impossible to ignore. He starts the story perched on a big tire and sets the scene with “Tulsa ’67.” The battle – between the rich kids (or “socs”) and the poor ones (the “Greasers”) – is spelled out and then, it’s just a matter of time before they square off. Ponyboy lives with two older brothers (their parents have died) and doesn’t get enough time to just be a kid. He’s pulled into a world not of his making and becomes friends with one of the rich girls, Cherry Valance (Emma Pittman). Telling the story – of best friend Johnny Cade (Sky Lakota-Lynch), their friend Dallas (Joshua Boone), the brothers (Brent Comer and Jason Schmidt) and friend Two-Bit (Daryl Tofa) -- director Danya Taymor uses every technique possible to make it resonate. Set on a spartan, gravel-filled stage, the story gets great support from Rick and Jeff Kuperman’s choreography.
When the “rumble” occurs, they double-down and create an electric moment that leans into cinema, showing action in ways others only imagine.
The music – by Jamestown Revival – lends a different vibe as well. Retro Americana, it fosters the new take written by Adam Rapp and Justine Levine. This “Outsiders” moves to its own beat and succeeds, largely because it’s not trying to duplicate S.E. Hinton’s story but applaud it and go one better.
While the book used “Gone with the Wind” as Ponyboy’s backpocket novel, the stage musical references “Great Expectations” and has a better time using its story to punch up Hinton’s. It also includes plenty of staging techniques that will remind you of ones in “West Side Story” and “Rent.”
Little things (like lid covers on 1967 soft drinks) may not be accurate but they don’t get in the way of powerful performances. Grant is a galvanizing young performer who makes you pull for him, even when he’s in the wrong. The brothers, too, are worth cheering, even though they don’t give him enough attention. The friendship that blossoms between Johnny and Ponybo, however, sets up the great adventure and results in a duet, “Stay Gold,” that will bring big tears. Both Grant and Lakota-Lynch are impossible to ignore. They give two of the finest performances of the year and cap it with a show-ending song that should prompt plenty of downloads.
While Broadway’s “The Outsiders” looks like it’s just another attempt to tap into a known commodity, it’s hardly another book/movie transfer. This lives on its own and makes you appreciate what Hinton wrote so many years ago. It’s a “go to” show, not a “pulled from” one.
“The Outsiders” is at the Jacobs Theatre in New York City. It’s nominated for 12 Tony Awards.
