The Outsiders, 18 March 2024

Watching S.E. Hinton’s The Outsiders come to life on stage was a truly magical experience. The novella meant a lot to me as a teenager, and I found myself fondly recognizing lines, moments, and ideas lifted directly from the source material. I was very moved by how faithful the show is to the novella, and how this faithfulness inspired a fond familiarity for the original story that kept me hanging on to every moment rather than sitting back in my seat disappointed not to see a fresh take or a new interpretation. It felt like a homecoming—revisiting characters my teenage self identified with, as well as a sense of how these morals are applicable in my adult life.

It was interesting to see how different parts of this story resonated with me in a theatrical medium than in print. As a reader, I saw the moment where Cherry Valence goes to the hospital to ask Ponyboy not to fight as naïve and sweet, but “Hopeless War” as a song felt like it existed outside of time and space—outside of this story, simultaneously part of the past, present, and future of race wars, class wars, nuclear wars… Like much of this adaptation, the language was vague, but in that universal way that is comforting. It lets you feel something without drowning you in specificity. This type of language is the lifeblood of the musical; Danya Taymor’s brilliant direction communicated the specifics in tableaus and stage pictures that let the audience see how the same words could be felt in different ways for different characters who were at different points in their journey—and it did the same for the audience.

I also commend the choreography of the fight scenes (act two in particular), which was demanding and moving—and it also spoke to this concept of telling a universal story with each actor locked in their own fight but collectively part of the same fight, the same moment, the same anguish, and the same pain. I applaud the sequence in the rain (if you’re looking at buying tickets—the first couple rows of the orchestra may be in the splash zone), and while the use of fire on stage was creative, it was limited and the juxtaposition of actual fire and projected/special effects fire was very jarring in a way that felt tacky and not artful. Likewise, the minimalist set had some lost opportunities—particularly with the stained glass window in the church. Sound and lighting felt very typical for this kind of show—not stand out in any way.

I fear that The Outsiders will receive criticism for its generic language, which is the vernacular of teenagers trying to be profound and expressive. Its folk style is not for everyone—but it definitely was for me. As actors go, I was delighted by Brody Grant (Ponyboy). I was most surprised by Brent Comer (Darrel), possibly because when I initially read the book I was too young to understand his struggles—Comer’s beautiful voice rang with sincerity and was a standout for me. Despite the more dramatic nature of the way Joshua Boone’s (Dally) character was written, I really felt Comer gave a superior performance.

When I saw the show, it gripped me from the beginning and held on to me until the end. My attention never wandered, and the simplicity of the writing and design elements ultimately allowed the actors and the story and the humanity to shine through. The Outsiders is a wonderful addition to this season’s Broadway offerings, and I was heartened by the absolutely packed theatre for a Monday night preview so early in this process. Stay sold, Ponyboy.

The performance I attended was a preview performance.

I did not attend this performance on a press pass.