OKLAHOMA CITY – The acclaimed Broadway musical of classic “The Outsiders” has made its way to Oklahoma City almost a year after it made its premiere in Tulsa, the city where the original novel was set and written.
Published in 1967, “The Outsiders” was one of the first to pioneer fiction about young adults. By native Tulsan S.E. Hinton, the book follows the conflict between two high school gangs, Greasers and Soc’s. It has become a classic mainstay of required readings for schools across America due to its exploration of economic class differences and family dynamics.
In 2023, it got its third incarnation as a Broadway musical that went on to win 10 Tony Awards the following year.
Opening night, the Civic Center was packed with an audience that was more likely than others to be familiar with the story, whether in school or viewing the 1983 movie directed by Francis Ford Coppola.
When I think of my experience reading the book and then watching the movie, I was not sure how well the story would lend itself to a medium like a musical. But right from the start, the book itself is in the play, literally carried in and read by the main character Ponyboy.
While you can easily draw comparisons to the popular “West Side Story,” with the teenage gangs and the star crossed relationships between the male and female leads, the most memorable parts of the book for me- the insecure contemplation and intimate conversations- were not something I could easily envision translating to a big Broadway musical. But the musical is able to maintain the novel’s more subtle moments and even injects some lightheartedness.
The music, composed by folk duo Jamestown Revival and written by Justine Levine, works in conjunction to heighten the emotions of the story, though at times disjointledy with some on-the nose lyrcisim, like “we’ve got no parents, we fend for ourselves.’
But the ensemble numbers will leave you awe-struck, with choreography that combines 60s swing dancing with a more contemporary grittiness. The group harmonies soar through the hall as they kick up literal dirt with their dancing.
When the quiet moments do come, you can feel the contrast as you transition from giant setpieces to Ponyboy and Cherry sharing a moment or when he recites Robert Frost.
Perhaps that’s due to this being the first musical for both the writer Adam Rapp and stage director Danya Taymor that the scenes of just dialogue are just as powerful as the big stage numbers.
It’s hard to not compare the musical to the 1983 Coppola-directed movie. And there are moments that seem inspired from the cinematic rendition, whether it’s the cascading rain that comes down during the rumble or the overall look of the Outsiders.
The costuming will take you back into time, and the Greasers certainly earn their title. And like the 1983 movie’s iconic cast consisting of early-career performances by Rob Lowe, Ralph Macchio, and Tom Cruise, the touring cast is full of many young actors equally as talented and certainly more diverse.
Nolan White, still an undergraduate student at the University of Michigan, plays the lead role of the bright-eyed Ponyboy with a youthful energy that helps underscore the difficulties and the further tragedy. And as someone who is an older brother, the songs sung by Darrel, Ponyboy’s eldest brother played by Travis Roy Roger, particularly touched me.
But the musical stands alone with the author of the book having encouraged the director to make it their own.
The staging was incredible with how deceivingly simple it seems at first. Classic cars do make their way onto stage, but much of the props consisted of just planks of wood camouflage in the background and rubber tires that they utilize in incredibly creative ways. When combined with the lighting and amazing projection, the cast constructs everything from a drive-in theater to a burning-down church.
Similarly even with advanced lighting technology, the production makes use of numerous flashlights to great effect. The fight scenes combine the sophisticated lighting design and intricate choreography in a way that somehow reminded me of action movies like “Sin City” and “The Matrix.” Moments of physical conflict would slow at key moments, allowing for brief interludes to the audience.
The culmination of this noir-slowmotion style comes with the final rumble between the Socs and Greasers when the choreography evolves from a gritty street brawl into a physical metaphor on the nonsensical nature of the fight. That the only people they are hurting is themselves.
As someone who is born and raised in Oklahoma, it is hard to say that the broad look of the world is something I can distinguish as being uniquely Oklahoma. But perhaps that is why the book has been read across the US for the last six decades.
In “The Outsiders,” Tulsa could be anywhere in America. And Ponyboy is anyone growing up who felt out of place.
But there is one thing. During the last number, the backdrop captures a gold sunrise cresting the horizon that I swear you can only find in Oklahoma.
“The Outsiders” runs at Civic Center Music Hall now through Sunday, August 30th.
For tickets and more information, visit okcciviccenter.com and okcbroadway.com.
Matthew Viriyapah covers music, books and local events in Oklahoma. You can find him where there's live music.
