Most of us have sat in a 6th grade language arts class, reading S.E. Hinton’s The Outsiders, a novel consisting of a conflict between the Greasers and the Socs. We were charmed by the rugged bravery of the seven greasers and their flawlessly greased hair, seeing the best parts of humanity—loyalty and friendship—in a trouble-making gang of working-class boys. Ally Ho (11) recalls reading the novel vividly; she remarks, “I remember being shocked when Johnny killed the Soc to save Ponyboy from being drowned. It was the first time I had read a school novel that dealt with more serious issues.”
We ended on a heartbreaking ending to the novel, only to be doubly entranced by Francis Ford Coppola’s 1983 film adaptation, starring notable actors such as C. Thomas Howell, Ralph Macchio, and Matt Dillon. However, the legacy of this story, which has defined a generation, does not end here. Adam Rapp and Justine Levine have come out with a Broadway musical, featuring music and lyrics by Jamestown Revival (Jonathan Clay and Zach Chance) and Justine Levine, choreography by Rick Kuperman and Jeff Kuperman, and directed by Danya Taymor (Outsiders Musical).
The musical still follows Ponyboy Curtis as the protagonist and sets the scene off the brutal street war between the Greasers and the Socs in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The plot unfolds following the murder of a Soc by Johnny to protect Ponyboy from drowning and the trials they face thereafter. Ponyboy and his chosen family, “…navigates the complexities of self-discovery as…[they] dream about who they want to become in a world that may never accept them” (Outsiders Musical).
Unlike the novel, the cast of the musical is racially diverse. With Brody Grant as charismatic Ponyboy, Sky Lakota-Lynch as compassionate Johnny, Joshua Boone as self-assured Dallas, Brent Comer as earnest Darrel, Jason Schmidt as good-looking Sodapop, and Daryl Tofa as playful Two-Bit Mathews, the cast is dynamic with a riveting pack of talented musical actors.
The score is categorized as folk-rock with choreography that encapsulates the action and violence of the novel with skillful expertise. Charles McNulty, a theater critic, remarks that he, “…left exhilarated by the artistic risk-taking. The show is a thrilling mess” (LA Times).
It is always exciting to see stories you have come to love be adapted into different forms of media. This musical proves another legacy in the iconic story of The Outsiders, continuously pushing forms of art to delve into the story that has reached the hearts of millions.
