As audiences step into the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre in New York City (NYC), the atmosphere transports them back to 1967 to explore life in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and the clash between rival adolescent gangs, the wealthy socialites (Socs), and the lower class (Greasers).  The two groups of teens live on opposite sides of the tracks and often come into conflict over territory, with malicious Socs tormenting the ragtag Greasers.  The story came to life with Mrs. Susie (S.E.) Hinton’s 1967 novel, and Mr. Francis Ford Coppola brought it to the big screen in 1983, according to nyunews.com.  The Outsiders has been a well-loved story for generations, and artists have adapted it between media vehicles for decades.  As one of many musical adaptations on Broadway, The Outsiders stays true to the classic story of belonging and “staying gold” while reinventing itself with original music and brilliant staging, according to theculturalcritic.com.

The story of The Outsiders is told through the eyes of 14-year-old Ponyboy Curtis, played by Mr. Brody Grant, and his tight-knit group of friends, the Greasers, nicknamed for their blue-collar jobs.  His older brothers, Sodapop and Darrel, played by Mr. Jason Schmidt and Mr. Brent Comer, try to keep him out of trouble, but he and his best friend, Johnny Cade, portrayed by Mr. Sky Lakota-Lynch, look up to the most notorious greaser, Dallas Winston, played by Mr. Joshua Boone.  When the Greaser and Soc worlds collide, Ponyboy contentiously socializes with the most popular Soc girl, Cherry Valance, portrayed by Ms. Emma Pittman.  However, Cherry’s boyfriend Bob, played by Mr. Kevin William Paul, strongly disapproves of this fraternizing.  Ponyboy and Johnny find themselves in a heated argument with the Socs, during which Johnny kills Bob to defend Ponyboy.

The plot advances with Johnny and Ponyboy escaping Tulsa, heroically saving children from a burning abandoned church (brought to life onstage with fire displays) and culminating in a dramatic rumble between the Greasers and Socs, as well as the deaths of Ponyboy’s friends.  The story emphasizes the conflict between social classes and loyalty between the Greasers when their friends and family have ostracized and misunderstood them elsewhere.  Creators Mr. Adam Rapp and Mr. Justin Levine emphasize this community through many ensemble-heavy numbers.  With choreography by Mr. Rick Kuperman and Mr. Jeff Kuperman, costume design by Ms. Sarafina Bush, lighting design by Mr. Brian MacDevitt, and direction by Ms. Danya Taymor, this musical adaptation translates a timeless novel to a gripping, intense, and emotional stage production, according to theculturalcritic.com.

The Outsiders boasted 12 Tony Awards nominations and won four in 2024, including Best Musical, Best Lighting Design, Best Sound Design, and Best Direction, according to tonyawards.com.  The choreography, sound, lighting, and directorial teams collaborated to produce a riveting rumble scene, during which the Greasers and Socs go head-to-head under onstage rain, according to The New York Times.  This raw and gritty Act II number is the climax of the Greaser and Soc tension.  The Kuperman brothers choreographed the enthralling fight scene, which utilizes only sound effects of thunder, train horns and rails, and opponents striking one another with percussive rhythm, to start out realistic and become more expressionistic, according to backstage.com.  With muted-tone costumes, making Greaser indistinguishable from Soc, and disorienting lighting shifts, the audience stays glued to the stage for all three minutes.  Mr. MacDevitt shared his experience working with different elements of the production team to craft creative and compelling lighting designs, according to usitt.org.

“The color had to be just right for 1967; it had to exude realism,” Mr. MacDevitt said, according to usitt.org.  “Yet, with the story told through memory, I also had so much flexibility for extremities and abstraction.  Collaborating with this creative team was nothing short of thrilling, especially on that pivotal Rumble scene.  The drama, the grittiness, and the ability to elicit genuine emotion and connect with the audience through light, sound, and scenic elements were pure exhilaration.”

The musical’s score, featuring original music by Jamestown Revival, Mr. Jonathan Clay and Mr. Zach Chance’s Americana folk duo, adds a new artistic element to the narrative.  Critics nominated the original cast album for the 2024 Tony Awards Best Original Score, according to tonyawards.com.  The Recording Academy has also nominated it for the 2025 Grammy Awards Best Musical Theatre Album, according to broadwayworld.com.  Country and bluegrass genres of music have made strides on Broadway in recent seasons, including in the musicals Shucked, with music by Ms. Brandy Clark and Mr. Shane McAnally, and Swept Away, with music by The Avett Brothers, according to mena.rollingstone.com.  Mr. Chance shared how his band adapted the traditional Americana genre to suit a musical, according to texashighways.com.

“I think for us it was taking our instincts as songwriters and combining that with this new art form,” Mr. Chance said, according to texashighways.com.  “The music and the book work in tandem to move the narrative.  One thing we keep hearing is, ‘This musical really sounds unique.  It doesn’t sound like traditional Broadway.’  And I love to hear that.”

The Outsiders has endured for decades as a coming-of-age story, and adapting it for the stage was sure to cause skepticism, according to theculturalcritic.com.  When adapting a novel or screenplay for the theatre, a production team must transform elements of cinema or literature to the stage while considering both the limitations and possibilities of live theatre.  Miss Michaela Gorman ’05, Upper School Theatre Teacher and Director of Theatrical Productions, commented on what a creative team may bear in mind while taking on a new adaptation, especially for a well-known story.

“A playwright, dramaturg, or production team is focusing on what works for stage, which is not always the same as what works on the page or even on the screen,” Miss Gorman said.  “For example, a key component of theatre is revealing a story through dialogue, where many pieces of literature might allow a reader insight into a character’s private thoughts through first person or omniscient narration.  In adapting for the stage, a playwright, dramaturg, director, or choreographer may have to figure out how to externalize a character’s internal landscape.  They may consider what they can afford to lose, add, or change while still maintaining what, in their minds, are the essentials of the original work.  I think artists who adapt work for the stage are often trying to strike a delicate balance; they do not want to rip an original work to shreds without very specific intention, but they also do not want to present something that does not work onstage.”

The Outsiders is one of many stage adaptations on Broadway, alongside classic shows such as West Side Story, Les Miserables, Rent, and Wicked.  In fact, in the past 30 years, 82 percent of new musicals on Broadway were adaptations of previous works, according to kendavenport.com.  Miss Gorman shared her thoughts on the role that adaptations of popular works play on the Broadway stage.

“I do sense that adaptations, especially more straightforward adaptations of source material like a well-known film, have become increasingly common on Broadway more recently,” Miss Gorman said.  “Broadway is, after all, a commercial industry.  It might make sense for a producer to try to mount a production that is an adaptation of an existing work, or at least a production that references material with which an audience is already familiar, in an effort to be viable or successful.  I would say that financial instability creates an environment in which producers of professional and particularly Broadway productions might be looking for a safer bet.  They might be seeking out name recognition, hoping that a potential audience member is going to buy a ticket for a production whose title, music, or story is familiar to them over something completely original and unknown.”

Featured Image by Caroline Gammon ’26