Theater: “The Outsiders” on Broadway

Small town life is rich material for theater. You need look no further than Wilder’s “Our Town” by Thornton Wilder as the quintessential American example.

But IRL, small towns can also be crucibles of ugliness. The animosities between people that are often invisible in a big city are front and center in smaller towns, particularly the battle between the haves and the have-nots.

It is this phenomenon that makes “The Outsiders on Broadway” such a terrific choice for the Outstanding Musical Tony Award this past June.

Imagine if the fight between the Jets and the Sharks of “West Side Story” took place in small-town Tulsa, Oklahoma, circa 1967, the setting for “Outsiders.”

The teenagers there fall into two groups: 1) the “Socs” (short for ”socials”), the slick, mean-spirited kids who wear varsity jackets, drive fancy cars, and date the prettiest girls; and 2) the “greasers,” the poor kids from the wrong side of the tracks who live without money, jobs or hope.

Pony Boy Curtis (Brody Grant), the youngest of three greaser brothers, aspires to leave Tulsa someday. But his self-confidence is destroyed on a daily basis by the cruelty and the bullying of the socs who use every opportunity to mock and beat up on him and his fellow greasers.

This tense situation leads to no good, as those of you who’ve read S.E. Hinton’s 1967 novel or seen Coppola’s 1982 movie know. Pony Boy and his best buddy Johnny Cade (Sky Lakota Lynch) decide to flee town, the police in hot pursuit. What’s Pony Boy’s future now?

The story of teenage alienation may seem small-bore to some but Adam Rapp and Justin Levine, who wrote the lovely book and score for “Outsiders,” have struck a nerve here. The themes of family members who care for one another, friends willing to die for each other, and an “us-against-them” mentality are universal. It’s clear from the get-go whose side the playwright is on, and you’re rooting for that side as well.

As for the excellent cast, several deserve special callouts. Besides Grant (who as Pony Boy looks like a young Michael J. Fox) and Lakota Lynch as Johnny Cade, I liked the sonorous-voiced Joshua Boone as Dallas Winston, the New York-born tough guy who’s just gotten out of county lockup. Dan Perry is great as Darryl, the stern oldest Curtis brother as is Jason Schmidt, the peace-making middle brother (Soda pop) who provides the play’s comic relief.

No review would be complete without a few hosannas about the stagecraft of “Outsiders.” In one scene, an actual fire burns on stage. In another, rain falls from on high during a fight scene. Kudos to Lighting Designers Brian MacDevitt and Hana S. Kim and Sound Designer Cody Spencer for creating the magic. Along with those of director Danya Taylor,  they make the epic rumble scene in Act Two one that cannot fail to impress even the most jaded theatergoer. Choreography  by Rick and Jeff Kuperman is energetic and Broadway-cool.

Be advised: if you’re looking for a snarky, urban, New York-style musical, you’ve come to the wrong show. But if you can walk away from “The Outsiders” and not feel some hidden well of emotion tapped, see your cardiologist because you may have lost your heart. At the Bernard Jacobs Theater.