THE OUTSIDERS first made its indelible mark on pop culture as a Y/A novel written in 1967 by S. E. Hinton. Hinton was 15 when she began writing her novel set in Tulsa, OK '1967. It's an appropriation of "West Side Story"("WSS") which is of course, a modern take on "Romeo & Juliet". "The Outsiders" ("TOS") favors "West Side Story" with a smaller star crossed lovers' meme. In both WSS & TOS, boun- daries are strictly drawn: Jets v. Sharks - Socs. (society) v. Greasers (working class on the wrong side of the tracks). The novel was made into a Broadway musical in 2024 earning 4 Tonys including Best Musi-cal. The story's protagonist is budding writer, 14 year old Ponyboy. He's the youngest of the 3 Curtis brothers. Their parents died leaving them orphans when the oldest brother was away at college on a football scholarship. He returns home to work and care for his brothers. The Curtis boys are part of the self-aligned greaser family; a ragtag, hard knocks group. What both WSS and TOS have in common is their outstanding musical numbers and top notch choreography. (Robbins' choreography in WSS remains omnipotent.) Still, the choreography for TOS is sensational. The choreographed fight scenes in particular are powerful and stunning to watch. The Broadway musical TOS is still playing on Broadway. The Pan- tages Theater has a limited run of TOS' touring. Having seen the recent "Beauty & the Beast" at the Pantages and now TOS, I can attest to the talented casting for both shows. The brilliant staging of TOS utilizes a single set skillfully reconfigured by cast members which transitions and cohesivley tells the story. The use of video screens were highly effective especially in its rendition of a fatal fire. The use of water during the climatic fight was striking. However, the use of splaying water during earlier dance sequences proved distracting. The STELLAR rotating cast had particularly strong actors on Saturday afternoon. Pony Boys' caring brothers were convincingly played by Anthony Garcia & Corbin Ross. The singing voices of Ponyboy (Nolan White) and Cherry (Emma Hearn) were strong and pleasing. The book, music & lyrics by multi-Tony Award winner Justin Levine ("Moulin Rouge") were poignant. I was won over by the award winning choreography from brothers Rick & Jeff Kuperman. The only thing that felt underwhelming was the intended emotional culmination. Perhaps, the book which stirred me when I read it as a tween, doesn't score at the same intensity for more mature audiences. But you can be sure, "The Outsiders" is a crowd pleaser and deserving of the GOLD trophies it has won. I recommend getting tickets before the show closes October 18th. I have tickets for "The Lion King" at the Pantages in Dec. which I expect to live up to its paramount partner on the Great White Way.
