As a child of the 80’s I am fiercely protective of Hinton’s book and the movie. It holds a special place for me, so maybe I am more critical than others when seeing the Outsiders on Broadway.
As I watched, I found myself not caring about the characters as there seemed to be very little connectedness & camaraderie amongst them (especially between pony boy and Jonny) and if you don’t feel that special bond, the basis of the story falls apart super fast.
I was uninspired, even bored at times. Even the scene with Robert Frost’s poem “Stay Gold,” a perfect time to ignite some tears, just left me feeling empty. And we get it Darrell, you could have ‘been someone’ but you don’t have to constantly sing about it. Or maybe that’s just how it seemed, because The folk-ish soundtrack was pretty similar in tone, underwhelming and totally forgettable.
There are some things worth mentioning. The set design was pretty amazing, it had a tactile gritty feel which did a great job at evoking the despair & desolation that these boys were experiencing.
The actor who played Dally was pretty extraordinary. My only criticism is that you can’t deny race in 1960- something Tulsa. It is everything. The play ignores the actors African American heritage, which I feel is insulting given the time period and place where AA were massacred not long before.
The actor who plays Soda Pop is also a stand out (and a Patrick Sawzye look a like)
I would never spend the money some tickets are going for (I saw a pair for $400+ each) or wake up for 3:00am to stand in line for rush seats (yes we had people in our line that did this). We went when the box office opened and snagged standing room for $45 a ticket.
I would be mad at myself if we did anything more.