Review: THE OUTSIDERS MUSICAL at Walton Arts Center

I had no clue that when our eighth-grade English teacher made us read S.E. Hinton's novel The Outsiders out loud in class, I would be revisiting this story more than 30 years later in musical form. Yet here I am, all these years later, sitting inside Walton Arts Center in Fayetteville watching the Tony Award-winning The Outsiders: The Musical, which is running through Sunday, September 6. Back then, Ponyboy, Johnny, Dallas, the Greasers and the Socs were characters we imagined, but watching them come to life right in front of me was more magical than anything I could have produced in my teenaged mind.

Winner of four 2024 Tony Awards, including Best Musical, The Outsiders is making its Arkansas premiere as part of its first national tour. Based on Hinton's beloved novel and Francis Ford Coppola's film, the musical takes us to Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 1967, where the working-class Greasers and wealthier Socs are divided by money, social status and which side of town they call home. At the center is Ponyboy Curtis, a thoughtful teenager navigating grief, family, friendship and a world determined to tell him who he is supposed to be.

Nolan White leads the touring company as Ponyboy and beautifully captures his innocence and desire to understand the world around him. Beneath the tough exterior and slicked-back hair, White reminds us that Ponyboy is still a kid trying to survive circumstances he didn't choose.

Bonale Fambrini as Johnny Cade grabbed my emotions almost immediately. Johnny is one of those characters you just want to reach onto the stage and protect, and Fambrini brings such a gentleness to him. His friendship with Ponyboy is the emotional center of the story, and Fambrini and White establish a bond that makes everything that follows hit even harder.

 Tyler Jordan Wesley brings plenty of swagger and danger to Dallas Winston while revealing glimpses of the person underneath that tough exterior, particularly when it comes to Johnny. Travis Roy Rogers as Darrel and Corbin Drew Ross as Sodapop round out the Curtis brothers, and I enjoyed watching Ponyboy's very different relationships with each. Their disagreements carry weight because underneath all the frustration is a family desperately trying to hold itself together.

 Emma Hearn as Cherry Valance provides another perspective on the Greaser/Soc divide, while Jaydon Nget as Two-Bit brings humor and personality to the Greasers before things become increasingly intense.

Now, I've seen many shows at Walton Arts Center over the years, but The Outsiders wins BEST CHOREOGRAPHY for me, hands down, or should I say, fists up?!

Choreographers Rick and Jeff Kuperman have created movement that goes far beyond what I normally think of as musical theatre dance. These performers aren't just dancers, they're acrobats, athletes and storytellers moving with a completely different kind of power than anything I've seen before. They tumble, twist, leap, fight and throw themselves across the stage, yet the movement is never there simply to show us what they can do.

  It tells the story.

There is a rawness to the choreography that belongs in the world of the Greasers. Even the fighting has a rhythm, and the lines between dance, acrobatics and combat almost disappear.

And then.....

THE RUMBLE!

Oh. My. Goodness.

I knew there was going to be a fight. I've read the book. I knew the Greasers and Socs had to eventually face off.

But I was NOT prepared for this!

 When actual water begins pouring down as rain and these performers launch into the rumble, the entire production explodes. The choreography, lighting, sound, slow-motion effects and water combine to create one of the most visually thrilling fight scenes I've ever experienced in live theatre.

Y'all, they are fighting in actual rain!

ONSTAGE!

Every stomp sends water flying. Bodies hit the ground, performers slide across the stage, punches are thrown and bodies twist through the air. Suddenly, this isn't simply a fight scene anymore. It's dance, combat, acrobatics and storytelling all rolled into controlled chaos.

 I would watch this musical every single night just for the rumble scene.

My theatre-tech-loving brain was going crazy. Where is all that water going? How do they reset everything? And how in the world are these performers doing all this choreography while soaking wet?

I don't want to know all the technical secrets because sometimes I like my theatre magic to remain magic, but WOW!

The music and lyrics by Jamestown Revival's Jonathan Clay and Zach Chance and Justin Levine fit naturally into Hinton's world with a gritty folk-rock quality. Several songs stood out, including “Great Expectations,” “Tulsa '67” and the emotional “Stay Gold.”

 But if I'm picking a favorite, there is no contest—“Run Run Brother” was my favorite song of the musical. The urgency, vocals and movement completely pulled me into the moment. It has the same driving energy I loved throughout this production, and I wanted to hear it again as soon as it ended.

What struck me most seeing The Outsiders again as an adult was how young these characters suddenly seemed.

These are boys.

They are boys dealing with grief. Boys trying to prove how tough they are. Boys who are angry and scared. Boys who desperately love each other but don't necessarily have the vocabulary to say it. Some have money. Some have none. Yet underneath all those labels, they are young people trying to figure out where they belong. And with Tulsa practically in our backyard, there is something special about experiencing this story here in Arkansas.

Of course, if you know The Outsiders, you know there are tears coming. Even knowing the story didn't save me.

The relationship between Ponyboy and Johnny remains devastating, with White and Fambrini making those emotional moments count. Wesley's Dallas adds yet another layer to the heartbreak.

And when they got to Robert Frost's “Nothing Gold Can Stay,” apparently those old English lessons were still tucked away somewhere in my brain. I found myself trying so hard to quietly recite it along with Ponyboy from my seat. I couldn't remember every single word, but I knew enough that suddenly more than 30 years disappeared for just a moment.

Watching Ponyboy and Johnny as an adult also gave the idea of “stay gold” a completely different emotional weight. It isn't simply about remaining innocent. It's about refusing to let everything ugly in the world destroy your ability to recognize something beautiful.

Walton Arts Center is taking that idea of finding good in the world beyond the stage with its Be the Good! costume donation drive. After teaching artists noticed that some local students missed Halloween festivities last year because they didn't have costumes, Walton Arts Center decided to do something about it.

Through Sunday, September 6, audiences can bring new or gently used, clean children's Halloween costumes when they attend The Outsiders. Donations can also be dropped off at the Alexander Gallery, 212 N. West Ave., during designated gallery hours. The costumes will go directly to students at Washington, Leverett, Happy Hollow and Asbell elementary schools. I love that a musical about the divide between the “haves and have-nots” is inspiring audiences to do a little good for children right here in Northwest Arkansas.

 Another thing that adds even more to the experience of coming to Walton Arts Center is gaining access to the Friends Lounge. There is something pretty fabulous about enjoying complimentary drinks and hors d'oeuvres before the show or during intermission. It makes an already exciting theatre night feel even more special.

But becoming a Friend isn't only about the perks. Walton Arts Center's annual giving program helps share the transformative experience of the arts with tens of thousands of students, educators and community members each year. Those gifts support free school field trips and after-school programs, professional development for educators, subsidized and free ticket programs and other efforts that make the arts more accessible.

Friends receive benefits throughout the season as well, which can include reserved parking, Friends Lounge access, complimentary drinks and hors d'oeuvres, and invitations to exclusive events, depending on the giving level. So, you can enhance your own experience while helping someone else experience the arts too. For more information, visit their website at waltonartscenter.org.

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