Cat McCarrey

This wild musical swing wouldn’t hold together without powerful leadership from Ponyboy, the 14-year-old narrator of the original novel. If Ponyboy rings false, nothing else works. Luckily, Nolan White’s performance kept the musical firmly in reality. Rooting the story with a wry fragility, Ponyboy’s observations played as wise and heartbreaking. His fourth wall breaks and meta commentary could be grating in the wrong hands, but White’s hangdog sensibility and pure vocals enraptured the audience.