Review: THE OUTSIDERS at the Peace Center

The second most recent winner of the Tony Award for Best Musical is now the most recent one to tour at the Peace Center. The Outsiders, based on the English class classic by S.E. Hinton—and its attending ‘80s movie adaptation by Francis Ford Coppola—has been brought to engaging theatrical life by Adam Rapp, Justin Levine, and folk duo Jamestown Revival. The premise, a young greaser growing up in ‘60s Oklahoma, may sound dour, but The Outsiders proves anything but. The dramatic moments are dynamically staged, but it also end up surprisingly touching.

The story’s hero and the youngest of the three orphaned Curtis brothers, a 14 year old nicknamed Ponyboy, is played brilliantly by University of Michigan sophomore Nolan White. From the opening number, Mr. White proves his vocal chops and ultimately proves his ability to carry a story as well. Travis Roy Rogers plays adult brother Darrel, guardian of Ponyboy and the middle brother they call Sodapop (Corbin Drew Ross). Rogers and Ross get their moments to shine as an early comedic scene for Sodapop and a tense solo later on for Darrel. However, it is about at the end when the narrative and emotional paths of all three are finally able to converge that is absolutely lovely.

Ponyboy Curtis’s journey is propelled by two friends of his, Johnny and Dallas, affectionately called “Dally”, and their conflict with the rich kids from the other side of the tracks. As Johnny, Bonale Fambrini (The King and I) gives a thoughtful portrayal of a sensitive soul. In particular, an early scene peeking into his home life is brilliantly acted with staggering emotional realism on Fambrini’s part. A pleasant surprise later comes in the form of South Carolina native and Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities alum Tyler Jordan Wesley as Dally. He sang well from the beginning, but Wesley’s performance both vocal and emotional in his eleven o’clock solo is nothing short of gobsmacking.

All these delightful performances are equally complemented by the staging of director Danya Taymor (yes, as in her aunt Julie) who proves why she took home a Tony of her own for this musical. Taymor has struck a wonderful balance of simplicity at some times and near spectacle at others. Much of the time, subtle cues like lightning and furniture are all that’s needed to indicate setting. At other times, elements such as a pair life size cars—flashing headlights, revving engines, and all—are not just used but matched in terms of scope to the scene.

Never is that spectacle greater than in the “final battle” sequence that, sacrilege as it might be to say, puts any West Side Story rumble to shame. Stage fighting is blended with the utmost intricacy with choreography by Rick and Jeff Kuperman (Alice By Heart). Along with the lighting by Brian MacDevitt, so many technical elements, which you should see for yourself combine to make the sequence so thrilling. I suspect much of this may be the work of “AMP featuring Tatiana Kahvegian”, to whom the production generally credits Scenography.

While many novels have been adapted to the stage, this production of The Outsiders manages to succeed at being as theatrical as expected for a Broadway production while still showing real heart through its storytelling. The bittersweet story ultimately manages to feel more the latter, and leaving the theatre that warm feeling is reason enough to see The Outsiders.

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