Musical The Outsiders

It is based on the novel The Outsiders, first published in 1967 and written by S. E. Hinton, and on its 1983 film adaptation written by Kathleen Rowell and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. In 1990, playwright Christopher Sergel published a straight play version of the story.

The Outsiders
Broadway promotional poster
Music	Jonathan Clay Zach Chance Justin Levine
Lyrics	Jonathan Clay Zach Chance Justin Levine
Book	Adam Rapp Justin Levine
Basis	The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton The Outsiders by Kathleen Rowell
Premiere	February 19, 2023 (2023-02-19): La Jolla Playhouse
Productions	2023 La Jolla Playhouse 2024 Broadway

The musical is set in Tulsa, Oklahoma during the 1960s and follows the conflict between two rival gangs divided by their socioeconomic status: the working-class "Greasers" and the upper-middle-class "Socs" (pronounced /ˈsoʊʃɪz/—short for Socials).

San Diego (2023)

The musical was originally announced in 2019 and was set to premiere at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago directed by Liesl Tommy with a performance run scheduled from June 20, 2020, until August 2, 2020, that was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A prior workshop was held in 2022 with Casey Likes as Ponyboy. The musical premiered at the La Jolla Playhouse on February 19, 2023, and closed April 9, 2023, after extending a week due to high ticket sales. The principal cast included Brody Grant as Ponyboy Curtis, Sky Lakota-Lynch as Johnny Cade, Ryan Vasquez as Darrell Curtis, and Jason Schmidt as Sodapop Curtis.

Broadway (2024)

The production transferred to Broadway with the same creative team. The show began previews on March 16, 2024, at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre with an opening night scheduled for April 11, 2024. Among the show's producers are actresses LaChanze and Angelina Jolie, as well as The Araca Group, Francis Ford Coppola under his American Zoetrope banner, and Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures. The show will be directed by Danya Taymor, niece of director Julie Taymor. Choreography is by brothers Rick and Jeff Kuperman. Costumes are by Sarafina Bush with music direction and orchestrations by Matt Hinkely. Jack Viertel served as creative director for the project. Tilly Evans-Krueger is the associate choreographer and dance captain for the ensemble. Before moving to Broadway, the cast traveled to Tulsa, Oklahoma to see the real-life places and inspiration behind the original story. Opening night reviews were mixed-to-positive, with most of the praise being directed towards the script, choreography and Brody Grant's performance.

2024 Broadway production