Review: Teen Angst Hits a Boiling Point in The Outsiders on Its Broadway Tour

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The Outsiders, a 2024 musical based on the 1967 S.E. Hinton novel about coming-of-age in 1960s Tulsa, Oklahoma, returns to Chicago in its first national Broadway tour. The show, directed by Danya Taymor and written by Adam Rapp and Justin Levine, won four Tony Awards and is among the rare hits of current Broadway offerings, recently recouping its $22 million cost during its third year on Broadway.

Why it matters

Generations of young Americans grew up reading this novel in middle school, and even more have likely viewed the 1983 Francis Ford Coppola film, giving the musical a lot of built-in familiarity and appeal for audiences of all ages.

The details

In a plot reminiscent of West Side Story, the clash is between the Greasers and the Socs (short for socialites). The production succeeds not just because of its special effects, but on the physicality of its characters, with the actors seemingly always in motion. The musical's book writers add just the right amount of background to keep audiences rooting for the Greasers, led by the recently orphaned Ponyboy Curtis.

• The Outsiders was supposed to have its pre-Broadway opening at the Goodman Theatre before the pandemic put an end to that notion.
• The Outsiders plays through February 22 at the Cadillac Palace Theatre in Chicago.

What’s next

The Outsiders will continue its national Broadway tour after the Chicago run, with upcoming stops in other major cities.