THE OUTSIDERS Opening Night Critics’ Reviews- Page 11

[ACL2006]

Posted: 7/24/25 at 10:21am

Sutton Ross said: "willep said: "WiCkEDrOcKS said: "EDSOSLO858 said: "Brody Grant will play his final performance in the musical on September 21."

At least if you buy a ticket to this performance, you know he’s gotta show up…"

I mean, not necessarily. That’s just when his contract ends. Doesn’t mean he will be there (see: Steve Kazee in Once)."

Steve was out with a pretty serious vocal issue, so it's not the same at all. I consider myself lucky for randomly catching Brody in a week where he was supposed to be back (after taking 3 weeks off) but ended up performing just twice. He REALLY takes the whole life/work balance thing seriously :)"

Kazee was out of ONCE the last 6 weeks or so before they ended up bumping one of his understudies until he was replaced. Brody Grant just has horrible attendance similar to how often Karen Olivo would call out of WSS after she won her Tony Award.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 9/22/25 at 12:29pm

Was anyone at Brody’s last show yesterday? I wanted to go but they tripled the price of tickets so I went to his second to last instead, which I guess I lucked out with him being in. I was told it was only like the second or third time he’s been on the whole month? 

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 9/22/25 at 12:37pm

He performed three times in all of September. The 19th, 20th (evening), and the 21st. That's it. His attendance was always dogsh*t which he never cared about. I'm glad the person that's been covering him for basically a year got the job, he seems far more professional simply by showing up.

Updated On: 9/22/25 at 12:37 PM

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 9/22/25 at 1:28pm

Sutton Ross said: "He performed three times in all of September."

That is...wild.

[witchoftheeast2]

Posted: 9/22/25 at 2:11pm

ACL2006 said: "Sutton Ross said: "willep said: "WiCkEDrOcKS said: "EDSOSLO858 said: "Brody Grant will play his final performance in the musical on September 21."

At least if you buy a ticket to this performance, you know he’s gotta show up…"

I mean, not necessarily. That’s just when his contract ends. Doesn’t mean he will be there (see: Steve Kazee in Once)."

Steve was out with a pretty serious vocal issue, so it's not the same at all. I consider myself lucky for randomly catching Brody in a week where he was supposed to be back (after taking 3 weeks off) but ended up performing just twice. He REALLY takes the whole life/work balance thing seriously :)"

Kazee was out of ONCE the last 6 weeks or so before they ended up bumping one of his understudies until he was replaced. Brody Grant just has horrible attendance similar to how often Karen Olivo would call out of WSS after she won her Tony Award."

Did this happen throughout his entire stint in the show or was it a last few months occurance?

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 9/22/25 at 2:40pm

And whatever happened to Steve Kazee??? I loved him!

[GottaGetAGimmick420]

Posted: 11/30/25 at 7:48pm

Any word on the Jason Schmidt/Soda Pop return date? Sounds like he was supposed to be back a few days ago but he hasn't returned and the show hasn't mentioned anything. People on Reddit who bought tix for when he was back were annoyed... 

[Jeffrey Karasarides]

Posted: 12/3/25 at 4:36pm

I caught the tour in Durham last night. I’ve never read the original novel, but I remember hearing about it when I was in middle school. Especially the fun fact that it was written by a teenage girl. I have seen the movie, which I thought was pretty good. So what do I think of the musical?

Director Danya Taymor’s staging is not only cinematic, but also very creatively done on an inventively used set designed by AMP & Tatiana Kahvegian. Not to mention that she also crafts such striking images throughout the show. Brian MacDevitt’s effective lighting and Hana S. Kim’s stunning projections also play a large part in that. A good majority of the cast each gives strong performances.

Standouts to me were Nolan White as Ponyboy Curtis, Corbin Drew Ross as his brother, Sodapop, and Travis Roy Rogers as his other brother, Darrel (pun intended). I also did quite like Bonale Fambrini as Ponyboy’s best friend, Johnny Cade, Tyler Jordan Wesley as fellow greaser Dallas Winston, and Mark Doyle as Bob, the leader of the Socs. The choreography by Rick & Jeff Kuperman is very precised, stylized, and athletic. It’s especially impressive in the big rumble in Act II, where it literally rains on stage.

Among the Tonys The Outsiders did not win was for the score by Jamestown Revival & Justin Levine. If you ask me, it’s easy to see why. I actually have listened to the original Broadway cast recording a few times prior to attending. Even after seeing the show itself, I still feel the same about the songs. They’re enjoyable in the moment, but fail to leave a lasting impression. Although the ‘Great Expectations’ number in Act I is definitely an emotional highlight. The orchestrations by Justin Levine & Matt Hinkley are certainly authentic to the overall setting.

Now to be fair, it’s much more forgiving for a musical to have a strong book, but weak score as opposed to the other way around. Yet the book for this one by Adam Rapp & Justin Levine still isn’t great. For one, a key ingredient for any great musical is to have an active protagonist the audience is supposed to root for. Even in Sweeney Todd, we root for the titular murderous barber on his journey as he plots his revenge on the man who took his whole life away from him. However, I’m not sure if this story lends itself to the medium of musical theater as it doesn’t appear to have an active protagonist.

We basically follow Ponyboy as he writes in his notebook the events of what’s happened to him and his friends. There’s also several times where he narrates directly to the audience. That tactic can be a very effective tool in theatre. Even musicals like Ragtime and Jersey Boys use it very well. However, what those two shows have is a distinct narrative style, which this one lacks. During intermission, I was talking to a friend who wasn’t enjoying it as they personally find the story to be dated. I can easily see that as the creative team appeared to have focused more on staying true to the novel that they forgot to find ways of approaching it with more modern sensibilities.

The Outsiders may have won Best Musical, but it was in a season with a bunch of contenders that didn’t spark a ton of enthusiasm. I don’t flat out dislike the show itself. There’s certainly several aspects to admire about it. I was emotionally moved at certain points. There’s a few nice moments of comic relief. Yet I was also pretty bored throughout. On the whole, the show is largely just OK. I have no regrets seeing it as I at least get to chime in with my two cents on it.

Click Here for My Full Review

Updated On: 12/4/25 at 04:36 PM

[KevinKlawitter]

Posted: 12/4/25 at 11:22am

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