THE OUTSIDERS Opening Night Critics’ Reviews- Page 2

[theatretenor2]

Posted: 4/11/24 at 9:09pm

MemorableUserName said: "Green in NYT is mixed.

Review: In ‘The Outsiders,’ a New Song for the Young Misfits

The classic coming-of-age novel has become a compelling, if imperfect, musical about have-not teenagers in a have-it-all world.

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/11/theater/review-outsiders-musical.html

"It’s a strange paradox of Broadway that its bigness, when used humbly, can honor quite delicate ideas. Whether it can sustain them is another story. In “The Outsiders,” they are not sustained; the structural problems mean its achievements don’t stick. But they’re still achievements, and a show need not be for the ages to be for the moment. In that sense it’s fair, citing Frost, to call it golden — nature’s “hardest hue to hold.”""

The structural problems were my biggest nit as well but I still enjoyed the show overall.

[perfectliar]

Posted: 4/11/24 at 9:09pm

theatretenor2 said: "For some reason, I think it's going to draw more positives than mixed, but will not be a NYT critics' pick leaving us all to wonder how Water for Elephants was."

I will never understand the ire this board had and continues to have for Water for Elephants and its positive critical reception. It's not like Green was the only person who liked it; they got only one negative review. People like it. Why does it get brought up every time a new show opens now?

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 4/11/24 at 9:09pm

Chicago Tribune is mixed:

Review: In ‘The Outsiders’ on Broadway, what should be Ponyboy’s story has a grown-up chill

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2024/04/11/review-in-the-outsiders-on-broadway-what-should-be-ponyboys-story-has-a-grown-up-chill/

"This new Broadway musical, originally scheduled for Chicago’s Goodman Theatre but felled by the pandemic, is not all I had hoped. The show loses its narrative thread in a second act where the requisite narrative tension dissipates instead of intensifying and the show, which lacks the humor of the structurally similar “Newsies,” gets stuck in an overly introspective and melancholic loop. It’s understandable why: the source novel is proudly reflective and ruminative but musicals invariably have to be fueled by action, emotional change and resolvable determination."

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 4/11/24 at 9:10pm

AMNY:

Review | ‘Outsiders’ gets lost in the rumble

https://www.amny.com/entertainment/theater/review-outsiders-gets-lost-in-the-rumble/

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 4/11/24 at 9:10pm

Theatermania review is back up:

Review: The Outsiders Becomes a Soggy Broadway Musical

https://www.theatermania.com/news/review-the-outsiders-becomes-a-soggy-broadway-musical_1736986/

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 4/11/24 at 9:12pm

The Wrap is mostly positive:

‘The Outsiders’ Broadway Review: It Vastly Improves on Coppola’s Cult Classic

What begins as ‘Grease’ without the jokes ends up being a showcase for new, impressive stage talent

https://www.thewrap.com/the-outsiders-broadway-review-improves-coppola-cult-classic/

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 4/11/24 at 9:12pm

Slant is positive:

The Outsiders Review: Greasers and Socs Will Get a Hold on You in Musical Adaptation

Under Danya Taymor’s direction, this is a remarkable, emotionally arresting piece of theater.

https://www.slantmagazine.com/theater/the-outsiders-broadway-review/

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 4/11/24 at 9:13pm

Theatrely:

THE OUTSIDERS Finds Greatness On Broadway — Review

https://www.theatrely.com/post/the-outsiders-finds-greatness-on-broadway-review

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 4/11/24 at 9:15pm

TimeOut has a new link for the 3 star review:

https://www.timeout.com/newyork/theater/the-outsiders-broadway-musical-review

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 4/11/24 at 9:16pm

Vincentelli in Washington Post is mixed:

Like many musical adaptations, ‘The Outsiders’ overexplains itself

The new Broadway show adapted from S. E. Hinton’s novel and Francis Ford Coppola’s movie has great visual touches but falters when the characters open their mouths

https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/theater/2024/04/11/outsiders-broadway-review/

"And therein lies the problem: The show overexplains everything, all the time. Hinton knew exactly how much to say and when — the paperback edition of “The Outsiders” is just 180 concise, evocative pages that let us discover things along with Ponyboy. Here, both the book and the songs tend to underestimate the audience’s intelligence. (This is surprising coming from Rapp, who is usually not afraid of ambiguity.)"

[PipingHotPiccolo]

Posted: 4/11/24 at 9:17pm

Seeing the Outsiders next week, but i truly am enjoying this season's pattern of Board Reviews seeming totally disconnected from critic experiences.  This Board and word of mouth in general has been laudatory for Outsiders but these reviews are politely appreciative... Water for Elephants being the inverse example.

interesting times.

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 4/11/24 at 9:19pm

This is great news… for Illinoise.

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 4/11/24 at 9:19pm

NY Post is three-and-a-half stars/a rave

‘The Outsiders’ Broadway review: Warring teens tug at the heart in one of the season’s best new musicals

https://nypost.com/2024/04/11/entertainment/the-outsiders-broadway-review-warring-teens-tug-at-the-heart-in-one-of-the-seasons-best-new-musicals/

[ACL2006]

Posted: 4/11/24 at 9:20pm

EDSOSLO858 said: "This is great news… forIllinoise."

THE OUTSIDERS is getting about the same reviews as WATER FOR ELEPHANTS. Hoping ILLINOISE gets better reviews.

[theatretenor2]

Posted: 4/11/24 at 9:24pm

perfectliar said: "theatretenor2 said: "For some reason, I think it's going to draw more positives than mixed, but will not be a NYT critics' pick leaving us all to wonder how Water for Elephants was."

I will never understand the ire this board had and continues to have forWater for Elephantsandits positive critical reception. It's not like Green was the only person who liked it; they got only one negative review. People like it. Why does it get brought up every time a new show opens now?"

TBH, I liked W4E overall but for a musical thought it was severely lacking in a strong score. I didn't remember a single tune the next day. With Outsiders, I remembered a handful of songs the next day.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 4/11/24 at 9:25pm

I’ve been listening to Outsiders on repeat so I think they’ve got score and possibly book. 

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 4/11/24 at 9:26pm

Isherwood in WSJ is positive:

‘The Outsiders’ Review: The Greasers’ Broadway Musical

S.E. Hinton’s classic 1967 novel comes to the stage in this faithful adaptation directed by Danya Taymor and featuring a sensational young cast.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-outsiders-review-the-greasers-go-to-broadway-danya-taymor-musical-jamestown-revival-2e20f5ca

"With a book by the prolific playwright Adam Rapp (“The Sound Inside”) and Justin Levine, and a plaintive folk-rock score by Jonathan Clay and Zach Chance (known as Jamestown Revival) and Mr. Levine, the musical is nimble and well-crafted, with nary a nut or bolt unsecured in its allegiance—save for a few judicious emendations—to the original story. Under the fluent direction of Danya Taymor, the young cast is sensational, engulfing the theater with emotional heat and an authentic-feeling sense of passionate loyalty to one another, primarily among those playing the greasers who are the focus of the story."

[pair-o-dice]

Posted: 4/11/24 at 9:31pm

EDSOSLO858 said: "This is great news… forIllinoise."

I wouldn't count out Suffs. In an election year.  With what's going on. 

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 4/11/24 at 9:38pm

DTLI Consensus: The Outsiders aims to stay gold, but must settle for bronze instead in a lukewarm musical adaptation.

8 mixed (including the NYT), 4 positive, 1 negative.

https://didtheylikeit.com/shows/the-outsiders/

[Wick3]

Posted: 4/11/24 at 9:49pm

EDSOSLO858 said: "This is great news… forIllinoise."

It will be interesting. I loved Illinoise when I saw it at Park Ave Armory.

If I recall, the NYT theater critic loved it but the NYT dance critic was quite negative. 

[ACL2006]

Posted: 4/11/24 at 9:59pm

pair-o-dice said: "EDSOSLO858 said: "This is great news… forIllinoise."

I wouldn't count out Suffs. In an election year. With what's going on."

 

Suffs just isn't that good. Sorry.

[Mr. Wormwood]

Posted: 4/11/24 at 10:03pm

These reviews are a little more mixed than I was expecting (I was expecting more mixed-positive than straight mixed, I didn't expect raves) but I still think they are solid enough to keep it firmly in the Best Musical conversation and more likely than not to get a nomination.

[theatretenor2]

Posted: 4/11/24 at 10:04pm

RippedMan said: "I’ve been listening to Outsiders on repeat so I think they’ve got score and possibly book."

How have you been listening to it on repeat? Do you mean the 3 songs released? 

[KarenValentine'sheadband]

Posted: 4/11/24 at 10:11pm

Great news. Can't wait to see it. 

[Markie27]

Posted: 4/11/24 at 10:53pm

ACL2006 said: "pair-o-dice said: "EDSOSLO858 said: "This is great news… forIllinoise."

I wouldn't count out Suffs. In an election year. With what's going on."

Suffs just isn't that good. Sorry."

There are still five new musicals opening this month before the Tony’s - Suffs, Lempicka, Hell’s Kitchen, The Great Gatsby and Illinoise.  
 

If these previous off Broadway or out of town musicals get basically more or less the same reviews as before, that would make Illinoise the only musical that has gotten rave reviews.  (Not counting the dance review)

Though I’m hoping Illinoise would win the Tony for best musical I’m still not convinced it will get support from the whole voting body.  I wish I am wrong.