THE OUTSIDERS Opening Night Critics’ Reviews — Page 2

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.

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."

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/

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/

TimeOut has a new link for the 3 star review:

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

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.

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/

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.

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."

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/

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.

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?

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.