The 2024 Best Musical Tony winner is now on Broad Street, with all the marvelous staging aspects that led it to being one of the biggest hits on Broadway. The Outsiders is playing at Ensemble Arts Philly’s Academy of Music through June 7th. This production offers excellent music, an emotional story of belonging, and some of the finest technical achievements you’ll see on any stage.
The Outsiders, based on the 1967 book by S.E. Hinton, opened on Broadway in the spring of 2024. It almost instantly gained a passionate following, and after it won 4 Tony Awards, including Best Musical and Best Direction, the popularity exploded. I reviewed it at the time and was amazed by how unique the staging and score were for the theater. While the book and score of a musical is easy enough to transfer to a national tour, I had doubts they could achieve all the technical elements they built for Broadway in theaters across the country. I’m thrilled to say my doubts were unfounded; all the jaw-dropping moments created by director Danya Taymor for the original production are delivered seamlessly on the road.
This production had all the extravagances of Broadway, from a moving car to the gravel-style pellets covering the stage. When parts of the set are punched out, they broke down, and when a fire engulfs a building, the lighting and smoke they use feel authentic. One of the technical marvels comes early on, when protagonist Ponyboy Curtis gets knocked out by bullies from across town. The sound, designed by Cody Spencer, rings like the inside of the character’s head, and the light, designed by AMP featuring Tatiana Kahvegian, flashes brightly to briefly blind the audience.
In the climactic fight scene, the highlight of the entire musical, rain pours heavily from the ceiling on the cast. As the drenched characters get tossed around, every sound and lighting cue make the punches feel visceral. The confluence of direction, choreography, design, and more create gripping moments of dramatic violence that were done so effectively, they elicited show-stopping cheers from the audience. Absolutely nothing was lost in the staging from its Tony-winning original staging to Philadelphia.
The casting team did an excellent job on this production. They kept faithful to the casting of the Original Broadway company, such as having Native American Bonale Fambrini play Johnny Cade and having Asian American Jaydon Nget play Two-Bit. In addition to these two excellent performances, other standouts include the Curtis brothers; Nolan White as Ponyboy, Corbin Drew Ross as Sodapop, and Travis Roy Rogers as Daryl. All three had heartfelt singing voices and truly exhibited a brotherhood bond, elevating the emotional moments. Tyler Jordan Wesley brought the house down with his singing of “Run Run Brother” and the devastating “Little Brother.”
The team behind The Outsiders could’ve scaled back for their national tour. The show is so technically advanced, it would’ve been understandable if they were forced to cut back the rain or lighting effects. But the spectacle they’re putting on at the Academy of Music is a masterpiece of storytelling and one of the greatest technical achievements I’ve seen on stage. This thrilling production of The Outsiders is a must-see in Philadelphia.