Official Blurb: In Tulsa, Oklahoma, 1967, Ponyboy Curtis, his best friend Johnny Cade and their Greaser family of “outsiders” battle with their affluent rivals, the Socs. This thrilling new Broadway musical, nominated for 12 Tony Awards® including Best Musical, navigates the complexities of self-discovery as the Greasers dream about who they want to become in a world that may never accept them. With “brilliant staging’” (Entertainment Weekly), “tuneful and soul-baring” music (New York Stage Review) and “high-octane choreography” (New York Magazine), THE OUTSIDERS is a story of friendship, family, belonging…and the realization that there is still “lots of good in the world.” Adapted from S.E. HINTON’s seminal novel and FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA’s iconic film, THE OUTSIDERS features a book by ADAM RAPP with JUSTIN LEVINE, music and lyrics by JAMESTOWN REVIVAL (Jonathan Clay & Zach Chance) and JUSTIN LEVINE, music supervision, orchestration, and arrangements by JUSTIN LEVINE, choreography by RICK KUPERMAN & JEFF KUPERMAN, and direction by DANYA TAYMOR.
my thoughts: To preface, I saw this show before it won the Tony for Best Musical, so when I say it exceeded my expectations keep that in mind. I went in wanting to check out the other best musical nominee, but i have to say I had low expectations and was actually not top of my list at all. It was the last I saw on the list. Fortunately, I was blown away. Is it a perfect show, no, but it did do the must important thing for me, it moved me emotionally. It moved me to tears. Lots of literal tears. I feel that is what art needs to do, it moved me, engage me and took me along on a very exciting journey. A lot of things work here. The dancing and the lighting in the tumble scene was one of the coolest things I’ve seen on stage in a while. The singing and acting is stupendous, there is so much young talent on stage. The choreography was really cool. I also loved how the first and the last schenes of the msuical do a great full circle moment
A few things that maybe didn’t work that well for me? I was not the biggest fan of how Ponyboy and Cherry looked together on stage. Brody Grant looks way younger than he is and Emma Pitman looks much older and it just seemed a lot off. I was also not a fan of hair and makeup, at all.
My friends one sentence review: The outsiders is a beautiful and emotional musical, with amazing characters, performances and a gripping narrative it makes you both cry and smile.
Official Blurb: Direct from two critically acclaimed sold-out engagements, and nominated for the Tony, Drama League, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards for Best Musical, Illinoise has arrived on Broadway for a strictly limited engagement. “The majestic future of Broadway” (Los Angeles Times) is here. Based on the landmark Sufjan Stevens album, Illinoise “springs to epic life onstage” (The Washington Post) in a “mysterious, deeply moving and unforgettable dance-musical” (The New York Times) directed and choreographed by Tony Award winner Justin Peck. Peck and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Jackie Sibblies Drury have crafted an original story that takes the audience on “an emotionally supercharged” (The Hollywood Reporter) journey. A group of friends gather around a campfire and tell tales of family, myth, and growing up, inspiring one young man to finally share his powerful story of first love. Through a unique blend of live music, dance, and theater, “Illinoise explores the hot zone between childhood and adulthood when emotions can be at their most overwhelming” (The New York Times).
my thoughts: I was blown away by the dance talent displayed on stage. Every single one of the actors is such an outstanding dancer and Justin Peck is choreography genius. I loved the length of this, one hour and a half, and as a dance lover seeing one and a half hour of gorgeous dancing and beautifully sung music is a dream. My issue with Illinoise is that a technically beautiful as it all was I did not connect as much as I wanted to it. Unlike Outsiders which i gushed above on how much it moved me, I wasn’t as emotionally invested here, and in some places ,even lost some of the story. I have to say when i saw the Tony performance I got so much more out of it so maybe they caught m in a bad day? It is however something you need to see, a thoroughly creative and important piece. However, I do have to say I would have nominated other musicals i saw this season over this one, on a personal level.
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