The Outsiders review – ’60s-set classic makes for a solid, if unspectacular, Broadway musical
Bernard B Jacobs Theatre, New York
SE Hinton’s novel, which was adapted by Francis Ford Coppola for film, makes for a competent yet forgettable stage show
If Broadway must, for the same risk-averse pressures as Hollywood, keep rummaging through the library for more and more past touchstones to adapt, it could do worse than The Outsiders. SE Hinton’s seminal young adult novel has been a staple of middle and high school English classes for more than half a century for a reason. Though its once cutting-edge content, controversial for 1967 – violence, addiction, depression, realist descriptions of socio-economic struggle, endless cigarettes – no longer feel risqué in 2024, the novel bottled a certain timeless teenage angst. Hinton’s book, written when she was just 16 and published when she was a freshman in college, has long connected with young audiences also feeling disenfranchised, ostracized, doubted or just lost in a churn of emotion.
The Broadway musical version, with a book by Adam Rapp and Justin Levine, tries very earnestly to tap the vein of uncut yearning and pent-up frustration, with a light touch of Americana sound and a heavy emphasis on small-town dreams. Everyone involved, including executive producer Angelina Jolie, seems to be approaching the project in good faith to the legacy of the original (and Francis Ford Coppola’s 1983 film), with genuine curiosity in wringing something new (and lyrical) out of these repressed teenagers and now old-timey slang. (Jolie reportedly got involved on the recommendation of her 15-year-old daughter Vivienne, who saw the musical in its first outing at the La Jolla Playhouse.) The production is the platonic ideal of a retro classic rebooted for Broadway, broadly appealing to audiences young and old (my showing was split between boomers and kids) but not particularly searing, recognizable but not terribly distinct, sincere and competent yet not resounding.
Continue reading...Date: |
Filter
-
2024 NFL Draft grades: Houston Texans have solid if unspectacular haul
Yahoo Sports' Charles McDonald breaks down the Texans' 2024 draft.Yahoo Sports - Sports - NFL -
Homelessness Is Especially Hard on Children. Making Music Helps.
Therapists from the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music have found that teaching homeless children to make beats and write songs is a way to heal trauma.The New York Times - Top stories -
Music Review: Anitta welcomes listeners into her 'Funk Generation' on new album
First, she took over BrazilABC News - Entertainment -
Music Review: SEVENTEEN's '17 Is Right Here' is a study of their impressive evolution
K-pop boy band SEVENTEEN ventures into confident adulthood with their latest compilation album, “17 Is Right Here,” writes the Associated Press’ Cristina JaleruABC News - Entertainment -
Music Review: Anitta welcomes listeners into her 'Funk Generation' on new album
First, she took over BrazilABC News - Entertainment -
Pope Francis makes first trip outside of Rome in seven months
Pope Francis traveled to the lagoon city to visit the Holy See's pavilion at the Biennale contemporary art show and meet with the people who created it.CBS News - World -
Music Review: St. Vincent's art-rock burns bright on seventh album, 'All Born Screaming'
On her seventh full-length studio album, Annie Clark, who performs as St. Vincent, unleashes her broad range of art-rock gifts, from the crackling ember of her vocals to raging infernos of swirling, epic orchestration, writes the Associated Press’ ...ABC News - Entertainment -
Review: In 'Unsung Hero,' a family's musical success story comes to life via the clan itself
Brothers Joel and Luke Smallbone, better known as Christian pop duo For King & Country, dramatize their own rise in a movie that could use some distance.Los Angeles Times - Entertainment -
Music Review: Pet Shop Boys have done it yet again with catchy and bittersweet 'Nonetheless'
Pet Shops Boys are back with their fifteenth studio recordABC News - Entertainment -
Review: In 'Unsung Hero,' a family's musical success story comes to life via the clan itself
Brothers Joel and Luke Smallbone, better known as Christian pop duo For King & Country, dramatize their own rise in a movie that could use some distance.Los Angeles Times - Entertainment
More from The Guardian
-
Blinken urges Hamas to accept ‘extraordinarily generous’ Israeli ceasefire deal
US secretary of state says Hamas is the ‘only thing standing between people of Gaza and ceasefire’. The US secretary of state has said that “the only thing standing between the people of Gaza and a ceasefire” is Hamas, ahead of what are seen as ...The Guardian - World - Israel -
Pro-Palestine protesters at Columbia ignore ultimatum to clear encampment
University begins suspensions early on Monday evening ‘to ensure safety on campus’ after talks to reach compromise fail. Columbia University’s pro-Palestinian protesters ignored an ultimatum on Monday to abandon their encampment or risk ...The Guardian - World -
Solomon Islands PM Manasseh Sogavare to stand down after poor election result
Leader says ‘it’s not been easy’ as he stands aside five years after controversially realigning the country with China . The Solomon Islands prime minister, Manasseh Sogavare, has announced he will not stand as a candidate when lawmakers vote this ...The Guardian - World -
Kristi Noem’s story of killing her dog points to class two misdemeanor
South Dakota governor’s account of family dog Cricket killing neighbor’s chickens may be an offence, according to state law. Kristi Noem, the South Dakota governor and Republican vice-presidential hopeful, may have committed a class two ...The Guardian - World -
Mining firm BHP offers $25.7bn settlement for Brazil dam disaster
Australian company and its partner Vale unleashed largest spill of mining waste in history. The mining company BHP has said it hopes to secure a $25.7bn (£20bn) settlement over the 2015 Samarco disaster, when the collapse of a dam left at least 19 ...The Guardian - World - Brazil