Musicals are often critiqued because they aren’t “real” enough. After all, “Hamilton” involves rap battles between founding fathers, “Mary Poppins” features a flying nanny, and “Chicago” includes jail cell dance breaks.

This is not the case for “The Outsiders: A New Musical”, which will be showing at the Orpheum Theater from September 28th through October 4th. “The Outsiders” is a grounded, gritty, and entirely believable musical. The songs sound like they could have been pulled from a modern blues album or an indie singer-songwriter’s catalog. The set pours rain, revs car engines, and sprays gravel into the front row. But most importantly, the story feels real. 

For those who aren’t familiar, “The Outsiders” musical is based on the 1967 S.E. Hinton novel, which follows the story of Ponyboy Curtis and his rough-and-tumble “Greaser” friends. Ponyboy does what he’s supposed to do: stay out of fights, keep his grades up, and come home before curfew. That is, until a fight with the opposing “Socs” leads to a murder, and Ponyboy and his best friend Johnny are forced to reckon with the consequences. It’s a collision course: each new event leads to worse outcomes, and two young boys who try to do good end up in a world of bad.

Whether you’re familiar with the novel or newly discovering the story, “The Outsiders” unfolds with gripping drama and an unskippable soundtrack. The natural lighting and immersive surround sound immediately draw viewers into the disintegrating East Side of Tulsa, Oklahoma. The soundtrack is a melange of emotions, with songs that go from funny and energetic to quiet and tender. Even plot-driven songs that lesser musicals would let fall to the wayside, like “Soda’s Letter”, manage to draw out hopeful, infectious melodies. Other tunes distill the tension and danger present in the life of a Greaser: “Run Run Brother”’s fast-paced drumbeat imitates the steady chug of a train, and “Trouble”’s deep horns rev up perfectly for the beginning of a fight. 

And there are fights between the Greasers and Socs: each depicted with thumping, choreographed violence that doesn’t glorify anything. Forget brushing off wounds with ease. The Greasers and Socs alike are stumbling and bleeding, reckoning with both the physical destruction and emotional turmoil. The song “Hopeless War” draws attention to the futility of violence with lyrics like “Even in the end/Even if you win/It doesn’t change a thing.”

The truth of the story is that Ponyboy and Johnny don’t want any part of this turf war. At a Friday night drive-in, Ponyboy quickly connects with a girl named Cherry Valence over books and shared interests, despite her being an upper-class Soc. It’s soon clear that they both dislike the shallow conflict between their factions. Johnny feels the same way, too: in the beautiful duet “Far Away From Tulsa”, he and Ponyboy yearn for a place “where people can be people and nobody puts you down.” The musical’s arguably strongest song, “Great Expectations”, explores Ponyboy’s desperation for a better life over cascading strings and steady drums.

And yet, in the end, it’s the torn-up town of Tulsa, Oklahoma that Ponyboy calls his home. It’s where his brothers who have given up everything for him are. It’s where his found family of greasy haired guys run the streets. It’s where his best friend and first crush is. While “The Outsiders” is a story of dreaming for something better, it’s also a story of home. 

We may not all be in a West Side Story-esque divided town, greasing up our hair before a fight, but we all have friends and family that we’d do anything for. We all have moments of hope in times of darkness. We all have ambitions that stretch far beyond where we come from.S.E. Hinton has a quote about teenagers: “They know their parents aren’t superhuman, they know that justice doesn’t always win out, and… that some people sell out. Writers needn’t be afraid that they will shock their teen-age audience. But give them something to hang onto. Show that some people don’t see out, and that everyone can’t be bought.” The story of “The Outsiders” does just that. It shows the rips at the fabric of society, the terrible things that can happen in dark alleys and broken-down buildings. But it also maintains a sense of brightness, of beauty, of hope. It is a musical that is beautiful, raw, and real. 5/5 stars.