‘The Outsiders’ Review: Broadway Musical Packs Heart and Soul but Little Punch (2024)

FAQs

Is The Outsiders musical good? ›

See it if you love the book and the movie and want to be truly moved and inspired by the wonderful staging and incredible talent. Don't see it if you want a lighthearted experience. See it if want a new take on a classic story with a riveting score. Don't see it if you want to see something original.

The film could be used to talk about grief, loss, and searching for a voice, but is too complex (and violent!) for a simple comparison of a novel to a movie adaptation. The book is probably 12+, but the movie is certainly 14+.

The relationship between the Greasers and the Socs is very strained. Most members of each gang despise each other. A flaw with the book is that the solutions to the plot's problems seemed simplistic. The plot is all wrapped up in one big bow which doesn't seem realistic.

More young people should read The Outsiders because of its themes that can still apply to life for anyone today and because it's a great book that both captivates young people as well as provokes their thoughts and emotions.

Still, some schools and libraries have tried to ban The Outsiders due to its depiction of underage drinking and smoking, crass language, violence, and so-called “family dysfunction” — that is, The Outsiders portrays a chosen family, not a nuclear one.

There are scenes of sexual harassment in which teenage boys direct sexually suggestive comments at girls and one boy publicly pulls up a girl's skirt to reveal her underwear. In another scene a boy tries to hold a girl while she struggles and protests, but he finally stops after his friends object to his behaviour.

In 1986, it was challenged in South Milwaukee, Wisconsin for its inclusion on an eighth grade reading list because “drug and alcohol abuse was common and virtually all the characters were from broken homes.”

This book has been banned from some schools and libraries because of the portrayal of gang violence, underage smoking and drinking, strong language/slang, and family dysfunction. However, in many U.S. schools, the book is part of the English curriculum at the middle- or high-school level.

It features a lot of disturbing and bloody content, including that of a child's mutilated corpse. Murder is a theme (and occasionally shown), and there are frequent violent outbursts using weapons like guns and bats. Frightening images of (presumed) supernatural entities are shown.

The Outsiders is mainly about struggle, specifically how people bond over and deal with struggle. Some characters, like Ponyboy, learn from their struggles and succeed in spite of them. Others, like Dally, are far too damaged by their struggle in life, which leads to self-destructive and violent actions.

What are the controversial topics in The Outsiders? ›

Many of the issues that adolescents in the novel face are still very prevalent today. Teenage suicide, pregnancy, smoking, drinking, and the importance of staying in school are still areas of concern for teens.

Even though The Outsiders is fictional, the book is based in S.E. Hinton's hometown of Tulsa, Oklahoma. Hinton published the book in 1967 and the story takes place in the same time period. Though the book may feel like historical fiction for today's readers, it was a work of contemporary fiction when Hinton wrote it.

The Outsiders is gritty, honest and authentic, and a novel that I feel every teenager needs to read. It makes the reader see that at the end of the day, as Ponyboy says, “we see the same sunset, and that while we are the ones who create the divides between ourselves, we can also be the ones to challenge them”.

The Outsiders has something for every reader; there are star-crossed lovers, misunderstood teenage boys, thrilling fighting scenes, and suspense creeping up through every page. Based on Hinton's own childhood, the story is about two very different high school gangs, the Socs and the Greasers.

Here, Johnny urges Ponyboy to remain gold, or innocent. Johnny now senses the uselessness of fighting; he knows that Ponyboy is better than the average hoodlum, and he wants Ponyboy to hold onto the golden qualities that set him apart from his companions.

This thrilling new Broadway 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.

2 hr 30 mins including one 20 min intermission. Duration is subject to change and will be updated closer to performance dates. This musical includes strong language, simulated smoking, simulated violence, strobe and water-based atmospheric effects.

But the indelible characters and compelling story have consistently hooked middle school kids, teens, and reluctant readers since The Outsiders was first published in 1967. This book appeals to preteens (many read it in sixth grade) because that's the time when kids break into social cliques and life becomes tribal.

This book's Lexile measure is 750L and is frequently taught in the 9th and 10th grade. Students in these grades should be reading texts that have reading demand of 1050L through 1335L to be college and career ready by the end of Grade 12. To find additional guides, please visit Lexile.com/lexile−by−chapter.