Rebellion and devastation in ‘The Outsiders,’ but also resilience and unexpected tenderness

The national tour of the Broadway musical “The Outsiders” is not a typical national tour of a Broadway musical. The production we’re enjoying at the Eccles makes an indelible impression.

It’s exhilarating — alive with energy, visual spectacle and stunning performances. The skillful direction, inventive choreography and remarkable performances, both vocally and dramatically, combine into memorable theater.

After its first staging at the famed La Jolla Playhouse, “The Outsiders” opened on Broadway in 2023. Of its accolades were 12 Tony nominations, earning four statues, including Best Musical.

Although that doesn’t guarantee duplication when it travels. On tour, stage elements can be reduced, non-union actors are more often than not cast, and members of the orchestra can be eliminated, replaced by digitally synthesized instrumentation. I was able to see the Broadway staging soon after its opening, and there was no disappointment at this performance. The production and its performers could easily open on Broadway with the acclaim of the original.

The story is largely faithful to the popular 1967 S. E. Hinton novel and the more popular 1983 film directed by Francis Ford Coppola. There’s a conflict between two high-school cliques divided by socioeconomic status. The working-class “Greasers” clash with the wealthy, privileged “Socs” (short for socialites, pronounced SOH-shiz). The rivalry is well beyond name-calling and tossed cigarette butts. Spoiler alert: deaths.

In his tour debut, the compelling Christian Arredondo confidently portrays Ponyboy Curtis, the lead character and our narrator. He is persuasive, displaying idealism and yearning for something beyond his wrong-side-of-the-tracks upbringing. In addition, his voice is sterling, or better said, pure “gold,” adapting a lyric. He prepares us for the excellence of his fellow actors.

Darrel Curtis (Travis Roy Rogers) and Sodapop Curtis (Brendan Dallaire) are Ponyboy’s brothers, bound by loyalty and family ties. But not cut from the same cloth. After their parents died in a car crash, Darrel sacrificed his own ambitions to raise his younger brothers. Sodapop struggles with disappointments and insecurities. While Ponyboy is introspective and curious. As actors, Arredondo, Rogers, and Dallaire bring distinctive personalities, emotional depth, and authenticity to their roles. Along with minted vocals.

Equally adept are the other (Broadway-caliber) actors, demonstrating strong vocal talent and persuasive characterization. Kudos for remarkable athleticism, unity, and boundless energy in the demanding choreography.

Broadway has made it rain before, but rarely has a theatrical downpour been so dramatically integrated into the action. The actors are expertly orchestrated in their fighting and moving through water and mud. They each get wet, soaking wet. (The wardrobe department is tasked with overflowing laundry baskets.)

There’s grit and heartbreak to “The Outsiders,” but the story ends with a poignant reminder that goodness and idealism can endure even in the most difficult circumstances.

At significant intervals, the literary Ponyboy recites Robert Frost’s poem “Nothing Gold Can Stay.” We leave the theater with an admonishment: “stay gold.”