An Inside Look at The Outsiders
One of Broadway’s most anticipated spring shows brings to life the book we all read in high school with a style aesthetic that has inspired two of Polo’s most iconic looks—American prep and American workwear01
Born to Run
S.E. (Susie) Hinton was a 16-year-old student in Tulsa, Oklahoma, when she published her novel The Outsiders in 1967. The story about dueling groups of high school–aged teenagers growing up in small-town Oklahoma has, to put it mildly, stood the test of time; nearly 60 years later, not only does the book remain required reading in high school, along with the likes of The Catcher in the Rye and To Kill a Mockingbird, but the tale—which spawned a beloved film adaptation in 1983 directed by Francis Ford Coppola—continues to inspire new interpretations, the latest a buzzy Broadway musical.
Hinton, who is 75 years old, still lives in Tulsa. Her book has sold more than 20 million copies and is widely considered a literary classic, a rite of passage for young adult readers. Told from the point of view of Ponyboy Curtis, who’s raised by his older brothers, it depicts two factions of teens: the working-class Greasers and the hoity-toity Socs (short for “socials”), who have opposing worldviews and find themselves in a continual turf war. The story’s power comes from its portrayal of young people as passionate, multifaceted individuals with complex interior lives of their own. As Lena Dunham put it in a 2018 T magazine piece praising the book, “The Outsiders was young adult fiction before young adult fiction was a widely known term, but it was also young adult fiction written by a young adult who treated young people as adults.”
Set in the 1960s, the story is chockful of male bonding, as the Greasers—a ragtag, slick-haired group from the working-class east side of Tulsa—rally together amidst increasing friction with the Socs, who hail from the affluent part of town, and who are marked by their letterman jackets and perpetual sneers. There is also some youthful romantic pining over a Soc girl; a whole lot of tussling and roughhousing; and the tragic death of a fan-favorite character, which results in the classic line, “Stay gold, Ponyboy,” inspired by Robert Frost’s epigrammatic poem Nothing Gold Can Stay.
The Outsiders captures the look of two distinctly American styles: classic prep and heritage workwear. Coppola’s 1983 film adaptation featured a preposterously talented cast. Leif Garrett, in an oxford button-down and madras jacket, was the leader of the Socs—the rich kids—whose rivals were the Greasers, played by the likes of Tom Cruise, Matt Dillon, and Rob Lowe, who channeled James Dean. Below: In the musical, Sky Lakota-Lynch plays Johnny and Brody Grant plays Ponyboy. Clothes: RRL, Polo, and pieces from the Polo archive
When the film version was released, it starred a preposterously talented murderer’s row of young actor standouts, including Tom Cruise, Matt Dillon, Rob Lowe, Patrick Swayze, Emilio Estevez, Ralph Macchio, C. Thomas Howell, and Diane Lane. The film evoked the cinematic power of the Tulsa prairie landscape—its chain-link fencing and sprawling plains—and helped popularize two styles of dress that have endured as iconically American (and ongoing inspirations to Ralph Lauren’s vision of Polo): the Greasers, channeling James Dean or Elvis Presley, didn’t have money to spend, but what they lacked in resources they made up for in their authentic rockabilly style; and the Socs, who drove cool cars, were crisply turned out in prep-school essentials—khakis, button-downs, and madras.
02
Broadway-Bound
The highly anticipated musical adaptation has similarly brought together a collection of talented youngsters, all hoping this project will serve as the launchpad for long careers in the arts. This iteration of The Outsiders has taken shape over the past few years, with the musical debuting on Broadway in mid-March. Directed by Danya Taymor (Pass Over), the book is by Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize nominee Adam Rapp (The Sound Inside) with Tony Award winner Justin Levine (Moulin Rouge! The Musical), with music and lyrics from the rock band Jamestown Revival (Jonathan Clay & Zach Chance) and Justin Levine. And the project features an A-list producer, as well, in none other than Angelina Jolie (who is joined in her lead producer role by her teenage daughter, Vivienne Jolie-Pitt, working as a volunteer assistant).
Joshua Boone (in RRL and a vintage Polo leather jacket), top, plays Dallas; Emma Pittman (in Polo) plays Cherry, whose love interest is Bob, played by Kevin William Paul (in Polo)
The creative team behind the musical—which made its well-received pre-Broadway bow at California’s La Jolla Playhouse in 2023—stressed that the novel is the basis for the stage adaptation, and that Hinton’s work is what gives the production its beating heart. Rapp—who had never worked on a musical before this project—said he has a vivid memory of devouring the book as a kid, and that Hinton’s words serve as a guiding light for the project. The aim, the New York–based 55-year-old said, was to construct a musical that was “as tender as it was brutal, as heartbreaking as it was bitter, because that’s what adolescence is,” adding, “We wanted to always think about Hinton as our North Star.” Taymor told The New York Times that she reached out to Hinton “regularly for advice” in her work on the project.
To cast the musical, the creative team assembled an energetic, highly trained group of young actors, many of whom are making their Broadway debuts with The Outsiders. “It’s easy to say you don’t want to cast a typical musical theater actor, because that’s just what everybody says, right?” Rapp explained. “But we were trying to find people who had the vulnerability of a teenager and the feral quality of a teenager.”
The staging features extensive movement and choreography, and Rapp spoke with great awe about the feats the actors are able to pull off. “It’s not easy to find everyone with those skill sets—the amount of movement and the athletic demands that the choreographers have created in the show. These athletes are world-class. I’ve never seen people on stage doing what these kids are doing.” The production involves a fire, a late ’50s Corvette that rolls on and off stage, and a prolonged fight scene in the rain with stop-motion choreography that doesn’t feature any singing or orchestral accompaniment. The music—described as “mournful” by The New York Times in its La Jolla review—is more roots-y and melancholy than what we generally associate with traditional Broadway. “The characters are so vulnerable in all these different ways. They’re really exposed,” Taymor told the Times.
From top left: Daryl Tofa as Two-Bit; Joshua Boone as Dallas; Brent Comer as Darrel; Brody Grant as Ponyboy; Jason Schmidt as Sodapop; and Sky Lakota-Lynch as Johnny. Clothes: RRL, Polo, and pieces from the Polo archive
In speaking with the cast, it is immediately evident that they share an extreme passion for the project and that deep bonds have already formed between them. “We’re all young, hungry artists,” said Brody Grant, who plays protagonist Ponyboy (portrayed by Howell in the film). “That’s still who we are.” Grant’s La Jolla performance was described as “star-making” by the Los Angeles Times, and the North Michigan native also has released his own music independently. “For a lot of us, this is our first Broadway show, and even if it isn’t our first, we’re still young and hungry and passionate to dig our teeth into something that resonates across the board, across the world,” Grant continued. “The story is timeless.”
Brent Comer, who towers in height over the others in the cast, plays Ponyboy’s older brother Darrel (Swayze in the film), who has to provide for his siblings after the death of their parents; he noted that the group has found great support in each other as they embark on this unusual experience, on the precipice of what will surely be a great deal of attention (the show was recently featured on the cover of The New York Times’ Arts & Leisure section). “We’re all taking this huge step together and a lot of us are at the same point in our lives,” he went on. “It feels good not being alone in that. I think it establishes a sense of trust … It’s really reassuring to know that everybody’s heart is in it.”
Though the novel was written by a young woman—“Susie is Ponyboy,” Grant says of Hinton, having spent time with her—The Outsiders is primarily about young men (of the nine principal actors in the musical, eight are male). Many of the actors noted that one of the aspects they find refreshing and unique about the show is its focus on the interior lives of boys becoming men. Jason Schmidt—a native Chicagoan with a Rob Lowe-esque billboard smile, who plays the third Curtis brother, Sodapop—said he is excited for the show to hopefully reach beyond the typical Broadway theatergoer. “As a young guy in musical theater, Newsies was one of the first things that I saw myself in, but it wasn’t quite like The Outsiders—the way this show portrays masculinity and brotherhood and male friendships is really, really unique,” he said. “I’m excited for young boys who may or may not love theater to come and see this and get to see what it could look like to be themselves on stage.”
Ponyboy’s best friend Johnny, played by Sky Lakota-Lynch, who previously appeared in Dear Evan Hansen on Broadway, has a similar youthfulness to Macchio, who was Johnny in the movie. “There aren’t enough stories about platonic male relationships that are drenched in love,” he said. “And I feel like America—the world—has this problem of there not being enough men telling each other, ‘I love you,’ and being vulnerable with each other … I feel that’s why the story is so important, these boys being vulnerable with each other and being tender in a platonic way.”
Daryl Tofa, who plays the Greaser Two-Bit (Estevez in the film) and who shared he was happy to be able to keep his tattoos visible for the role, concurred: “You don’t see a lot of love, just casual love, between men, and how they show each other love, in regards to chosen family. I think that the story is such an important reminder for people to know that that exists and to make that more of a norm, because it’s needed.”
There are only two actors who play male Socs—Dan Berry and Kevin William Paul—and both of them are adept at embodying the callousness and entitlement of popular high school jocks who seem to have everything, including no qualms about bullying those who don’t. To maintain his role as essentially the play’s villain, Paul, a tall Carnegie Mellon grad, said he tried his best not to spend too much time with the actors playing Greasers, which was hard since the team is so tight.
03
A Trip to Tulsa
With Angelina Jolie
In January 2024, the cast and creative team took a trip to Tulsa, where they met with Hinton and visited The Outsiders House Museum, which is “dedicated to the preservation of the home and memorabilia” seen in the film. They had a high-profile guest join them, as well—Jolie and her teenage daughter, Vivienne, who had seen the show multiple times in La Jolla and eventually brought her mom along to see it with her. In addition to the museum visit, Grant and others in the production were able to meet with Hinton; and the cast also was able to relax some, enjoying local food and drink, along with Jolie. As a producer, Jolie has been present at many of the rehearsals for the show in New York, and the cast and crew have come to know her well.
“I sit next to her a lot at rehearsal,” Rapp said. “She’s a really smart, ingenious, hands-on producer who cares deeply about this thing … The more I get to know her, the more I realize she’s just a fearless artist … and she sees this as something that could really affect people.”
Kevin William Paul as Bob and Dan Berry as Paul, top (in Polo); two scenes from the movie at the gas station where Sodapop worked
The actors also spoke with sincere warmth about getting to know the Academy Award winner and screen icon. “We just talked and talked about life and her kids and just her journey as an actress,” Lakota-Lynch said. “Of course it’s so scary—you have Angelina Jolie right next to you! But after a couple drinks it’s like, wait a minute, she’s human, she’s just like us.” Schmidt added, “I think there’s an air of confidence boosting to have somebody of that caliber in the space believing so much in this project.”
The lone female in the cast, Emma Pittman, who dons a red wig to play Cherry (Lane in the film), said she feels like Jolie and her daughter’s admiration for the story exemplifies its universality: “Angelina feels her daughter was seen by the show, she feels seen, and she wants to be a part of this as much as possible. She’s taken great care of us and made herself super known.”
As the group prepares for the curtain raise, their position in the history of this ongoing story is very much on their minds. When asked a few months ago what he’s most looking forward to when The Outsiders debuts, the charismatic Joshua Boone, who plays the volatile yet sensitive Dallas (Dillon in the film), erupted with high emotion: “There’s only, I think, 1,100 seats tops,” he said. “And I hope nightly people are scratching and clawing to get into those seats!” He paused, as if between lines. “They better bring seat belts,” he continued, as if about to hit a high note. “Buckle up ... and strap in, because it’s going to get real.”
An Inside
Look at
The Outsiders
One of Broadway’s most anticipated spring shows brings to life the book we all read in high school with a style aesthetic that has inspired two of Polo’s most iconic looks—American prep and American workwear01
Born to Run
S.E. (Susie) Hinton was a 16-year-old student in Tulsa, Oklahoma, when she published her novel The Outsiders in 1967. The story about dueling groups of high school–aged teenagers growing up in small-town Oklahoma has, to put it mildly, stood the test of time; nearly 60 years later, not only does the book remain required reading in high school, along with the likes of The Catcher in the Rye and To Kill a Mockingbird, but the tale—which spawned a beloved film adaptation in 1983 directed by Francis Ford Coppola—continues to inspire new interpretations, the latest a buzzy Broadway musical.
Hinton, who is 75 years old, still lives in Tulsa. Her book has sold more than 20 million copies and is widely considered a literary classic, a rite of passage for young adult readers. Told from the point of view of Ponyboy Curtis, who’s raised by his older brothers, it depicts two factions of teens: the working-class Greasers and the hoity-toity Socs (short for “socials”), who have opposing worldviews and find themselves in a continual turf war. The story’s power comes from its portrayal of young people as passionate, multifaceted individuals with complex interior lives of their own. As Lena Dunham put it in a 2018 T magazine piece praising the book, “The Outsiders was young adult fiction before young adult fiction was a widely known term, but it was also young adult fiction written by a young adult who treated young people as adults.”
Set in the 1960s, the story is chockful of male bonding, as the Greasers—a ragtag, slick-haired group from the working-class east side of Tulsa—rally together amidst increasing friction with the Socs, who hail from the affluent part of town, and who are marked by their letterman jackets and perpetual sneers. There is also some youthful romantic pining over a Soc girl; a whole lot of tussling and roughhousing; and the tragic death of a fan-favorite character, which results in the classic line, “Stay gold, Ponyboy,” inspired by Robert Frost’s epigrammatic poem Nothing Gold Can Stay.
The Outsiders captures the look of two distinctly American styles: classic prep and heritage workwear. Coppola’s 1983 film adaptation featured a preposterously talented cast. Leif Garrett, in an oxford button-down and madras jacket, was the leader of the Socs—the rich kids—whose rivals were the Greasers, played by the likes of Tom Cruise, Matt Dillon, and Rob Lowe, who channeled James Dean. Below: In the musical, Sky Lakota-Lynch plays Johnny and Brody Grant plays Ponyboy. Clothes: RRL, Polo, and pieces from the Polo archive
When the film version was released, it starred a preposterously talented murderer’s row of young actor standouts, including Tom Cruise, Matt Dillon, Rob Lowe, Patrick Swayze, Emilio Estevez, Ralph Macchio, C. Thomas Howell, and Diane Lane. The film evoked the cinematic power of the Tulsa prairie landscape—its chain-link fencing and sprawling plains—and helped popularize two styles of dress that have endured as iconically American (and ongoing inspirations to Ralph Lauren’s vision of Polo): the Greasers, channeling James Dean or Elvis Presley, didn’t have money to spend, but what they lacked in resources they made up for in their authentic rockabilly style; and the Socs, who drove cool cars, were crisply turned out in prep-school essentials—khakis, button-downs, and madras.
02
Broadway-Bound
The highly anticipated musical adaptation has similarly brought together a collection of talented youngsters, all hoping this project will serve as the launchpad for long careers in the arts. This iteration of The Outsiders has taken shape over the past few years, with the musical debuting on Broadway in mid-March. Directed by Danya Taymor (Pass Over), the book is by Tony Award winner Adam Rapp (The Sound Inside), with music and lyrics from the rock band Jamestown Revival. And the project features an A-list producer, as well, in none other than Angelina Jolie (who is joined in her lead producer role by her teenage daughter, Vivienne Jolie-Pitt, working as a volunteer assistant).
The creative team behind the musical—which made its well-received pre-Broadway bow at California’s La Jolla Playhouse in 2023—stressed that the novel is the basis for the stage adaptation, and that Hinton’s work is what gives the production its beating heart. Rapp—who had never worked on a musical before this project—said he has a vivid memory of devouring the book as a kid, and that Hinton’s words serve as a guiding light for the project. The aim, the New York–based 55-year-old said, was to construct a musical that was “as tender as it was brutal, as heartbreaking as it was bitter, because that’s what adolescence is,” adding, “We wanted to always think about Hinton as our North Star.” Taymor told The New York Times that she reached out to Hinton “regularly for advice” in her work on the project.
To cast the musical, the creative team assembled an energetic, highly trained group of young actors, many of whom are making their Broadway debuts with The Outsiders. “It’s easy to say you don’t want to cast a typical musical theater actor, because that’s just what everybody says, right?” Rapp explained. “But we were trying to find people who had the vulnerability of a teenager and the feral quality of a teenager.”
Joshua Boone (in RRL and a vintage Polo leather jacket), top, plays Dallas; Emma Pittman (in Polo) plays Cherry, whose love interest is Bob, played by Kevin William Paul (in Polo)
The staging features extensive movement and choreography, and Rapp spoke with great awe about the feats the actors are able to pull off. “It’s not easy to find everyone with those skill sets—the amount of movement and the athletic demands that the choreographers have created in the show. These athletes are world-class. I’ve never seen people on stage doing what these kids are doing.” The production involves a fire, a late ’50s Corvette that rolls on and off stage, and a prolonged fight scene in the rain with stop-motion choreography that doesn’t feature any singing or orchestral accompaniment. The music—described as “mournful” by The New York Times in its La Jolla review—is more roots-y and melancholy than what we generally associate with traditional Broadway. “The characters are so vulnerable in all these different ways. They’re really exposed,” Taymor told the Times.
From top left: Daryl Tofa as Two-Bit; Joshua Boone as Dallas; Brent Comer as Darrel; Brody Grant as Ponyboy; Jason Schmidt as Sodapop; and Sky Lakota-Lynch as Johnny. Clothes: RRL, Polo, and pieces from the Polo archive
In speaking with the cast, it is immediately evident that they share an extreme passion for the project and that deep bonds have already formed between them. “We’re all young, hungry artists,” said Brody Grant, who plays protagonist Ponyboy (portrayed by Howell in the film). “That’s still who we are.” Grant’s La Jolla performance was described as “star-making” by the Los Angeles Times, and the North Michigan native also has released his own music independently. “For a lot of us, this is our first Broadway show, and even if it isn’t our first, we’re still young and hungry and passionate to dig our teeth into something that resonates across the board, across the world,” Grant continued. “The story is timeless.”
Brent Comer, who towers in height over the others in the cast, plays Ponyboy’s older brother Darrel (Swayze in the film), who has to provide for his siblings after the death of their parents; he noted that the group has found great support in each other as they embark on this unusual experience, on the precipice of what will surely be a great deal of attention (the show was recently featured on the cover of The New York Times’ Arts & Leisure section). “We’re all taking this huge step together and a lot of us are at the same point in our lives,” he went on. “It feels good not being alone in that. I think it establishes a sense of trust … It’s really reassuring to know that everybody’s heart is in it.”
Though the novel was written by a young woman—“Susie is Ponyboy,” Grant says of Hinton, having spent time with her—The Outsiders is primarily about young men (of the nine principal actors in the musical, eight are male). Many of the actors noted that one of the aspects they find refreshing and unique about the show is its focus on the interior lives of boys becoming men. Jason Schmidt—a native Chicagoan with a Rob Lowe-esque billboard smile, who plays the third Curtis brother, Sodapop—said he is excited for the show to hopefully reach beyond the typical Broadway theatergoer. “As a young guy in musical theater, Newsies was one of the first things that I saw myself in, but it wasn’t quite like The Outsiders—the way this show portrays masculinity and brotherhood and male friendships is really, really unique,” he said. “I’m excited for young boys who may or may not love theater to come and see this and get to see what it could look like to be themselves on stage.”
Ponyboy’s best friend Johnny, played by Sky Lakota-Lynch, who previously appeared in Dear Evan Hansen on Broadway, has a similar youthfulness to Macchio, who was Johnny in the movie. “There aren’t enough stories about platonic male relationships that are drenched in love,” he said. “And I feel like America—the world—has this problem of there not being enough men telling each other, ‘I love you,’ and being vulnerable with each other … I feel that’s why the story is so important, these boys being vulnerable with each other and being tender in a platonic way.”
Daryl Tofa, who plays the Greaser Two-Bit (Estevez in the film) and who shared he was happy to be able to keep his tattoos visible for the role, concurred: “You don’t see a lot of love, just casual love, between men, and how they show each other love, in regards to chosen family. I think that the story is such an important reminder for people to know that that exists and to make that more of a norm, because it’s needed.”
There are only two actors who play male Socs—Dan Berry and Kevin William Paul—and both of them are adept at embodying the callousness and entitlement of popular high school jocks who seem to have everything, including no qualms about bullying those who don’t. To maintain his role as essentially the play’s villain, Paul, a tall Carnegie Mellon grad, said he tried his best not to spend too much time with the actors playing Greasers, which was hard since the team is so tight.
03
A Trip to Tulsa
With Angelina Jolie
In January 2024, the cast and creative team took a trip to Tulsa, where they met with Hinton and visited The Outsiders House Museum, which is “dedicated to the preservation of the home and memorabilia” seen in the film. They had a high-profile guest join them, as well—Jolie and her teenage daughter, Vivienne, who had seen the show multiple times in La Jolla and eventually brought her mom along to see it with her. In addition to the museum visit, Grant and others in the production were able to meet with Hinton; and the cast also was able to relax some, enjoying local food and drink, along with Jolie. As a producer, Jolie has been present at many of the rehearsals for the show in New York, and the cast and crew have come to know her well.
“I sit next to her a lot at rehearsal,” Rapp said. “She’s a really smart, ingenious, hands-on producer who cares deeply about this thing … The more I get to know her, the more I realize she’s just a fearless artist … and she sees this as something that could really affect people.”
Kevin William Paul as Bob and Dan Berry as Paul, top (in Polo); two scenes from the movie at the gas station where Sodapop worked
The actors also spoke with sincere warmth about getting to know the Academy Award winner and screen icon. “We just talked and talked about life and her kids and just her journey as an actress,” Lakota-Lynch said. “Of course it’s so scary—you have Angelina Jolie right next to you! But after a couple drinks it’s like, wait a minute, she’s human, she’s just like us.” Schmidt added, “I think there’s an air of confidence boosting to have somebody of that caliber in the space believing so much in this project.”
The lone female in the cast, Emma Pittman, who dons a red wig to play Cherry (Lane in the film), said she feels like Jolie and her daughter’s admiration for the story exemplifies its universality: “Angelina feels her daughter was seen by the show, she feels seen, and she wants to be a part of this as much as possible. She’s taken great care of us and made herself super known.”
As the group prepares for the curtain raise, their position in the history of this ongoing story is very much on their minds. When asked a few months ago what he’s most looking forward to when The Outsiders debuts, the charismatic Joshua Boone, who plays the volatile yet sensitive Dallas (Dillon in the film), erupted with high emotion: “There’s only, I think, 1,100 seats tops,” he said. “And I hope nightly people are scratching and clawing to get into those seats!” He paused, as if between lines. “They better bring seat belts,” he continued, as if about to hit a high note. “Buckle up ... and strap in, because it’s going to get real.”
