I went into the May 4th performances of new Broadway musicals The Outsiders and Water for Elephants knowing they bore a few similarities to one another. Both are drawn from beloved literary works that were adapted into generally successful movies. Both productions were directed by women — Danya Taymor (Julie's niece) and Jessica Stone, respectively — and they have both been nominated for this year's Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical. Finally, both musicals are nominated for the 2024 Tony Award for Best Musical.
But they also share a few things in common of which either I was not aware or did not remember from their source material. Somewhat oddly but tragically, both The Outsiders and Water for Elephants feature a central protagonist who recently lost their parents in a fatal car crash. They both incorporate musical scores written by a conglomerate of composers: the Pigpen Theatre Company (Water for Elephants) and Texas-based band Jamestown Revival with Justin Levine (The Outsiders). And finally, both shows employ significant, impressive theatrical techniques in telling their stories. Water for Elephants boasts a menagerie of circus animals brought to life via puppetry, while The Outsiders has both an onstage church fire and a rain-soaked fight scene to keep viewers engaged.
Apart from these various similarities and attributes, however, both musicals end up being fairly standard or good-but-not-great. The Outsiders, based on S.E. Hinton's acclaimed novel about class differences among youth in 1960's Oklahoma, benefits from a strong first act but unfortunately suffers from its over-long and sentimental second act (though it isn't as mawkish as Francis Ford Coppola's 1983 movie, thank God). The fact that the story's teenaged characters are being portrayed by actors in their 20's-30's also makes a negative impact. That being said, Brody Grant in his Broadway debut is an affecting, Tony-nominated Ponyboy.
At least The Outsiders has some still-potent social commentary on its side. The plot of Water for Elephants proves dated apart from its "be kind to animals or they might kill you" message. Headliner Grant Gustin, best known as The Flash on the long-running TV series, was sadly out sick the night Reverend attended. He plays one third of the story's love triangle, with Isabelle McCalla as the circus performer object of his affection and her husband, abusive ringmaster August (played by Paul Alexander Nolan). But these characters aren't particularly well-developed, which allows the show's puppet animals and real-life circus performers to justifiably take center stage.
Perhaps most critically of all, neither musical's songs are particularly memorable. Ponyboy's Dickens-inspired "Great Expectations" and Water for Elephants' second act opener "Zostan" made the biggest impressions on me. Audience members around me, though, responded strongly at the end of both shows with The Outsiders taking a noticeably emotional lead. Will this translate into Tony Award success come June 16th?
Reverend's Ratings:
The Outsiders: B
Water for Elephants: B-
Reviews by Rev. Chris Carpenter, resident film and stage critic of Movie Dearest and Rage Monthly Magazine.
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