Directly across the street from one another on West 45th St in the heart of Broadway are two new musicals based on well-known movies adapted from well-known books. Not a surprising thing these days; to take such well-regarded base material and give it the ol’ Broadway musical treatment, and each fly forward as pretty solidly entertaining pieces of musical theatre, but in very different splashy ways. Both deliver forth casts of exceptional talent, with, to be honest, the malefactor being handsomely displayed throughout on both those stages, whether it’s shirtless and greased, or hanging magnificently from a slowly raised pole with the greatest of ease (I apologize in advance for using that turn of phrase probably more times than I should, but it is the circus…). The adaptations, unpacked with loving care and heart, find their way through the fire and a magnificent puppet stampede, each after a parental catastrophe that is at their emotional core, yet somehow each lingers differently; one in a more visually spectacular way; the other, more emotionally heartfelt and tender.

A strumming banjo draws us inside the world of the infamous Benzini circus, riding into town on the back of the impressive Rosie the elephant, hurdling itself excitedly up into the air at the Imperial Theatre on Broadway. The memories wash over the older man wistfully standing center stage staring into the landscape as if he is watching a passing ghost train filled with acrobats and animals. We can almost hear the applause, as Water for Elephants, the musical based on the best-selling novel by Sara Gruen (At the Water’s Edge) and 2011 film directed by Francis Lawrence, swoops in on two paralleled death-defying levels. It lives where the past and the present collide, riding in on the back of a long-gone circus horse with a bad leg that only this old-timer circus vet can see. The memories and parallels find their way into the center ring, unleashed inside the mind of an older gentleman, played with earnestness and affability by Gregg Edelman (Broadway’s City of Angels), who has returned to the circus, sneaking out of his retirement, not as a man running from something, but to reconnect to the origins of his heart. And hers.

With music and lyrics by Pigpen Theatre Co. (The Old Man and the Old Moon), the first song on that circus train is as wobbly as that horse’s leg. It doesn’t exactly pull us hard into the big tent as it should, but it does lay down the straightforward tracks of this tale in quick simplistic tones. The younger version of this gentleman, Jacob Jankowski, played in the same earnest manner by a very engaging Grant Gustin (“The Flash“; “Glee“), materializes before us, after suffering a devastating shock to the system when his parents die just days before his finals at veterinarian school. Overcome with grief, he runs, desperate to leave his pain and grief behind as he leaps over the abyss onto a passing train. Little does he know that this leap of desperation, not faith, will end up taking him on a wild animal journey to a place he never could have imagined from the safety of his veterinarian classroom.

Directed with skill and an eye for adventure by Jessica Stone (Broadway’s Kimberly Akimbo), Water for Elephants finally rolls out its handsome barker pullers to enthrall and excite, and we are off to the three-ringed circus and spectacle that is at the core of this dynamically astonishing big top. “I Choose the Ride” sing the bodies on stage, as the ever so talented and brave fly through the air with the greatest of ease, erecting the structural tent pole of this musical with all the circus magic one could hope for. Rick Elice (Jersey Boys; The Cher Show) does a fine job with the writing of the book for this energizing tale of love, jealousy, and revenge, but as we engage with both the older and the younger versions of the central figure, good-guy Jacob, the songs become the sideshow attraction to this circus of a show, with the acrobats taking over the central ring, tumbling and flying into the spotlight over and over again, even if their actions play little to no part in the story being told.

We welcome them regardless, as the acrobats and gymnasts, circus-designed by co-choreographer Shana Carroll (Cirque du Soleil’s Crystal) and co-choreographer Jesse Robb (Cameron Mackintosh’s Les Misérables), are the glue that holds this show together. And without their magic and death-defying acts, this memory play musical would rattle down the train tracks into the sunset, quickly forgotten and dismissed. The “Kinkers & Rousts” are the silver stars of the show: namely Antoine Boissereau, Paul Castree, Taylor Colleton, (the incredible) Gabriel Olivera de Paula Costa, Isabella Luisa Diaz, Keaton Hentoff-Killian, Nicolas Jelmoni, Caroline Kane, Michael Mendez, Samuel Renaud, Marissa Rosen, Alexandra Gaelle Royer, Charles South, Sean Stack, and Matthew Varvar, who never fail to captivate and entertain throughout, and should not be forgotten as we dive into the actual tale that this train is trying to tell.

Jacob, unaware that the train he has jumped upon is carrying his future, finds himself surrounded by circus performers and animals of all shapes and sizes. Almost thrown off by the always angry, and forever damaged Wade, played intensely by the impressive and imposing Wade McCollum (Broadway’s Wicked; Off-Broadway’s Make Me Gorgeous), Jacob manages to remain on board, thanks to the kindness and care of the side acts who take a liking to the young corn-fed man. Beautifully performed by the impressively gifted Sara Gettelfinger (Broadway’s Nine) as Barbara; Joe DePaul (Salto Natale-Zurich) as Walter; and the wonderful Stan Brown (Off-Broadway’s Open Heart) as the aging Camel, alongside a few other circus performers and acts, they draw him into the circle, seeing something inside him that Jacob (and the audience) can’t completely connect with. Yet.

But there, in the moment when he comes across the faltering star act; a beautiful white horse named Silver Star, majestically embodied in silks by Boissereau (graduate from the National Circus School of Montreal), and Star’s caring lovely leading lady rider, Marlena (also June), played tenderly by Isabelle McCalla (Broadway’s The Prom), the tables turn and he decides to stay, choosing the ride, regardless of what it may bring. Their chemistry is undeniable from the get-go, but somehow remains unnoticed by Marlena’s husband and owner of this traveling struggling circus, August (also Charlie), played to perfection by the incredible and focused Paul Alexander Nolan (Broadway’s Slave Play; Bright Star), until its too late. Nolan is outstanding, finding his way through the tangled rope of charming and dangerous with an undeniably electric force. It’s his formula and charisma, layered with distinct tones that are frightening, threatening, and enthralling, which hold the tent poles of this circus together, binding them tight and giving Water for Elephants its crackling dangerous energy.

Both McCalla and Nolan perform their dual acts of past and present circus performers seamlessly, delivering forth the wistful memory play that is at the heart of this musical pleasure ride. We can’t help but be engaged in Mr. Jankowski’s flight of fancy into his emotional past, even if this lion of a musical “…Has Got No Teeth“. Yet, the circus puppet animals enliven, especially in the well-crafted final showdown, thanks to the fine work by lighting designer Bradley King (Broadway’s Fat Ham), sound designer Walter Trarbach (Broadway’s SpongeBob…), and puppet designers Ray Wetmore & JR Goodman (Broadway’s Here Lies Love) on a stage meticulously designed with clever sparseness by Takeshi Kata (Broadway’s Clyde’s). But the music, supervised and arranged by Mary-Mitchell Campbell (Broadway’s Some Like It Hot) & Benedict Braxton-Smith (Carnegie Hall’s My Golden Age), is merely the background soundtrack to the more thrilling acts that come alive in the center ring. You won’t really remember a lyric or a note sung at the Imperial Theatre. But you will walk away enthralled by the impressive feats performed on stage and the sweet lump in your throat delivered by a man who ran away to the circus leaving his heartache and troubles behind him, only to find that love again, waiting patiently for him to return.

Over at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre, another young man, this one going by the name Ponyboy Curtis, played fantastically true by the oh-so-talented Brody Grant (NYCC’s Parade), quietly sits and writes as we take our seats. He stares out, dreaming of the likes of movie star, Paul Newman and the personas he embodied on the big screen. He also ponders how he’s going to get home safely to the wrong side of the tracks in Tulsa, Oklahoma, 1967, back to his two older brothers who wait for him anxiously. Somehow, he has to navigate the dangerous streets on the wrong side of town carefully, as they are patrolled menacingly by those rich, and naturally mean and violent (privileged white) guys who like to terrorize poorer kids like himself from their shared high school. He knows, instinctually, that he has placed himself in a precarious situation, but ‘first things first‘, he sings, with that warm velvety and powerful caressing voice of his, a great introduction song, one of many by book, music & lyric writer, music supervisor, orchestrator, arranger, Justin Levine (Broadway’s Moulin Rouge!) and music and lyric writer, Jamestown Revival; an American band from Austin, TX; about the hardened hearts and aching souls of his chosen family, The Outsiders, and we can’t help but be pulled in by his swoon and intelligent swagger.

With a strong but often meandering book by Adam Rapp (The Sound Inside) that may (or may not) adhere too closely to the classic novel by S.E. Hinton (Tex; Rumblefish) and the landmark motion picture directed by Francis Ford Coppola starring a slew of young actors who became movie stars, The Outsiders finds itself planted firmly in the touching and emotionally bonding jungle bar tale of three young brothers trying to survive familial tragedy, wrapped up in the somewhat traditional and stereotypical street wars between the ‘haves and have-nots’ in small-town America. It’s “West Side Story“, mashed together with “Rebel Without a Cause” (as well as a number of other period films and shows) where caring, financially-challenged young men find themselves fighting battles too big and violent for their natures, against class and prejudice, trying to hold on to their sense of self in a world that may never accept them. Yet even as the comparisons fly through our collective heads as we watch the tensions rise on stage, impossible to ignore, The Outsiders easily wipes away those parallels and makes us focus our love and attention on these three orphaned brothers and their chosen family of ‘greasers’ and ‘outsiders’. They all are just too hard to resist. And why would we want to?

Directed with a strong sense of conflict and tension by Danya Taymor (Broadway’s Pass Over), this gripping and tender musical charges forth a formula of two different worlds in one typical 1967 American town. Some are clean-cut but live cruelly in their privilege, while others, the ones we totally side with, roll with the punches in their smooth-like grease and shirtless, sharp stances. It’s a war, even before it is called out. And we feel the tension as it continually escalates, embodied most heart-racingly within the dynamic and creatively chaotic choreography of Rick & Jeff Kuperman (MCC’s Alice by Heart), highlighted majestically in the dynamic lighting by Brian MacDevitt (Broadway’s The Music Man), splashing forth on a stage ‘scenographically’ designed distinctly by AMP, featuring Tatiana Kahvegian (Trinity Rep’s A Christmas Carol).

The blood bond of brothers carries a strong emotional weight, laying heavy and clear on the shoulders of the oldest and most worn-down, pseudo-father-figured brother, Darrel Curtis, beautifully embodied by the powerful, earthy Brent Comer (Les Misérables tour), alongside the middle brother, the sexy, loyal, and forever shirtless Sodapop, played empathetically by the engaging Jason Schmidt (TUTS’s Cinderella), who supports in the only way he knows how. Grant’s Ponyboy is their touchstone, seen by these two as the one who might actually get out of this soul-crushing trap these two find themselves. He is the intellectually strong one, they believe, the one who dreams in words and phrases they can barely comprehend. And their love for each other runs deep, even inside of their internal frustration and despair. Comer’s Darrel handsomely ignites the heaviness of the household with a passion and physicality that emulates far beyond that kitchen table, clashing hard with the more shiny thrilling object that is Dallas Winston, embodied strong by Joshua Boone (Broadway’s Skeleton Crew), a ex-con rebel without a cause that represents more than just stereotypical old movie formula.

But as the strongly framed songs keep rolling forward, dedicated to the familial desire for home, love, and dreams, the musical never fails to engage, particularly in the epic “Great Expectations,” pulled out from the Dickens’ novel that lives in Ponyboy’s back pocket. The Outsiders keep filling the air with righteous conflict and resignation, splashing bits of watery optimism forward with rebellious kicks by this crew. The musicality of the show soars, thanks to the fine work by music director Matt Hinkley (Broadway’s Bandstand), with a powerful assist from sound designer Cody Spencer (Broadway’s Gutenberg! The Musical), and a compelling projection design by Hana Kim (Broadway’s Summer, 1976). It’s an energizing drive-in framework that keeps working hard and true right up to the climax of conflict that stabs its way engagingly into our souls. There, in the beating heart of Johnny Cade, portrayed somewhat slightly and simply by Sky Lakota-Lynch (Broadway’s Dear Evan Hansen), is where the piece finds its ultimatum, and the war between the poor ‘greasers’ and the monied ‘socs’ boils up to overflowing.

The fuse is violently lit thereafter, and the rivalry of ‘haves’ and ‘have-nots’ is ignited by an innocent romance across enemy lines. With Cherry Valance at the center of this showdown, talking sweet and engagingly with the wide-eyed puppy that is Ponyboy, that handholding, sweet, casual interaction ultimately power kegs itself into an intense cutting confrontation and a second-act rumble ripped right out of the “West Side Story” playbook. Portrayed well by Emma Pittman (Broadway’s Chicago), the female lead part flickers on the edges of meaningful and meaningless, being an important touchstone to the young Ponyboy, but not the focal point of his force – unlike the Maria (or Juliet) counterpart who has a lot more to say and do. This Outsiders conflict lives and breathes fully in the roughness of its Abercrombie & Fitch, pseudo-masculinity, set swirling and rolling in an erotically charged rainstorm battle that is as captivatingly majestic as it is violent.

Drenched in sweat, tears, and blood, the young men finally come together in community and defiance, costumed strongly by Sarafina Bush (Broadway’s Tommy). It’s a show, driven by the bonding of brothers, both chosen and of blood, brimming with poetic engagement and care. Its tender heart beats defiantly with determination and grit, heightened by the well-crafted rockabilly and blues songs, that are sometimes gentle and reflective, and deliver the framing, even when repetitive and overly self-narrative. The tenderest of moments enters in late, blossoming between Ponyboy and Lakota-Lynch’s Johnny on the hood of a car, that, in a way, resonates far beyond the sidebar destruction of ex-con and mentor Dally. It’s in the friends’ tragic poetic connection, sung in sideways through a letter, where The Outsiders unleashes its soul, hitting the mark solidly and beautifully. It’s a connection that the other book and movie epic turned Broadway musical, Water for Elephants never really discovers fully, even with all the silk-wrapped death-defying leaps of faith it contains. Neither show is perfect, but one quenches our thirst, both emotionally and musically, even if it is from the leftover puddle water kicked high into the air every chance those handsome boys can find.

“Let Mother vote!” they sing in the altogether different beginning of Broadway’s new musical, Suffs. Altered from the staging at The Public Theater a few years ago. Gone are the vaudevillian-style clowns with fake mustaches, top hats, and tails. In their place are the members of the all-female old guard, asking, ever so politely, for a Mother’s permission to vote directed at their sons, a framework that does eventually sway the vote their way. It’s a stronger, classier beginning, presented with a wise wink and grin as the historical tale unveils itself with its newly sharpened inquisitive deep dive into the complex camaraderie of the women who forcibly brought forth the 19th amendment to the United States and the courageous ones who stood their ground until the right to vote was won.

With a strong skilled cast, Suffs, the new Broadway musical, unpacks the somewhat shocking and difficult mountain these dedicated suffragists climbed to bring forth change and enlightenment into the unfair world where women were not granted the right to vote alongside their husbands, fathers, and sons. The imbalance is clearly laid out throughout, and as directed with clarity and vision by Leigh Silverman (Broadway’s Grand Horizons), it is presented most beautifully and intelligently, particularly in one tenacious love song about what marriage actually means to a woman. Played out wisely between a young determined woman, Doris Stevens, smartly portrayed by Nadia Dandash (“Pretty Little Liars: Summer School“), and her somewhat confused male counterpart, Dudley Malone, portrayed strongly by Tsilala Brock (Barrington’s Blues for an Alabama Sky), the two, in a touching subtle flirtation, clarify the misogyny that the world is offering a woman when she accepts a marriage proposal. “Marriage is essentially a death trap for women,” Stevens informs in a manner that both surprises and educates the thoughtful Malone. The song is both tender and sweet, while also laying out the hard-truth imbalance for the unknowing to see and realize. And it does the job, both within the man and the delightfully wise production, written, in all aspects, by the ever-impressive Shaina Taub (Public’s Twelfth Night).

Jenn Colella as Carrie Chapman Catt and the Company of Broadway’s Suffs. Photo by Joan Marcus.

Dudley Malone, thanks to this musical interlude choreographed with charm and focus by Mayte Natalio (Broadway’s How to Dance…), and as history andSuffsinform us, becomes a significant member of the movement, shifting his perspective and resigning from Woodrow Wilson’s administration for his failure to take up or support the Woman Suffrage Amendment to the Constitution. Although all of this is historically accurate and well-known walking in, the way Taub lays it out is beyond smart. She seems to intuitively know her knowledgeable audience well, and delivers forth that tricky balance of informing the informed without ever feeling that we are being lectured or talked down to.

The revamped and elevated musical, new to Broadway, sings out strong and clear, and although the passing of the Nineteenth Amendment involved men in all of the three branches of the U.S. government, headed by then President Wilson, played here most beautifully by Grace McLean (Broadway’s Natasha, Pierre…), Taub finds her careful focus within the complicated band of brave women who worked diligently together to secure the right for women to vote. Their female union is wonderfully displayed, but not without conflict, and Taub, who wrote the book, music, and lyrics for this new musical (while also taking on the force of nature at the center of the fight, Alice Paul), treats their interpersonal dynamics of the women with the utmost respect unwrapping all the complexity that they deserve.

Their path is multi-dimensional, and not without discomfort and discord. The formulation of these core women; Alice Paul, her loyal friend, Lucy Burns, played heroically by the wonderful Ally Bonino (Off-Broadway’s Dogfight); the socialite warrior-queen, Inez Milholland, gloriously played by the formidable Hannah Cruz (MCC’s The Connector), the socialist warrior, Ruza Wenclawska, deliciously portrayed by Kim Blanck (Signature’s Octet); and Dandashi’s steadfast and true Doris Stevens; form loyalist camaraderie in their internal fire and within debate. Just as it should be. Each has their specific worldview, and although the consensus-building within the group is not neat or as easy as maybe history would like to pretend to portray, Suffs succeeds in its mission; of climbing up the stairs to equality with a clarity of vision and an astute air of conviction that does the movement proud, mainly because it holds tight to the individuals at the center, and the conflicts that reside within.

Inside the stirring music and wise lyrics, the musical, led with grace by music director Andrea Grody (Broadway’s The Band’s Visit) with orchestrations by Michael Starobin (LCT’s The Gardens of Anuncia), never loses its vital steam, finding its clear footing within the narrative of the progressive firecracker, Alice Paul (Taub). This powerhouse woman exudes a passionate understanding of what is needed, and doesn’t have the patience to wait it out politely like the old guard of the movement would like her to do. She strides forward without ever really looking back, even when stymied and sidelined by the formidable Carrie Chapman Catt, played to perfection by Jenn Colella (Broadway’s Come From Away), the strongly liked president of the National American Woman Suffrage Association and the founder of the League of Women Voters and the International Woman Suffrage Alliance, who promotes polite patience over aggressive action.

Catt, one of the best-known women in the United States in the first half of the twentieth century for her role in the movement, finds Alice Paul a bitter and troublesome new pill to swallow, one she can’t seem to control like the rest of ladies who gather around her. Colella grabs hold of the part and delivers her solidly, epitomized by her magnificent rendition of “This Girl.” Her road to equality is to not “antagonize, irritate, enervate” the men, but to play nice, and make an appointment for tea with dignity and feminine gentleness. But Taub’s Alice doesn’t see it that way at all. This young woman is tired of waiting and playing by Catt’s old-school rule book. She wants progress, and to step up the movement by organizing a protest march on Washington to shake the movement from the ground up. “We need to stand up and demand our rights,” she states with a wide-eyed conviction. And the only way forward for this “Great American Bitch” is to fight the big fight without hesitation.

The contentious origins of the women’s rights movement drive the whole experience forward with determination and flair. There is a lot of history to cover here, and the piece tries to occupy as much of the historical space as possible, delivering forth the delicate issues of race and racism into the mix most beautifully. As the dynamic and outspoken investigative journalist, educator, and early leader in the civil rights movement Ida B. Wells, the magnetic Nikki M. James (Broadway’s The Book of Mormon) ushers forth one of the most powerfully engaging declarations of the movement with her commanding “Wait My Turn.” It’s a full-on showstopper, catapulting the moment and the song into something beyond great. The demand and the statement ring hard, strong, and true, even as we uncomfortably watch Alice try to sideline Ida for what she believes to be for the greater good. In reality, Alice is undeniably in the wrong. And in that hardheadedness, the imperfectness of Alice begins to show, which, in all honesty, serves the musical very well indeed. None of these women are without their flaws, and in that historical arena, Taub does them all justice.

On the simplistic, yet effective set, designed with a clear intuitive vision by Riccardo Hernandez (Broadway’s The Thanksgiving Play) with strong lighting by Lap Chi Chu (Broadway’s Camelot), killer costuming by Paul Tazewell (Broadway’s Ain’t Too Proud), and a solid sound design by Jason Crystal (“Annie: Live!“), Suffs sounds the charge with inspiring and persuasive songs like “Finish the Fight”, “Find a Way”, and “How Long?” Each ignites the fire that lives inside Alice, who has set aside all ladylike manners and desires espoused by Catt and society to give fire to her voice and her fight even when it gets dangerous and downright dirty.

It’s a powerful, very thoughtfully created story that Taub wants to tell, and even throughout the silent protests and acts of civil disobedience that land the women in jail, the horrors inflicted elevate the musical to new heights of enlightenment, adding unforeseen power and connection to the eventual outcome song “Keep Marching“. “How long must women wait?” they sing, rightfully and majestically, as these dynamic and talented women demand equality so beautifully and with such faith and passion that we can’t help but give them the standing ovation they, and their theatrical counterparts, deserve. Broadway’s Suffs, wisely and wonderfully, delivers it all with a strong emotional punch to the gut, as Taub wisely reminds us that “the work is never over” and it can’t be done alone.

As infrequent as an eclipse and as startling as an earthquake comes along a theatrical offering that you’ll be telling your grandchildren about. A random survey of theatre aficionados recently revealed that in the last half-century, The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby remains the most notable and enduring dramatic event. One could include Merman in Dolly!, or the night Shirley MacLaine became a star by replacing Carol Haney in Pajama Game. McKechnie in A Chorus Line, Hearn in La Cage Aux Folles, Streisand in Funny Girl and even Quentin Crisp as Lady Bracknell are all candidates for this kind of unforgettable-ness. 

Such, too, I believe is Days of Wine and Roses, offered all-too-briefly this season, and already an award winner (Frederick Loewe Award for achievement in a theatrical score) by the Dramatists Guild for composer/lyricist Adam Guettel. I predict more honors… 

Examples offered above cannot be repeated, but I don’t think we’ve seen the last of Days of Wine and Roses. It was presented here during a time of turmoil: post-pandemic, in a city plagued with random and senseless crime in a world beset with two wars and an upcoming election. Not the climate for a waltz through the perils of alcoholism. 

It is interesting to juxtapose Days with Merrily We Roll Along. Both stories cover roughly the same time period, through episodes covering two decades of relationships, albeit it in opposing sequence, and both address a loss of innocence or at least integrity through substance use. While Days gives a gripping unadulterated look at the impact of addiction on relationships, Merrily tells a similar story, but in reverse (so that the audience gets to experience the drama of the topic with increasing lightness), and with more predictable tropes. Rather than a waltz through the perils of alcoholism, Merrily gives us a pat frolic through an after-school special. It’s telling that Merrily remains open. Perhaps in a time where sharp edges seem to take over our lives, we seek escapism over catharsis. 

Climates change, and the climate for excellence endures. This was a work of delicacy, the likes of which we rarely encounter. One doesn’t leave the theatre humming the music, but the music seeps its way into your soul if you let it. Like Guettel’s other works, Days has a haunting quality that is irresistible. Catch it next time around, either here or on the road. Then you’ll have something to tell your grandchildren. 

Daniel Radcliffe, Jonathan Groff, and Lindsay Mendez, announced the 73rd Annual Outer Critics Circle Award Nominations, today. All three hosts were nominees last season for their roles in the hit revival of Merrily We Roll Along, with Groff and Mendez taking home the 2023 OCC Awards for Lead Performer and Featured Performer in an Off-Broadway Musical.

David Gordon, Jonathan Groff, Lindsay Mendez, Daniel Radcliffe

The winners of the 73rd Annual Outer Critics Circle Awards, honoring the 2023-2024 Broadway and Off-Broadway season, will be announced on Monday, May 13, followed by an awards ceremony held on Thursday, May 23, 2024.

Outstanding New Broadway Play
Jaja’s African Hair Braiding, Jocelyn Bioh
Mother Play: A Play in Five Evictions, Paula Vogel
Patriots, Peter Morgan
Stereophonic, David Adjmi
The Shark Is Broken, Joseph Nixon and Ian Shaw

Outstanding New Broadway Musical
Days of Wine and Roses
Suffs
The Great Gatsby
The Outsiders
Water for Elephants

Outstanding New Off-Broadway Musical
Buena Vista Social Club
Dead Outlaw
Illinoise
Teeth
The Connector

Outstanding New Off-Broadway Play
Dig, Theresa Rebeck
King of the Jews, Leslie Epstein
King James, Rajiv Joseph
Primary Trust, Eboni Booth
Swing State, Rebecca Gilman

John Gassner Award (new American play preferably by a new playwright)
Job. Max Wolf Friedlich
Manahatta, Mary Kathryn Nagle
Oh, Mary!, Cole Escola
The Apiary, Kate Douglas
Wet Brain, John J. Caswell Jr.

Outstanding Revival of a Musical
Cabaret
Here Lies Love
I Can Get It for You Wholesale
Monty Python’s Spamalot
The Who’s Tommy

Outstanding Revival of a Play
An Enemy of the People
Appropriate
Doubt: A Parable
Mary Jane
Philadelphia, Here I Come!
Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch

Outstanding Lead Performer in a Broadway Play
Jessica Lange, Mother Play
Rachel McAdams, Mary Jane
Sarah Paulson, Appropriate
Jeremy Strong, An Enemy of the People
Michael Stuhlbarg, Patriots

Outstanding Featured Performer in a Broadway Play
Billy Eugene Jones, Purlie Victorious
Celia Keenan-Bolger, Mother Play
Alex Moffat, The Cottage
Jim Parsons, Mother Play
Sarah Pidgeon, Stereophonic
Kara Young, Purlie Victorious

Outstanding Lead Performer in a Broadway Musical
Ali Louis Bourzgui, The Who’s Tommy
Brian d’Arcy James, Days of Wine and Roses
Casey Likes, Back to the Future
Kelli O’Hara, Days of Wine and Roses
Maryann Plunkett, The Notebook

Outstanding Featured Performer in a Broadway Musical
Roger Bart, Back to the Future
Justin Guarini, Once Upon a One More Time
Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer, Spamalot
Kecia Lewis, Hell’s Kitchen
Bebe Neuwirth, Cabaret

Outstanding Lead Performer in an Off-Broadway Musical
Jeb Brown, Dead Outlaw
Andrew Durand, Dead Outlaw
Alyse Alan Louis, Teeth
Ben Levi Ross, The Connector
Ricky Ubeda, Illinoise

Outstanding Featured Performer in an Off-Broadway Musical
Ben Cook, Illinoise
Hannah Cruz, The Connector
Julia Knitel, Dead Outlaw
Judy Kuhn, I Can Get It For You Wholesale
Jessica Molaskey, The Connector
Thom Sesma, Dead Outlaw

Outstanding Lead Performer in an Off-Broadway Play
Cole Escola, Oh, Mary!
Mary Beth Fisher, Swing State
William Jackson Harper, Primary Trust
Marie Mullen, The Saviour
Paul Sparks, Waiting for Godot

Outstanding Featured Performer in an Off-Broadway Play
Gus Birney, Our Class
April Matthis, Primary Trust
Conrad Ricamora, Oh, Mary!
Jay O. Sanders, Primary Trust
Bubba Weiler, Swing State

Outstanding Solo Performance
Eddie Izzard, Hamlet
Patrick Page, All the Devils are Here
Mona Pirnot, I Love You So Much I Could Die
Robert Montano, Small
John Rubenstein, Eisenhower: This Piece of Ground

Outstanding Book of a Musical (Broadway or Off-Broadway)
Justin Peck and Jackie Sibblies Drury, Illinoise
Anna K. Jacobs and Michael R. Jackson, Teeth
Itamar Moses, Dead Outlaw
Jonathan Marc Sherman, The Connector
Shaina Taub, Suffs

Outstanding Score (Broadway or Off-Broadway)
Jason Robert Brown, The Connector
Will Butler, Stereophonic
Adam Guettel, Days of Wine and Roses
David Yazbek and Erik Della Penna, Dead Outlaw
Shaina Taub, Suffs

Outstanding Orchestrations (Broadway or Off-Broadway)
Timo Andres, Illinoise
Adam Guettel and Jamie Lawrence, Days of Wine and Roses
Marco Paguia, Buena Vista Social Club
Michael Starobin, Suffs
Erik Della Penna, Dean Sharenow, and David Yazbek; Dead Outlaw

Outstanding Direction of a Musical (Broadway or Off-Broadway)
David Cromer, Dead Outlaw
Michael Greif, Days of Wine and Roses
Daisy Prince, The Connector
Leigh Silverman, Suffs
Jessica Stone, Water for Elephants

Outstanding Direction of a Play (Broadway or Off-Broadway)
Knud Adams, Primary Trust
Daniel Aukin, Stereophonic
Robert Falls, Swing State
Kenny Leon, Purlie Victorious
Lila Neugebauer, Appropriate

Outstanding Choreography (Broadway or Off-Broadway)
Jesse Robb and Shana Carroll, Water for Elephants
Rick Kuperman and Jeff Kuperman, The Outsiders
Lorin Latarro, The Who’s Tommy
Patricia Delgado and Justin Peck, Buena Vista Social Club
Justin Peck, Illinoise

Outstanding Scenic Design (Broadway or Off-Broadway)
Paul Tate dePoo III, The Cottage
Paul Tate dePoo III, The Great Gatsby
Dots, Appropriate
David Korins, Here Lies Love
David Zinn, Stereophonic

Outstanding Costume Design (Broadway or Off-Broadway)
Dede Ayite, Jaja’s African Hair Braiding
Enver Chakartash, Stereophonic
Enver Chakartash, Teeth
Linda Cho, The Great Gatsby
Sydney Maresca, The Cottage

Outstanding Lighting Design (Broadway or Off-Broadway)
Bradley King, Water for Elephants
Brian MacDevitt, The Outsiders
Justin Townsend, Here Lies Love
Tim Lutkin and Hugh Vanstone, Back to the Future
Amanda Zieve, The Who’s Tommy

Outstanding Sound Design (Broadway or Off-Broadway)
Tom Gibbons, Grey House
Gareth Owen, Back to the Future
Gareth Owen, The Who’s Tommy
Ryan Rumery, Stereophonic
M.L. Dogg and Cody Spencer, Here Lies Love

Outstanding Video/Projections (Broadway or Off-Broadway)
David Bengali, Water for Elephants
Paul Tate dePoo III, The Great Gatsby
Peter Nigrini, The Who’s Tommy
Finn Ross, Back to the Future
Ash J. Woodward, Patriots

The Outer Critics Circle’s membership includes writers working for more than 90 newspapers, magazines, broadcast stations, and online news organizations worldwide. David Gordon leads the group as president, with a board of directors that also includes Richard Ridge, Joseph Cervelli, Patrick Hoffman, David Roberts, Cynthia Allen, Harry Haun, Dan Rubins, Janice Simpson, and Doug Strassler.

Not considered for these nominations were Off-Broadway’s Here We Are, Danny and the Deep Blue Sea, and Walk on Through: Confessions of a Museum Novice, none of which invited nominators to performances. Suffs was deemed eligible in Broadway categories after it was ruled at least 50% different from its earlier Off-Broadway staging, and Illinoise was considered for Off-Broadway categories due to the timing of its (still upcoming) Broadway debut.

Productions With Multiple Nominations:
Dead Outlaw – 9
The Connector – 7
Stereophonic – 7
Days of Wine and Roses – 6
Illinoise – 6
The Who’s Tommy – 6
Back to the Future – 5
Suffs – 5
Primary Trust – 5
Water for Elephants – 5
Appropriate – 4
The Great Gatsby – 4
Here Lies Love – 4
Mother Play – 4
Purlie Victorious – 4
Swing Stage – 4
Teeth – 4
Buena Vista Social Club – 3
Oh, Mary! – 3
Patriots – 3
The Cottage – 3
The Outsiders – 3
Cabaret – 2
An Enemy of the People – 2
I Can Get It For You Wholesale – 2
Jaja’s African Hair Braiding – 2
Mary Jane – 2
Monty Python’s Spamalot – 2

I have not read 1967 S.E. Hinton’s novel or seen Francis Ford Coppola’s 1983 film of The Outsiders, so I really did not know how much of an impact this show would have on me. Part of this was due to the amazing performance by Ponyboy (Brody Grant). Grant is a star, making us fall in love instantaneously with the vulnerable, sensitive, romantic boy, who is so out of place in a world that is divided by class and what side of the town you live.

Photograph: Courtesy Matthew Murphy The Outsiders

Danya Taymor, takes on this coming-of-age drama making you feel every nuance and angst of being a teen stuck in their turn of the wheel that life throws at them.

Here Ponyboy reflects on his life, as he narrates this 1965 musical set in Tulsa, Oklahoma that ends in tragedy. Ponyboy’s parents are dead, so eldest brother Darrel (Brent Comer) has taken on the job of raising his two younger brothers, Ponyboy and Soda (Jason Schmidt). Darrel is frustrated because he is losing his youth and Ponyboy feels the brunt of his dissatisfaction.

The town is overrun by the affluent teens, known as the “Socs” (short for “Socials” – economically advantaged teens). They harass, bully and assault the greasers (economically disadvantaged teens) who have to cross through a park to get home. When Ponyboy and his best friend Johnny (Sky Lakota-Lynch)  catch a movie at the local drive-in, the cutest girl in the school Cherry Valance (Emma Pittman) and Ponybody talk. Her boyfriend Bob (Kevin William Paul), takes none to kindly to their budding friendship

Pony and Johnny have missed their curfew and Pony’s older brother, strikes him. He runs off to the park with Johnny. While there they are attacked by Bob and the other Socs. Johnny is beaten and Pony is almost drowned in the park’s fountain, until Johnny stabs Bob, killing him.

An older local boy Dallas (A wonderful Jason Boone), the one who gave Jonny the knife to defend himself gives them money for food and a loaded firearm. They flee and hide out in an abandoned church to lay low. Dallas visits ready to run away with them, but the boys want to return and take responsibility. In the meantime the church, gets set on fire with children trapped inside. The boys all rescue them but are burned, with Johnny breaking his back when a part of the structure collapses on him. Ponyboy reunites with his two older brothers in the hospital and then returns home. Their heroic deed makes the front page of the local paper. At this point the two sides rumble for control of the park.

The greasers win, but others pay the price and the show is definitely has a four hankie ending.

Photograph: Courtesy Matthew MurphyThe Outsiders

There are moments that are definitely like West Side Story, but it is done amazingly well by choreographers Rick and Jeff Kuperman, that these teens constantly seem in flight. The street fights enhanced by sudden blackouts by Brian MacDevitt’s lighting and sound by Cody Spencer are a marvel to watch.

Jason Schmidt and Brody Grant Photo by Matthew Murphy

The script by Adam Rapp and Justin Levine, is truthful, relatable and heartbreaking.

The score, by the folk duo Jamestown Revival (Jonathan Clay and Zach Chance) and Levine (who is also credited with music supervision, orchestration and arrangements) keep a country sound that fits this show to a tee. Plaintive, longing and full of hope, we feel these teens emotions down to the pit of our stomach. Songs like “Tulsa 1967,”“Runs in the Family,””Stay Gold,” “Great Expectations” and “Little Brother” show us the world and the emotions that hold these teens captive.

The cast is seriously spectacular with youth, vitality and energy galore. They leap and fly across this set. For many of them this is their Broadway debut. The three orphaned brothers are excellent with a sense of commodity and tenderness.

Photograph: Courtesy Matthew MurphyThe Outsiders

The wooden set by AMP featuring Tatiana Kahvegian keeps us feeling the cage that seems open yet so confining. The elements are all here thanks to Hana S. Kim’s projections, as well as special effects by Jeremy Chernick and Lillis Meeh.

There wasn’t anything I didn’t like about this show. Pulsating with the emotion of being trapped inside your class, all I could think about were those artistic, intelligent kids with dreams that are crushed before they even begin.

The Outsiders: Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre, 242 W 45th Street.