Texas roots rock duo stays gold with first foray into musical theater on 'The Outsiders'

When they set out to create songs for the new stage adaptation of "The Outsiders," musical theater newcomers Jonathan Clay and Zach Chance took inspiration from the most famous line in Oklahoma novelist S.E. Hinton’s iconic book: "Stay gold, Ponyboy."

"The producers were looking for a band that wasn't necessarily a typical composer for Broadway or musicals. ... We heard that there was maybe an opportunity if we wanted to write some songs," Clay recalled.

"So we wrote two or three songs ... and we wrote one that was really exactly what we thought Broadway should be. It was kind of like Frankie Valli's 'Sherry.'"

"And they basically said, 'This is awful, but would you mind trying one more time?'" Chance added.

So the pair, who typically write and perform as the Texas roots rock duo Jamestown Revival, submitted the first song they had penned for the show, a wistful acoustic ballad called "Stay Gold."

"We were like, 'This is sad and dreary. It's really singer-songwriter. It's not (from the) period. This is more like a song we'd write.' So, we didn't even send it (at first). Then, after they hated the first one, we were like, 'Well, nothing to lose now,'" Clay told The Oklahoman during an interview Jan. 26 at the Tulsa Performing Arts Center.

"And they loved it. They were like, 'This is what we were hoping we would get. ... Can you do more of this?' So, we were like, 'Let's go. Hire us.'"

Alongside Tony Award winner Justin Levine, Jamestown Revival co-wrote the music and lyrics for “The Outsiders” musical, which began its Broadway run March 16 with previews ahead of the show's official April 11 opening night at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre.

"That song, 'Stay Gold,' it's still in the show," Chance said. "We're definitely aware that this story means a lot to a lot of people. So, to be able to carry the torch in some way, that's a big responsibility. We haven't taken it lightly."

How does 'The Outsiders' musical adapt S.E. Hinton's iconic novel?

Like most Broadway shows, the musical adaptation of “The Outsiders” has been years in the making.

The stage version is based on both Hinton’s landmark coming-of-age novel, which has sold more than 15 million copies and been published in more than 30 languages, and Academy Award-winning director Francis Ford Coppola’s iconic 1983 movie, which has only grown in popularity as a cult favorite over the past four decades.

Inspired by her experiences at Will Rogers High School, Susan "Susie" Eloise Hinton penned the tale of two rival Tulsa gangs — the poor Greasers and the privileged Socs (pronounced Soshs) — when she was still a teenager. She published "The Outsiders" under her initials to keep male reviewers from knowing she was a woman and immediately dismissing her work.

"My first 'Outsiders' experience was eighth grade. My beloved, dear English teacher — who I just rattled her cage, really gave her a hard time — she was very intent on exposing us all to the book. And it was actually the first fiction book I ever read. ... I wasn't a big reader. But I read it, and I enjoyed it. And I thought that pocket knives were really cool," Clay recalled.

"In eighth grade, you're starting to feel your oats a little bit, your rebellious side. And here are these kids who were just living wild on their own."

Like the book and film, “The Outsiders” musical is set in Tulsa in the 1960s and focuses on young Greaser Ponyboy Curtis, his two older brothers and their chosen family of “outsiders” struggling to survive in a world of haves and have-nots.

Brody Grant is making his Broadway debut in the role of Ponyboy, while Sky Lakota-Lynch is returning to Broadway in the role of Johnny, Ponyboy’s best friend. Brent Comer makes his Broadway bow in the role of the eldest Curtis brother, Darrel, while Jason Schmidt is a Broadway newcomer playing the role of Sodapop, the middle Curtis brother. Joshua Boone and Daryl Tofa play fellow Greasers Dallas Winston and Two-Bit Mathews, respectively.

Emma Pittman co-stars as Cherry Valance, while Kevin William Paul and Dan Berry play Socs Bob Sheldon and Paul Holden, respectively.

How did 'The Outsiders' songwriters' Texas upbringing influence their work on the musical?

Like his musical partner in Jamestown Revival, Chance said he read the book "The Outsiders" for the first time in middle school.

"I had just a very visceral reaction to it," he said. "I think the sentiment of Ponyboy is pretty universal. Especially in like seventh, eighth grade, with all the older kids in high school or your friends who have older siblings, you can be so intimidated. You don't know who you are, and you're asking all these questions."

Although the duo is now based in Austin, the musicians grew up in the small town of Magnolia, Texas, and they found the Oklahoma story told in "The Outsiders" relatable.

"We met in high school, so after we had both read it, but when the world just feels so big outside of where you are," Chance said.

The first lines of the musical's opening number, "Tulsa 1967," speak to those feelings: "I've never been out of Tulsa before / I wonder what that would be like / I've never known anybody to leave / Most people get stuck here for life."

"This is not particular to Tulsa, this is every 15-year-old kid that's like, 'I gotta get out of here.' That's a universal sentiment that, I think, we all felt as kids — and I think kids still feel today," Clay said.

The Original Broadway Cast Recording of “The Outsiders” is due to be released May 22 via Sony Masterworks Broadway.

Who are the creative team and cast for the Broadway musical 'The Outsiders?'

A Tony Award winner for his work on “Moulin Rouge! The Musical,” Levine co-wrote the book for "The Outsiders" musical with Tony nominee Adam Rapp and co-wrote the score with Jamestown Revival. Levine, who also is handling the show’s music supervision, arrangements and orchestrations, said working with musical theater newbies on the project was a refreshing experience.

"I've lived in New York for all of my life, and sometimes I really just get so tired of it and hate it. Then, when someone comes to visit, and I'm taking them around, suddenly I'm like, 'This is a cool town. This is a beautiful place. I do love this place,'" Levine told The Oklahoman.

"I feel similarly working on a musical, sometimes, because that's my primary work that I do. Working with other people and having those moments where we have an idea and we get excited about it, then suddenly, I'm falling back in love with it. So, I think it was really helpful, and I really appreciated the opportunity to see it anew."

Ahead of the start of rehearsals for the Broadway production, members of the cast and creative team of “The Outsiders” musical — including Oscar winner Angelina Jolie, a lead producer on the show — made a Jan. 25-28 visit to Tulsa to explore the place where Hinton penned her iconic 1967 novel and Coppola made his beloved movie.

Oklahoma City native Laura Galt, who is a co-producer on the show and has been involved in its development since 2018, said the group visited Hinton’s alma mater, Will Rogers High School, as well as the Outsiders House Museum, where the author and Danny Boy O’Connor, the museum’s founder and executive director, joined them for a tour of the filming-location-turned-tourist-attraction.

But the Jamestown Revival musicians had made the pilgrimage to Tulsa years before, when their touring schedule had brought them to Oklahoma. They met with Hinton and O'Connor and visited "The Outsiders" filming locations like the Admiral Twin Drive-In.

"Seeing the house, for whatever reason, that really stuck with me. It felt really symbolic," Clay said.

How has 'The Outsiders' musical been received so far?

Directed by Obie Award winner Danya Taymor, who is also helming the Broadway production, "The Outsiders" musical made its world premiere last year at the La Jolla Playhouse in California. The show proved popular enough there that an extra week was added to its initial run.

In a particularly bustling season on Broadway — 18 new shows are slated to open there in March and April — "The Outsiders" got off to a strong start. Deadline reports it was "a virtual sell-out," with 99% of seats taken, and grossed $725,440 over seven previews.

Plus, the musical has already drawn some celebrity guests: Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck attended a recent show, while Matt Dillon, who starred as Dallas "Dally" Winston in the 1983 film version, attended the April 3 preview and posed for photos with the cast and crew, including Jolie and her 15-year-old daughter Vivienne.

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A founding member of hip-hop hitmakers House of Pain, O’Connor told The Oklahoman that he attended “The Outsiders” musical with Hinton during its California run. He said they are planning to see the Broadway production on April 9.

“We both loved it. I'd never been to a musical before in my life and had no idea what to expect,” O'Connor said in a fall interview.

“With it going to Broadway, very soon we're gonna get a whole new bunch of kids who are just discovering this legacy for the first time.”

With Jamestown Revival heading back to Tulsa to open for The Avett Brothers in concert Sept. 18 at the BOK Center, Clay said it's comforting to know that their work on "The Outsiders" has received their endorsement.

"We had to make some tough decisions. ... There were all these very big conversations that we really wanted to give appropriate attention and TLC to. So, we made some calls. It's not exactly word for word like the story. But Susie approves ... which felt like an unreachable bar," he said.

"She was very gracious with it, though, for it being her story," Chance added. "She's been really encouraging, which is awesome."

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: New musical 'The Outsiders' readies for official Broadway opening