Back in the mid-1960s, S. E. Hinton, a teenager, wrote The Outsiders, which became a surprise best seller. Now, over 50 years later, The Outsiders: The Musical is touring the country with a blend of West Side Story and Grease. The Broadway version won the Best Musical Tony.

The story is set in Tulsa in 1967. The city has two warring groups: the Greasers (poor teenagers) and the Socs (upper-middle class teenagers) (pronounced /ˈsoʊʃɪz/ SOH-shiz—short for Socials). The musical includes several fights including an epic battle in the rain.

 Ponyboy Curtis, a Greaser with aspirations, finds himself on the run after a vicious incident with the Socs. For a musical aimed at a younger audience, there’s a surprising body count.

While my favorite song is “Stay Gold,” I found many of the songs in The Outsiders merely passable. GRADE: B

MUSICAL NUMBERS:

1. ACT ONE:	Tulsa ’67
2	Grease Got a Hold
3	Runs in the Family
4	Great Expectations
5	Friday at the Drive-in
6	I Could Talk to You All Night
7	Runs in the Family (Reprise)
8	Far Away From Tulsa
9. ACT TWO:	Run Run Brother
10	Justice for Tulsa
11	Death’s at My Door
12	Throwing in the Towel
13	Soda’s Letter
14	Hoods Turned Heroes
15	Hopeless War
16	Trouble
17	Little Brother
18	Stay Gold
19	Finale (Tulsa ’67)