Director Danya Taymor and cast member Emma Pittman joined Gio Benitez on Good Morning America to discuss the Tony Award-winning musical The Outsiders. Watch the interview in the video!
“Since this book was written about teenagers by a teenager–S.E. Hinton was 16 years old when she wrote it–it felt important to make it from the gaze of a teenager so it could be authentic, so it could be speaking to them in a real way, not pulling any punches,” says Taymor.
“I remember reading the book when I was younger, and actually doing a play version when I was in the 10th grade,” Pittman recalls. “I got to play Marsha, who’s Cherry’s Best Friend, and it was like the first time when I got to see Cherry in a new light and I fell in love with the complicated character she is. Living in privilege, but also having such an immense amount of empathy, so to have the chance to bring her to life on stage and honor that little 14 year old girl inside of me is one of the greatest gifts of all.”
The Outsiders features a book by Tony Award nominee Adam Rapp with Tony Award winner Justin Levine, music and lyrics by Tony Award nominees Jamestown Revival (Jonathan Clay & Zach Chance) and Justin Levine, music supervision, orchestration & arrangements by Justin Levine, and choreography by Tony Award nominees Rick Kuperman & Jeff Kuperman.
In Tulsa, Oklahoma, 1967, Ponyboy Curtis, his Best Friend Johnny Cade and their Greaser family of “outsiders” battle with their affluent rivals, the Socs. This thrilling new Broadway musical navigates the complexities of self-discovery as the Greasers dream about who they want to become in a world that may never accept them. With a dynamic original score, The Outsiders is a story of friendship, family, belonging… and the realization that there is still “lots of good in the world.”
