‘The Outsiders’ Musical Will Open Its Tour in Tulsa, Oklahoma

Based on the acclaimed novel by Oklahoma author S.E. Hinton, "The Outsiders" musical will open its North American tour in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The musical has been nominated for 12 Tony Awards after opening on Broadway earlier this spring.

'The Outsiders' is one of the most influential books from Oklahoma.

Although never explicitly stated in the book, "The Outsiders" is set in Tulsa and tells the story of two rival gangs divided by their socioeconomic status. The story is told through the eyes of the protagonist Ponyboy Curtis. Hinton, who is from Tulsa, started writing the novel when she was 15; she was 18 when the book was published in 1967.

After it was published, "The Outsiders" was not immediately celebrated, and there is still debate about the book today. "The Outsiders" is ranked as number 38 on the American Library Associations Top 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990-1999. For some high schools, it has been included in the curriculum as required reading, and others have banned the book for its portrayal of gang violence, underage drinking/smoking, strong language/slang and family dysfunction.

Francis Ford Coppola made the book into a movie in 1983.

Although the book made waves, most people will know "The Outsiders" from the 1983 movie produced by Francis Ford Coppola. The film adaptation was filmed in Tulsa, and the home that was the center of the film is now a museum. The film launched some of the biggest stars known today, including Patrick Swayze, Rob Lowe, Emilio Esevez, Tom Cruise, Ralph Macchio, Matt Dillon, C. Thomas Howell and Diane Lane.

Hinton worked closely with Coppola on the script, writing the screenplay together. She also appears in the film as nurse during a hospital scene.

'The Outsiders' musical arrived on Broadway in the spring of 2024.

The world premiere of "The Outsiders" musical officially opened on March 4, 2023, at the La Jolla Playhouse in California. By the end of that year, it was announced that "The Outsiders" musical would be moving to Broadway in the spring of 2024. Oscar-winner Angelina Jolie is a producer of the musical.

After opening on Broadway on April 11, "The Outsiders" musical received 12 Tony Awards nominations, including Best Musical.

The musical's tour will kick-off in Tulsa.

"The Outsiders" musical recently announced that it would be going on a North American tour, starting in the fall of 2025 and opening in Tulsa. No other tour dates, locations or ticket information has been announced yet, but having the tour open in Tulsa is a big deal for Oklahoma. Many commenters of announcement stated that Tulsa is "exactly where the tour should begin."