#rizz.analysis

more practically put in terms of theatre direction: paul’s only on stage at the jumpings and the drive-in because it’d be weird in a two hour musical to put that guy onstage for a singular exchange in the second act. like we know that right. i’m not saying don’t have fun, i’m saying the book is the canon work and what the musical is trying to do as an adaptation is interpret & devise pony’s recollection of events into performance. because theatre is just as interpretive as memory

that la jolla 2023 energy is back and it’s traveling around the country. there’s something inherently true about touring productions and it’s that they aren’t broadway. different contracts, greener actors, and the only constant is the company and the story they tell. there are less singers, less instruments, less safety nets. things go wrong. it’s nearly impossible for a perfect show when you’re only in a theater for a maximum of two weeks at a time.

and this is the reality that a story like the outsiders, a play that follows ponyboy as he traces back how he learned to tell his story, excels in. an imperfect story being told in not only the imperfect conditions of pony’s life on the east side but literally the imperfect conditions of theatre itself. everyone on stage has to sing their ass off since they’re down a singer in the booth. everyone is acting their ass off because instead of being 5-8 years removed from the characters’ ages they’re 3-4 or so years removed. there’s something so beautiful about how they are retelling this story rather than presenting it. feels very Crafted in the way that la jolla did because it didn’t have broadway money, and this takes after that in terms of on hand resources.

there are also a fair share of changes, but none are too obvious. the only ideas i want to mention are that i think the changes make it more clear that two-bit is older than dally, which i goddamn adore. there’s more suggestive dancing between two-bit and ace toward the end of the drive-in number and his more silly prankster attitude is far more sticking it to the socs-based than just fun-based. he uses a huskier, raspier tone to sing and speak (at least jaydon nget does, and it’s not how he actually speaks at all so it is a voice he’s doing for the role). he is just 18 year old two bit for real. and dally is 17. his scene with johnny when he gives him the knife is much more on equal footing, looking out for each other rather than dally looking after johnny. the way dally reacts to johnny’s potential death and then when he does die hits much closer to him in the way he’s losing his best friend, not just his “little brother” which feels way more personal. dally collapses to his knees upstage before he begins his “and started running for the train tracks” walk. like. he’s very 17 in a way broadway did not feel.

and i would say it’s because the actors are younger but it’s not, because two-bit is clearly an older greaser and on bway he is not as much so. really really appreciated that adjustment.

additionally, marcia feels a lot more promiscuous! there were two moments two-bit put his arm around her waist in the drive-in sequence, meanwhile she’s very physical with trip in the next moment. she’s the soc girl who gets to dance on the car for some of the choreo. it’s explicit she’s cheating on trip with two-bit even among the socs, too: one of the biggest add-ins is as two-bit’s cheek is getting burned, paul and chet both shine their flashlights not on two-bit (like brill and trip do while bev burns him), but directly on marcia while they sing “where did those greasers go, must be someone out there who knows”….. it’s explicit. the la jolla ‘marcia trying to warn two-bit that they’re coming after him’ tableau is alive again yall god is good! woo!

nolan’s ponyboy is not trying to be cool or act tough. he’s tough because he’s a greaser, cool because he’s a greaser, and quiet, soft-spoken, and sympathetic because he’s ponyboy curtis. the way he talks to cherry sounds like a younger kid confiding in someone he wants to connect with. he feels like the narrator of a book trapped in a musical… someone let this kid record a new audiobook. he sounds so much like ponyboy. and he also whips those lines at darry during RITFR, enough so to make me gasp. the way he talked about darry always felt stark in the book, so of course it’s startling when he says “it’s not my fault you HATE your dang life!” after being so cute with everyone else 😭

corbin drew ross sodapop. a genuine joy. every line he says sounds like it was spoken direct from his heart without any consultation from his head in the best way possible. he only says what he believes, so openly and easily, which is a hard angle to act because obviously you’re acting so it’s “not” true. really commendable and believable, and like. the most beautiful voice a soda actor could have, it’s so impressive.

travis’s darry went to the college of ryan vasquez at la jolla university. this is a darry that we are seeing very much after eight whole months of something bubbling under the surface, like it’s not a mystery that it comes out the way it does- but jesus, when it does. whew. you’re forced to watch this guy just ruin his own life, tear it apart with how angry he lets himself be. runs in the family reprise is both frightening and devastating. this darry is still bitter, tired in a way that makes him angry, in a way that reminds him every moment that it didn’t have to be like this. there’s a line in the book about how darry looks jealous of paul, how pony knows he’s ashamed to be fighting in the rumble at all, and also how darry’s jealousy and shame “didn’t matter to anyone except me and Soda”. and that’s how RITF(R) felt- extremely personal within their walls, when it’s sort of brushed off earlier in RITF when the gang is there and chores are obviously piled on darry. travis’s darry is also not a big crier, which feels more accurate to the darry pony describes in the book. he certainly has a breakdown after he and dally go at it, and he really doesn’t want to be touched- until he initiates the embrace at the end of the song, fiercely, like a wordless thanks to Soda. also his voice is incredible, he acts through music really strongly. la jolla darry is back and i love him.

bonale’s johnny. i am so grateful that they seem to be letting johnny really act 16/act like the rest of the gang’s ages on tour, because it doesn’t always read on broadway. this is someone who looks after ponyboy, who is personal friends with dallas, and is just a traumatized greaser. but still a tough greaser. he walks with a limp the whole show due to the “beat on his arms and his legs and his face” line. it’s crazy. his singing voice is also more mature sounding which i adore, since pony’s does sound so young.

i was lucky to see both tyler’s dally and seth ajani’s!! they were both pretty different. tyler definitely had a tangible connection or desire for a connection with emma’s cherry, which i thought was Really cool. the whole base of it really was “is there an actual heart beating under” her sweater, like that felt like the thesis of the monologue from jump. LOVED it. tyler was also sort of quieter when he spoke, very straight-forward about what he was saying. unafraid to throw it in darry’s face when the other chose to get loud with him. seth’s dally however HATED darry’s ass, was happy to basically tell him he wasn’t a greaser with the “it’s a greaser decision darrel” line, did cukoo hand motions around darry’s head at “ponyboy told me how you went crazy on him”… that personally sent me over the edge. whew. both felt really young and trying so, so hard to be tough in a world made to break people like dally down. fantastic performances.

but the truth is that darry did, simply, move on.

the truth is that madras shirt’s cloth has a real durable quality, too good of one to simply give up. the truth is that it’s worn-in now, since darry wears it on the job and it comes home with wood slivers in its fabric and dirt on its elbows. the truth is that it ain’t the shirt paul gave darry anymore, it’s simply darry’s shirt. just another shirt, like paul’s turned into just another soc.

this is a drawn line created by the socs, their rules so their choice of punishment (jumping two-bit, pointing the finger at all greasers so that dally gets jumped by that cop)

cast changes: josh pony, sequoiia dallas

Paul specifically is the one to tuck in Pony’s shirt to make him soc-y during violence 1. Not the first Curtis he’s tried forcibly making “one of them”. 

Devin going “Ew…” when Bob says “I think he despises being a greaser” had us deaddd 

Tilly tapped Brent's head when he lifted her to the car roof 

Daryl once again pulled the hubcab from the front of his overalls! 

sarcastic man apocalypse via Brent during everyone’s GGAH solos. He was going like “right, right” or just going “ha-ha :|” until he made himself laugh for real a bit. Most fun i’ve seen a Darry actor have in this song

Toward the end of RITF, Daryl slapped the table real hard and gave Brent a real big smile before walking off w the tv, Tilly gave his arm a little pat before running off. Not just saying bye to Darry but bye to Brent, too :( 

Sequoiia ate up opening that knife in the pre drive-in scene. Opening it while lifting it out of his pocket in one smooth swoop. Nice 

He also backed off Immediately when Johnny gets in front of him @ his folks’ door. He doesn't push back after Johnny puts hands on him. compelling

Everyone at the drive-in was fucking on one. Maybe it was because everyone was just a touch more emotional so they just rly let loose at the less serious scene but… oh my god: 

Brill (Devin) did not catch the flask when Cherry throws it behind her omfg… so Two-bit scooped it up and drank, held it very out and obvious during partner choreo with Tilly, gave it Renni who aggressively drank from it, gave it to Tilly? then back to Daryl, who tossed it back toBrill. Who still didn’t fucking catch it LMFAOOOO. Daryl just looked so happy for the error like it literally became all about him for twenty seconds it was so funny how much he lit tf up. 

Cole got walloped to the ground by Sequoiia so bad this time that Renni and Daryl broke down laughing MID fucking cherry/johnny/pony/marcia scene where they rly had to be quiet. Daryl had to duck down and use SG to hide himself at the bench and could NOT look at Renni without laughing again. Tilly kept looking over at Cole since of course, her boyfriend literally got rekt. Daryl looked like he was trying to explain to Tilly the Degree of the smack cause i dont think she rightly saw HAHAHA  

Two-Bit stole Marcia’s coke right out of her hand from behind, tipped it at her with a wink, and after she turns forward again she fixes her hair and glances behind herself hahah 

Perhaps the best bit of the fucking scene: everyone’s lined up for concessions. Brill ducks under the board-and-cinderblock-made rail along the upstage part to hop into the open hood of the car to hand out drinks etc right. That goes smoothly. Daryl fucking tofa goes to follow him, ducks under the board, and his shoulder catches on it. Not only does that board tumble down, but it knocks into the fucking other one and sends that down too. So he pops up and there r just two bare cinderblocks LMAOOO and everyone in line is trying so hard not to laugh- SG specifically fails and both her hands go up to hold the back of her head totally flabbergasted, dan is smiling WAY too big, it is. A mess. It was so fucking funny goddamn 

emma was rly good in the scene w pony, really into her mom’s sadness, not understanding it but sounding so confused/concerned abt what it means

“It means she’s done, bob.” “eat shit, marcia!”

josh pony really wants to say his mean words to darry in ritfr. He is waiting and waiting thru darry’s ranting with his leg bouncing cause he just wants to "IT’S NOT MY FAULT YOU HATE YOUR DANG LIFE MF!!”

grabbing the bills was messy and rough! scattered! 

brent led with his shoulder against jason’s holding him back.. normally jason pushes at his chest

super wide eyed after he hits pony, “oh shit” before crouching down.

sky checks his reflection with the knife in FAFT dialogue and the. when pony starts singing he stops and closes it.

KWP you’re drunk go home during soc violence 2 

josh was Swimming in seq’s jacket so much so that we all cried at it. like it was finally the perfect size to actual swallow pony up and make him look (even) smaller. took the whole rush section out

act two (i did say extensive.)

there’s at least ten boots with boone out there. i think there’s maximum two boots with daryl. there’s two with aramie and at least two with alex. i’ve seen maybe one video focused on josh’s, the original, dally.

sequoiia!two-bit, joah!steve, daryl!dally, josh!johnny, trev!pony.

hey yeah i was there :) here’s what i got:

sequoiia two-bit is SO ALIKE to the la jolla guy so my heart is happy. he’s a clumsy kind of goofy, he nearly fell off the damn car w that hubcab. super homies w soda, fiving each other all the time and the knocked forearms when he left w/ the TV <3 also fucking ate up that drive in choreo goddamn he’s so good. jesus christ

when two’s sitting w the tin cake johnny looks up at him and points down to it, two bit did a real big nod like YESYEYES TAKE!! TAKE!! and johnny did a little joyous nibble it was so cutesy

when two stopped bob when bob runs back. two bit didn’t even Flinch. held that little bitch at an arm’s length with Zero jostling. yeah you don’t wanna fight that kid.

brent had to snap his fingers at jason to get his attention for “soda- soda! you take his ass home” LMFAO he was busy being jokey w sequoiia

cherry nods to marcia over ponyboy at “look at all those socs staring at us” and that cues marcia to tell everyone to stop staring. them <3

KWP was an angry fuckin drunk tn at cherry valance. like very bad guy. go home

brent shoved jason straight to the ground before the slap because jason had stood up so fast to get between the two that his chair fell. and idk if brent noticed the chair was down bc he just did what he normally did and jason was DOWN

sequoiia and SG almost like timed their glances at each other at the drive-in. they would look at the Exact same time. it wasn’t like jordan where he’s directly flirting, it was honestly like. romeo and juliet seeing each other at the capulet party type looks. star crossed marbit 🥹

joah Hates the socs. he fucking hates them ily so bad steve

^joah steve is also in such a loving and adoring relationship with ace. that’s his girl. it was honestly very sweet :(

daryl’s dally feels like he has a genuine grudge with darry. “is officially lubed up and added to the ranks of greasers” was said like over trev’s shoulder to brent? compelling. he also watches darry a While in the blue out for RITF.

^ opinion time but. i do think he’s the weakest of the dallys i’ve seen. he focused really hard into the anger he feels which can be like rly fun to watch but make the scenes a little two dimensional in terms of delivery. it’s like a treat for me but if i was seeing the show for the first time id be like yeah that’s a rly good swing actor. and that’s okay! makes total sense!

ace and dally r also kinda flirty. lmao i think they’re just used to flirting HAHAHA idm it it’s sort of compelling

trev was OFF KEY! for far away from tulsa for his acapella part, so when the first chord on the piano begins whoever was on the keys pressed it so fucking hard LMFAOOO hard enough that THATS what made me realize cause i felt off key and my ass wasn’t singing. died frrr

— ACT 2 —

so you’re right in that he doesn’t view cherry as his equal at all but what’s important to understand is that like. that is conflating two very different things: classism and misogyny.

cherry’s oppression doesn’t have to do with the greasers at all. it’s a separate issue that was also flagrantly prevalent at the time… more in the lane of objectification right. like she can relate to the greasers but certainly not understand them. and it’s a whole different bag when it comes to greaser girls, right, who bob sheldon would probably spit on. he wouldn’t spit on cherry.

i also think the full line being “you’re nobody, you’re not even a person. and you’re never gonna be one either.” like. that also is not something cherry has to relate to. she has the privilege and prestige to be her own person with her own things and the freedoms that come with money, that’s what’s being scoffed at about here. cherry’s lack of personhood from bob’s POV is based in 1960s era misogyny, but the nothingness he’s accusing ponyboy of being with that line is, like. that he’s dirt. and that he’ll never aspire to anything because he can’t & doesn’t have the means and doesn’t deserve the means. that’s just not true for cherry/how bob thinks about cherry- because bob doesn’t hate cherry like he quite literally hates greasers.