Jimmie Tramel
Tulsa World Scene Reporter
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A familiar and beloved story is returning to the nest.
S.E. Hinton wrote the 1967 young adult novel “The Outsiders” while she was a student at Will Rogers High School.
Francis Ford Coppola chose to shoot his 1983 adaptation of Hinton’s book in Tulsa.
And a Tony Award-winning Broadway musical, inspired by Hinton’s book and Coppola’s film, has ignited a national tour that will begin in the town where the story was conceived.
The national tour will launch with performances Tuesday, Oct. 7, through Sunday, Oct. 12, at Tulsa Performing Arts Center. Tulsans will be introduced to a new Ponyboy, a new Johnny Cade and other characters from the greaser- and soc-populated tale created by Hinton.
Director Danya Taymor, whose work on the Broadway version of “The Outsiders” earned her a Tony Award for best direction of a musical, met the press during a July visit to Tulsa and was asked about casting for the national tour.
Sitting alongside the new Ponyboy (Nolan White) and the new Johnny (Bonale Fambrini), she said: “I think casting, for me, is about creating an environment where you can allow people who are auditioning to tell you that it’s theirs. With both of them, there’s a point in their auditions where it was just clear. They didn’t literally say this, but it was the feeling of like, ‘It’s me. I’m him. You can stop looking now.’ And I felt that really distinctly with both Nolan and Bonale. Also I got to work with them together. And when I saw them together, I was like, hey, that’s powerful, too, because this story is so much about this friendship that’s at the heart of it.”
Taymor suggested to an interviewer that White be asked about getting the Ponyboy role via an open call.
“There are lots of ways to get auditions,” she said. “You could have an agent and they get you an audition. Or you could come with the masses, sign up, come early in the morning. He was 99 out of 500 I think. And he got the part.”
White, a Nashville native who has completed his first year in the University of Michigan’s Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre program, said it all came about because his mom shared an Instagram post with him that the national tour was looking for a Ponyboy and a Johnny.
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“It was kind of her excuse to see me,” he said, “because I hadn’t seen her since Christmas.”
They flew to the open call. White stood in line with those other hopefuls and earned the right to be Ponyboy.
White has an Oklahoma branch on his family tree. His father was born in Lawton, and he said he has extended family in the state. He talked about those things when asked about the importance of being a part of this show.
“This story has … been close to the Oklahoma public for a long time,” White said, adding that his father remembers going to see the movie. “And I can really relate to Ponyboy’s story. I read the book when I was in middle school and just, you know, not always feeling like you fit in. I felt that a lot doing the arts when a lot of the other guys were on the football team. So it meant a lot to me when I was growing up. And it’s such an honor to be bringing this to life.”
Fambrini, who has Delaware and Cherokee ancestry, said his experience with “The Outsiders” started with a school assignment.
“Growing up, I was not the biggest reader,” he said. “I wasn’t the craziest fan, but I do vividly remember reading ‘The Outsiders’ and actually, like, thinking to myself (that) I didn’t know a book could make me feel something. You know what I mean? And now, being able to revisit it as an adult — and just to see the complexity and the depth S.E. Hinton was able to write with at such a young age — is really kind of like a full circle.”
“The Outsiders” is part of Celebrity Attractions’ 2025-2026 Broadway season. The musical features a book by Adam Rapp with Justin Levine and music and lyrics by Jamestown Revival (Jonathan Clay, Zach Chance) and Levine, plus choreography by Rick Kuperman and Jeff Kuperman.
What’s exciting about a national tour, said Taymor, is the show is going to be available for people who, for whatever reason, have never been able to make it to a Broadway show. This musical is coming to towns across the nation where “The Outsiders” is probably still being taught in schools.
“It feels so special, the chance to touch these audiences who otherwise wouldn’t have a chance to meet this material, which I think is really impactful,” Taymor said. “Susie Hinton’s book is still read for a reason, and I think the musical — the story speaks to everybody in a distinct way, and it’s really special.”
World Staff Writer James D. Watts Jr. contributed to this story.
jimmie.tramel@tulsaworld.com
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Jimmie Tramel
Tulsa World Scene Reporter
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