THE OUTSIDERS

 Well, the world went back into turmoil.

• Peace talks between Iran and USA failed
• War in Iran will now escalate again.
• Stocks fell and petroleum prices increased.
• Latest Trump fight is with Pope Leo.

• 
  Belorussian President Victor Orban lost his attempt to stay in office, a huge loss for Trump, but big plus for European leaders.
• Oh, my original blog site reached 5 million views today.

Yesterday was our day for a Broadway show.  We wanted a matinee in close walking distance of Times Square.  Both half-price ticket stands were close by our hotel.

• The small one had no lines, but nothing much to offer.
• No worthy half-price tickets
• MJ The Musical had seats for $250/person, and was a ways away.
• The main one had a long line.
• However, I had my walking cane with me, which allowed for immediate walk-up to a ticket booth.
• There were two half-price offerings, The Great Gatsby, a musical, but five blocks away.

• 
  The Outsiders, across the street from the Marriott Marquis.
• This was the one and only option available, but for $172/seat at half-price, way on the right side of the theater.
• We both had not even heard of this show.
• But we purchased two tickets.

The Outsiders has a long history.  Didn't know any of this until now.

• 1967 novel by S.E, Hinton, who was born in Tulsa.
• Francis Ford Coppola in 1983 produced a film of the same name, a standard coming-of-age film.
• Rotten Tomatoes score of 71/82.
• What a cast:

• C. Thomas Howell as Ponyboy Curtis
• Ralph Macchio as Johnny Cade
• Matt Dillon as Dallas "Dally" Winston
• Patrick Swayze as Darrel "Darry" Curtis
• Rob Lowe as Sodapop "Soda" Curtis
• Emilio Estevez as Keith "Two-Bit" Mathews
• Tom Cruise as Steve Randle
• Glenn Withrow as Tim Shepard
• Diane Lane as Sherrie "Cherry" Valance
• Leif Garrett as Bob Sheldon
• Timothy Hutton, Sean Penn, Mickey Rourke, Robert Downey Jr., Anthony Michael Hall, Scott Baio, and Dennis Quaid also auditioned for roles but were not cast.^[6][8][9]
• Val Kilmer was approached for a role in the film, but he turned it down as he was prepping for a Broadway play (The Slab Boys).^[11]
• These actors made their film debut: Tom Cruise, Ralph Macchio, Emilio Estevez, Patrick Swayze, Matt Dillon, C.Thomas Howell, and Rob Lowe, all of whom were at pivotal moments in their careers.

• 
  Authoress Hinton and Coppola wrote the screenplay together,  She appears as a nurse in a hospital scene.
• Original film was 113 minutes long, but was edited down to 91 minutes.  However, Coppola re-released  the film in 2005, adding 22 minutes, the version on Tubi, with ads, for free.  Can be purchased on Amazon Prime and other streaming channels.
• There was a TV series about The Outsiders in 1990.  Lasted one season.

• 
  The stage musical held a world premiere at La Jolla Playhouse at the University of California San Diego from February-March in 2023.
• Officially opened at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theater on 11April2023.
• Earned 12 nominations at the 77th Tony Awards, winning four, including Best Musical.
• There is now an The Outsiders House Museum in Tusa, Oklahoma, which opened in 2019.  Why there?  Cause this is where the story happened.

So how did I enjoy this Broadway Show?

• First, others.
• From Broadway.com, 4.7 out of 5.0.

• "More pulse-pounding than anything else on Broadway."

  Adam Feldman Time Out New York

• "It has the power to inspire an entire generation."

  Emlyn Travis Entertainment Weekly

• "The best new musical of the season."

  Johnny Oleksinki New York Post

• amazing talent and my teens even loved it!

  "can't recommend this amazing musical enough. the performers were off the charts. musical and acting talent was superb. we would go back an see it again and again. out teen boys read the book and LOVED the performance! one of the highlights of their NY visit. Outsiders is a must see!"  Broadway.com Customer on 6Apr2026.

  
  
• The audience around me totally enjoyed the show.  The theater was packed.

• Me?  I would rather have stayed back in my hotel room to watch the Masters golf tournament.
• The stage setting was dark and grimy.  The cast was angry.  There was an overwhelming sense of hopelessness,  Too much reminded me of bad dreams.
• Sure, good singing and dancing.  But I fell asleep a couple of times.

• 
  The bottom line is that I did not know any song from this play, and I just don't enjoy musicals with no hit songs  
• Stay Gold was apparently a small success from this song. It was created by Jamestown Revival, Justin Levine and others just for this show.  However the single release by Sky Lakota-Lynch and Brody Grant did not reach the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
• There was a totally different song, Stay Gold, written in 1983 by Carmine Coppola with lyrics by Stevie Wonder.  Wonder's version of Stay Gold never tracked on Billboard.

• 
  To further confuse you, the South Korean boy band BTS released in 2020 a third Stay Gold, a Japanese pop song, which in June 2020 reached #1 on the Billboard charts.
• Well, at least I walked out of the theater with better things to come, I hope.

To close, from  Google AI:

Best Versions of "New York, New York"

1. Frank Sinatra (1979/1980): Often cited as the definitive version, Sinatra's recording from the album Trilogy: Past Present Futureturned the song into an anthem, known for its bravado and signature Don Costa arrangement.
2. Liza Minnelli:  (1977): The original singer, who performed it in the Scorsese film, offers a performance that is often described as more determined and combative compared to Sinatra's, allowing for more emotional vulnerability.
3. Frank Sinatra & Tony Bennett: Featured on Sinatra's Duetsalbum, this version brings together two legends to create a high-energy, classic rendition of the song. 

The song is the theme song from the 1997 Martin Scorsese film, New York, New York, composed by John Kander, with lyrics by Fred Egg.  

• Liza Minnelli performs the song at the finale.  
• Covered by Frank Sinatra in 1979.
• Ranked #31 on AFI's 100 years on 100 songs survey of tunes in America cinema.

Can't end without Mayor Zohran Mamdani's lip-synching of New York, New York.  Another Zohran parody,

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