“The Outsiders” Musical Vows to 'Stay Gold' with Glowing Song from New Broadway Musical — Watch (Exclusive)
Preview performances for 'The Outsiders' begin Saturday at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre in New York City, ahead of an April 11 opening night
The Outsiders is jumping from the page to the stage for an electric new Broadway musical — and PEOPLE has the exclusive first listen and music-video premiere at one of its most poignant songs.
S. E. Hinton's beloved 1967 coming-of-age novel has been transformed into a poignant piece of theater with a score by folk duo Jamestown Revival (Jonathan Clay and Zach Chance) and musician Justin Levine, all three of whom are credited for penning the show's music and lyrics.
One of their most crucial songs is "Stay Gold," a phrase that will be familiar to fans of The Outsiders. Inspired by Robert Frost’s poem "Nothing Gold Can Stay," it's a line told to protagonist Ponyboy Curtis by close friend Johnny Cade during one of the story's most pivotal moments.
Adapting the weight and tenderness of that into music is a tough feat, but one The Outsiders team accomplishes in the emotional ballad.
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Sung by actor Sky Lakota-Lynch, who plays Johnny, and Brody Grant (Ponyboy), the song allows the two to reflect on the past while looking toward a different future. "Finding beauty in the fold / It's the only way to keep from growing old / My friend, stay gold," they sing.
The music video captures the bond between the two, as well as the rest of the musical's principal cast of emerging theatrical talent: Daryl Tofa (as Two-Bit Mathews), Joshua Boone (as Dallas Winston), Jason Schmidt (as Sodapop Curtis) and Brent Comer (as Darrel Curtis).
Aside from footage of Lakota-Lynch and Grant performing in the recording studio, the clip features moments from the cast’s memorable trip to Tulsa, Oklahoma — the birthplace of The Outsiders.
That's where Francis Ford Coppola filmed his landmark 1983 motion picture, which showcased a superstar cast of up-and-coming future Hollywood megastars including Patrick Swayze, Matt Dillon, Tom Cruise, Rob Lowe, Emilio Estevez, C. Thomas Howell, Ralph Macchio and Diane Lane.
Related: The Outsiders Cast: Where Are They Now?
The Outsiders is a groundbreaking piece of literature that's not only woven into the fabric of American culture, but is also credited with creating the young-adult genre as we know it today.
Hinton, now 75, wrote the book when she was just 15 years old, and it was published two years later. Over the next five decades, it has remained a staple on reading lists, with over half a million copies still purchased every year.
The musical cites both the novel and Coppola's film as source material. Aside from writing the score, Levine is also credited as the co-book writer with Adam Rapp. Levine provided music arrangements and orchestrations, too, with additional orchestrations by musical director Matt Hinkley.
Danya Taymor directs, with choreography by Rick Kuperman and Jeff Kuperman.
Preview performances for The Outsiders begin Saturday at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre in New York City, ahead of an April 11 opening night.
The company also includes Jordan Chin, Milena J. Comeau, Barton Cowperthwaite, Tilly Evans-Krueger, Henry Julián Gendron, RJ Higton, Wonza Johnson, Sean Harrison Jones, Maggie Kuntz, Renni Anthony Magee, Sarah Grace Mariani, Melody Rose, Josh Strobl, Victor Carrillo Tracey and Trevor Wayne.
Emma Pittman plays Cherry Valance, the role made famous by Lane on screen.
Angelina Jolie is one of the lead producers on the musical, a project she was inspired to take on after her daughter Vivienne saw the out-of-town tryout at La Jolla Playhouse in San Diego. Vivienne, 15, will be involved closely in the production, Jolie said in August.
"Viv reminds me of my mother in that she isn’t focused on being the center of attention but in being a support to other creatives," Jolie, 48, said in a statement obtained by PEOPLE. "She’s very thoughtful and serious about theatre and working hard to best understand how to contribute."
As for "Stay Gold," which has no relation to the same-titled Stevie Wonder song that opened the film, it's the third original tune to be released from the musical following "Tulsa 1967" and "Great Expectations." All will be featured on the forthcoming original Broadway cast recording.
Tickets for The Outsiders are on sale now at outsidersmusical.com.
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