There’s a lot to like about Phantom Projects. The theater group is responsible for helping to introduce audiences to stories that are worth telling. With a cast of volunteers relying on audience donations, they have made a habit of using each performance as a chance to reach out to local schools and inspire them to enjoy the potential of the stage. As it stands, their recent production of S.E. Hinton’s famous novel “The Outsiders” brought out one of their biggest turnouts post-pandemic. The enthusiasm for the group has continued to grow steadily and the crowd there for this coming of age classic definitely came out to La Mirada Theater to have a great night full of passionate acting and excellent staging.
The Outsiders is a play that follows the journey of Ponyboy and his nuclear family known as The Greasers. They are considered an unruly bunch, lower-class and constantly picking fights with the upper-class examples of upstanding citizens known as The Socialists (or Socs for short). Whereas this could easily fall into the camp of turf war drama, what follows is a story of one man feeling like an outsider even in his own community. Ponyboy is not a violent type. He is an intellectual, who excels at school and is eager to read classic works of literature. If there’s any hope that The Greasers can escape their negative reputation, it’s him.
With nothing but lighting and a fence, the opening scene is a staggering aside. Ponyboy talks about wanting a ride home after a Paul Newman movie. He is alone on one side of the wire fence, everyone on the other side staring at him. It’s a powerful visual, and something that captures quite immediately the emotional core of what’s to follow. While Christopher Sergel’s adapted script will come to capture the nuance of the supporting cast in time, this opening scene is quiet, able to be as self-reflective in a way the more external story to follow doesn’t always allow. In a matter of minutes, it’s easy to root for Ponyboy. He’s not a villain. He’s just misunderstood.
The staging is by no means elaborate, but Phantom Projects has novel approaches to filling the stage with vivid settings. Whether it’s splitting the stage between opposing locations or establishing a movie theater where popcorn is thrown with reckless abandon, there is something striking about this world. Everything feels alive with the seedier side of 50s nostalgia. The language flows beautifully with a style all its own. The builds to various dramatic beats come with pangs of shock and disappointment. These characters feel like genuine teenagers with every flaw in store. While The Socs are easily more repugnant, The Outsiders does an excellent job of not glorifying The Greasers and instead showing how morally complicated it is to be a teenager in a sometimes cruel compromise.
A lot of credit should be given to the cast, who manage to elevate this material into something immersive and familiar. Even with a transition into the tragic, they have the ability to feel the struggles of the characters and make the darkest moments pop. Every member brings their own emotional moment, able to deliver with a powerful sincerity that allows the story to never veer too far into melodrama. With all of that said, the cast also has some moments to have some fun as they perform an impressively dense fight choreography while another performs spins and flips. This is a show that knows how to balance the light with the dark, using all of it as a chance to build to the greater and very insightful moral of the piece.
All in all, The Outsiders is another excellent work by Phantom Projects that finds them using every part of the stage to its full potential. With simple execution, they manage to make a whole world come to life, where even a transparent screen makes for a convincing shade of night. If the audience’s reaction is to be trusted, they have achieved their goal of creating theater that captivates. There’s laughter and shock in high supply. The enthusiasm at the curtain call was undeniable. If this is a template for what they can achieve, then what lies ahead (Little Shop of Horrors and Steel Magnolias being among them) will be a rip-roaring good time. As far as local groups to keep on one’s radar, Phantom Projects is a great one to keep in mind every time they stop by.
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