The Outsiders Review from an Insider
By OLIVER LEIRIAO, Editor-in-Chief of The Loyola News and a member of The Insiders
Every year, Loyola’s Drama and Theatre department organize and present a production featuring talents
from both Loyola and Queen of Angels. It allows both schools to showcase some a more artistic talent,
when, especially Loyola, after school activities and participation is usually concentrated on sports.
In recent years, attendance was slightly lacking, but this year’s play launched numbers up. Three shows
were performed, one of which was almost a full-house performance.
After a matinee on Wednesday, December 5, and a Thursday night performance - both of which were
great performances - the cast and crew put on a fantastic show on Friday night, in what some of the
spectators and even some of the cast and crew consider one of the best school productions in recent years.
The acting in this year’s production was fantastic. Some stuck out and captured the audiences in
particular, but a great performance was put on by all. Matthew Venditti held the audience’s attention in
the lead role of Ponyboy. He and his gang truly recreated the gang bond that is portrayed in the novel by
S.E. Hinton. The friendship between Ponyboy (Venditti) and Cherry, played by Lauren Heading, felt very
real, and served as a great basis for comparing the poor “greaser” class and the rich “socialist” class,
which is the main theme in the story.
Presentation was fantastic this year. Sets were rather simpler compared to last year’s production of Duddy
Kravitz; however, the simplicity made the transitions better and created, overall, a more streamlined
means of storytelling. Also, the sets were based more on the lighting and props rather than background.
Another reason the flow of the play’s storytelling felt seamless was the addition of a live band. The
Insiders, headed by musical director David Rourke, performed during transitions and intermission. The
band received much praise, which they rightly deserved. Their fifties-era set list kept the audience in the
time period and accented the emotions portrayed on stage.
Overall, this year’s play was a complete success. The emotional roller coaster and action scenes blend
perfectly to create an amazing retelling of S.E. Hinton’s novel. The immensely hard work of Ms. Adams,
the cast and crew really paid off. Bravo!
If you were one of the unfortunate souls to miss the live performance, a film recording of the play will be
available soon on this web site.