INTERVIEW: Tilly Evans-Krueger has been with ‘The Outsiders’ since the first raindrop
Photo: The Outsiders features a talented cast of performers, including Tilly Evans-Krueger. Photo courtesy of Matthew Murphy / Provided by official website.
The Outsiders is the hot ticket on Broadway, thanks to so many factors. The musical is based on the beloved book by S.E. Hinton and the Francis Ford Coppola film adaptation, so audiences have been packing the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre to relive some of those literary and cinematic memories in a new theatrical way. It also doesn’t hurt that this intimate show, directed by Danya Taymor, won the Tony Awards for Best Musical, Best Direction, Best Lighting Design and Best Sound Design.
The new musical, set in 1960s Tulsa, Oklahoma, tells the story of Ponyboy Curtis (Brody Grant) and his “greaser” friends who come together to take on a more affluent gang of neighborhood rivals. Their story is told via a book by Adam Rapp and Justin Levine, and music and lyrics by Levine and Jamestown Revival’s Jonathan Clay and Zach Chance. Rick Kuperman and Jeff Kuperman provide the choreography, set amidst a scene design by AMP featuring Tatiana Kahvegian.
The action in the show is intense, with dirt being thrown around and torrential rain dousing the performers during climatic battle scenes. One of the key players amongst Ponyboy’s friends is a character named Ace, played by Tilly Evans-Krueger, who not only appears in the ensemble of the show but also serves as an associate choreographer and co-dance captain, helping to bring the creations of the Kupermans to life on stage, eight shows per week.
“It honestly feels surreal because this show has meant so much to me for two years, and personally I’ve always known it’s special,” Evans-Krueger said about the experience of bringing The Outsiders to Broadway. “It started with the culture created by the director, Danya Taymor, and when I did the audition I could just feel that spiritual buzz. And I knew I needed to be a part of it, and then to be asked to be the associate on it was just such a dream come true because I’ve always wanted to be inside a project and be able to see the outside of it, too. … So, to truly be with something from the very seeds, to watch it grow, to care for it and water it, and for it to be received by the community in such an amazing way, this is more than anything that I ever thought it would be. I knew it was special, but I didn’t know that so many people would also think it was as special as I did. But I’m so happy that it’s being received in this way.”
Evans-Krueger, who previously appeared on Broadway in Moulin Rouge! The Musical, remembers the first day of rehearsals two years ago. The actor-dancer admitted that she didn’t exactly know what this experience was going to be like; after all, she was wearing so many different hats.
“This was my first time being an associate choreographer as well as inside the piece, so I was very nervous, but also just so excited because of the team,” she said. “I had watched the Kupermans’ work before. … Alice by Heart I had seen off-Broadway at MCC Theater. I was like, oh my gosh, these guys can create something special and movement that is a facilitator for the story, and I think that’s why they were perfect for this job because this is a musical, but we’ve treated it more so as a play. We wanted the story to be at the forefront. The words are so epic and legendary that sometimes I feel like movement can get in the way of that, but I think we always had this core value of keeping the words and the story at the forefront.”
Evans-Krueger shares the associate choreographer role with Kristen Carcone. They divvied up the responsibilities, with Carcone recording the movements of the piece, and Evans-Krueger helping bring the movement to life. “I just made sure when the Kupermans leave, I’m upkeeping the texture and every detail that we spoke about in the creative process,” the dancer said. “I’m making sure that it doesn’t lose its magic, even as the creatives leave.”
Her efforts have paid off. Evans-Krueger was named Outstanding Dancer in a Broadway Musical by the Chita Rivera Awards, an honor that made this theatrical journey even more fulfilling. This project is just the latest accomplishment for the performer, who has previously appeared in Illinoise, The Wrong Man and The Lucky Ones. She has also been featured in a music video by Ariana Grande and the films Better Nate Than Ever and In the Heights.
Appearing in The Outsiders and having such an important role backstage are not easy tasks. This is the professional challenge of a lifetime, but Evans-Krueger is keeping her mind focused on the work. “My life is this show, and I know that it’s not forever,” she said. “I think that’s how I allow myself to dive in fully and immerse myself in this because it’s a year or maybe two. I know that it’s not permanent. Art is never permanent.”
Evans-Krueger added: “I have no life. It’s just the show. It’s just the show. There’s certainly a sacrifice. I have to run rehearsals because I’m also co-dance captain, so co-associate, co-dance captain and in the show. So I am helping run the rehearsals, and when we get new people teaching them the material, getting them up to speed and running the lift calls, making sure that we’re safe before we do our show because we have 20-minute lift calls before every show to just kind of run through the more dangerous sections of the piece. Then, luckily, I absolutely adore doing this show, and so when I’m on stage, I feel free. That’s where I find peace. That’s where I feel like I can let go of all of that associate work, dance captain work. I really am just living on the stage, and that makes it so worth it. A lot of people are like, ‘How is your body? How is your body?’ I’m like, ‘My body is actually fine. My mind is quite tired a lot, but my body is OK.’”
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
The Outsiders, featuring Tilly Evans-Krueger, continues at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre on Broadway. Click here for more information and tickets.
