The Cleveland trio behind The Araca Group — brothers Matthew and Michael Rego and their childhood friend Hank Unger — are steering the Tony-winning musical The Outsiders straight back to where their story started. The first national tour will roll into Playhouse Square's Connor Palace for a 24-performance run from April 28 through May 17, 2026, turning the high-profile production into a rare big-league homecoming for its hometown producers.
According to Playhouse Square, the Connor Palace engagement runs April 28 to May 17 with evening performances Tuesday through Friday and matinees on Saturdays and Sundays. The theater lists 24 performances in all, with single tickets available online and group reservations handled through the venue's group-sales office. Theatergoers are encouraged to check the Playhouse Square event page for exact curtain times along with accessibility information.
The Outsiders scored a breakout night at the 2024 Tony Awards, taking home Best Musical and several other major prizes, as reported by AP News. That awards haul gave the show a national spotlight just as producers were mapping out a touring strategy and locking in partners for the road.
Production credits and score
The stage version features a book by Adam Rapp with Justin Levine and a roots-flavored score by Jamestown Revival’s Jonathan Clay and Zach Chance alongside Levine. According to Playhouse Square, the production is directed by Tony winner Danya Taymor, with choreography by Rick and Jeff Kuperman and music supervision and orchestrations by Justin Levine. The touring production brings much of the Broadway creative team on the road and includes 18 musical numbers, per Cleveland.com.
A Cleveland homecoming
The Araca Group, the Cleveland-born producing company run by Matthew Rego, Michael Rego and Hank Unger, is leading the touring effort. The company’s site explains that its name honors the trio’s grandfather, Charlie Araca, and outlines a long list of commercial theater and Broadway credits, a trajectory that helps clarify how the producers managed to bring a Tony-winning hit back to their hometown, according to The Araca Group.
Playhouse Square also signed on as a co-producer of the Broadway run, and local reporting has framed the Cleveland stop as a genuine full-circle moment for the district and its producing partners, per Axios. The New York Times reported that the Broadway production recouped its roughly $22 million capitalization, a benchmark that underscored how critical praise and strong ticket sales helped clear the path for a large-scale national tour.
Tickets and practical info
Single-ticket prices for the Connor Palace engagement were reported to range from $71 to $214, according to Cleveland.com. For the latest schedule and box-office details, buyers are directed to consult Playhouse Square’s event page or call the theater’s box office, while groups of 10 or more are encouraged to contact the group-sales department. Audiences can expect a runtime of roughly two hours and 25 minutes with one intermission, and the tour is set to preserve the Broadway staging along with key design elements.
For Cleveland theater fans this spring, the Connor Palace run offers a tight, hometown window to catch a major new American musical with deep local producer roots and fresh Tony-winning credentials. Tickets are on sale now, and once the tour pulls out of town, this particular homecoming will be in the rearview mirror.
