OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) -- Omaha Performing Arts is kicking off its 2025-2026 Broadway National Tour season with a fresh take on an old classic.

The Tony Award-winning best musical, “The Outsiders” is playing at the Orpheum Theater through October 4.

The show is based on the novel by S.E. Hinton and Francis Ford Coppola’s landmark motion picture.

One member of the cast is making his First National Tour debut and he’s an Omaha native.

Mekhi Payne is a swing and understudies the roles of Two-Bit and Steve in the show.

“I genuinely never saw myself actually booking the show, but I’m glad I did,” Payne said. “It’s one of the best things that’s ever happened to me.”

Payne is an Omaha South High School graduate who was an award-winning participant in Omaha Performing Arts’ Nebraska Theater

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