How The Outsiders Kept Brent Comer From Quitting the Business—And Made Him a Grammy Nominee

Darrel Curtis, the dutiful eldest brother in the Tony-winning musical The Outsiders, seems like a thankless role: resentful of his responsibilities and unappreciated by his younger siblings. Brent Comer turns that scenario on its ear with his strong and sympathetic Broadway debut performance. Faced with maintaining a home for his orphaned sibs Sodapop and Ponyboy, Darrel becomes the moral center of the Greaser gang.

For Comer, The Outsiders is a something of a show-biz Cinderella story. After the pandemic called a sudden halt to his first post-college gig in the national tour of Les Miz, he seriously considered abandoning theater for his post-COVID sales job with a liquor company. Fortunately, his agent sent him the Outsiders script, and he won the role of the rich “Soc” gang member Paul in the show’s initial run at La Jolla Playhouse. When Ryan Vasquez chose to come to Broadway in The Notebook rather than The Outsiders, Comer spent months convincing the creative team that he could handle the demands of a larger part. It worked, and he spoke with Broadway.com just days after learning that the show’s cast recording—and he, as one of four featured singers on the album—received a Grammy Award nomination.

Congratulations on your Grammy nomination for Best Musical Theater Album. Were you surprised to be singled out alongside Joshua Boone, Brody Grant and Sky Lakota-Lynch?

Thank you so much! We had heard something about the Grammy process a few months ago, but I didn’t really understand what was involved. I was surprised and very excited.

Let’s go back to Tony night, when you and your castmates gave a stunning performance, introduced by Angelina Jolie. My favorite part was when everyone ran offstage at the end, crowding around the camera and screaming with joy. What was that moment like?

We were screaming and hollering because that was the first Tony Awards performance for almost all of us, in our first Broadway show. It might have looked obnoxious, but it was because we were all so excited. What you were seeing was a bunch of people experiencing something very special for the first time. We recognized the privilege of that moment, whether the show won or lost, and we wanted to celebrate it.

Tell us about moving up from playing the “Soc” character Paul to the central role of Darrel Curtis.

It was a wild process that took about six months. I auditioned for Darrel after Ryan [Vasquez] left and didn’t get it, but I ended up having to play it at the last minute for a workshop. Even after that, I had to wait a couple of months for them to see everyone they wanted to see. Luckily, I knew I was going to be in the show, but I didn’t know if I was going to be Darrel or Paul. From the first time I read it, Darrel was the part I wanted to play.

Why were you drawn to Darrel?

I just knew exactly what I wanted to do with the character. It’s not the sexiest part in the show. Darrel does not take his shirt off; he doesn’t dance a whole lot or exude any positive energy until the very end, but I could see the conflict within him. It’s a tough part to do every night because he goes through such an arc, and a lot of the things he experiences are difficult.

Are you the oldest child in your family?

I’m actually the youngest of three brothers. I didn’t base Darrel on my older brother or my own experience, but I know Darrels, and trying to find those desires and regrets is something I was interested in investigating as an actor.

Kristin Chenoweth wrote “love this voice” on a clip of you singing your big solo “Runs in the Family.” How did that feel?

Oh my god, that was amazing! When I was getting into musicals, she was one of the first people I listened to. I heard from a friend that she was a fan of the show, and I was like, “Dude, why did she not come backstage?” I would have given her the biggest hug and told her, “You’re my hero.”

What do you enjoy about singing this music, by Jamestown Revival and Justin Levine, as opposed to something like Les Miz?

There’s nothing ornamental about the music—it’s written to sound like something somebody would say. That can be difficult in a form [of performance] that is inherently heightened. There are no jazz hands in The Outsiders. The music meets you where you are, and that’s what’s so special about it. I don’t want this to sound like bullsh*t, but it’s so truthful. When I’m singing “Runs in the Family,” the music does a lot of the work for me, and there’s something new to discover every night. I’ve done it 200 times at this point, and the lyrics give you a playground of things to explore.

Now that the excitement of awards season is over, what’s it like doing this strenuous show eight times a week?

It’s hard. Six months in, I’m just now figuring out how to pace myself, not just physically but mentally and emotionally. We’re not doing 42nd Street. We’re doing something based off a novel [by S.E. Hinton] that has a lot of difficult things to wrestle with every night. The Broadway schedule will make a professional out of you—it’s not for the faint of heart.

You’re part of a big cast of attractive people under the age of 30. How do you avoid competitiveness?

Oh, they’re all very competitive! [laughs] There are a lot of 23- to 25-year-olds in the cast. I’m 28, and I feel like I’m old as hell. I just sit in my old man rocking chair and watch them compete. But it’s fun—it’s like a locker room, for better or worse. We love each other, and we drive each other nuts. That’s just part of sharing intensely personal moments eight times a week. It’s not like we’re sitting in cubicles, keeping to ourselves. We’re rolling around in the dirt together, we’re crying together, we’re shouting together—it's a vulnerable position to be in with other actors.

The Outsiders has a enthusiastic fan base, which must be extra meaningful when performing such an emotional show.

Our fans are very passionate and so supportive. They show up to everything. I’m doing a concert in February at 54 Below, and it sold out in three hours. My friends didn’t even get to buy tickets because our fans jumped on it so fast. I’m going to have to do another performance so my friends can come. I’m thankful for that “problem,” because it shows a community that really cares, not just about your character or the show, but about your journey and growth as an artist.

How close did you come to giving up theater after the pandemic?

The Outsiders was going to be my last audition. No one was sure what theater was going to be going forward, and I didn’t want to do Zoom musicals. I went to school to be in a room with people; sharing space is what makes theater a special form of storytelling. I was making peace with the idea that even though you love something, it doesn’t necessarily mean it has to be your job. Deep down, I knew that theater was what I wanted to do, but I was knee-deep in a sales position in the liquor business, and I was like, “I guess this is the path life is taking me down now.” Then in July 2022, I got the initial email for The Outsiders. Do you know the feeling when someone mentions an artistic idea and it stirs you up inside? That audition lit a fuse that got me inspired to start creating again.

And now you’re headed to the Grammys, representing the Tony-winning Best Musical.

I know, and I’m kind of thinking, “What should I wear?” [laughs] It’s exciting, and I’ve realized how important it is not to get de-sensitized by everything that’s happening. I don’t want to be one of those people who recognizes the special times in my life only after they’re over. I want to be as present as I can be while it’s all happening.