Apr
Dead Outlaw Review: A Real-Life Bumbling Bandit Becomes a Broadway Rock Star
The unbelievable true story of outlaw-turned-haunted-house-mummy Elmer McCurdy has found new life on Broadway in the wildly entertaining musical Dead Outlaw.
What could a plumber, a train robber, a movie star, and a haunted house prop possibly have in common? The answer is Elmer McCurdy, the real-life outlaw whose short, chaotic life and bizarre afterlife are the inspiration for this rollicking new show.
Premiering tonight at the Longacre Theatre after a well-received off-Broadway run, Dead Outlaw reunites Tony-winning collaborators David Yazbek and Itamar Moses (The Band’s Visit). This time, the duo trades intimate drama for a raucous, country-rock spectacle that somehow blends humor, heart, and the surreal twists of McCurdy’s postmortem adventures.
The show’s lively guide through Elmer’s story is the Bandleader and Emcee, played by Jeb Brown, who stitches together the outlaw’s life and beyond with infectious energy. Narrated out of chronological order, Elmer’s tale stretches from his troubled youth to his death — and then, stunningly, his six-decade journey as a sideshow attraction. Brown gleefully reminds the audience that, yes, every ridiculous detail is absolutely true — including the moment when McCurdy’s arsenic-preserved body was discovered dangling in a Long Beach haunted house during the filming of The Six Million Dollar Man.
Andrew Durand takes on the role of Elmer with grit and nuance, portraying him as a self-destructive, embittered figure whose life unravels after he learns devastating truths about his family. Spiraling into alcoholism and crime — with a short-lived romance with Maggie (Julia Knitel) along the way — Elmer’s criminal career ends in a shootout with a sheriff’s posse.
But death is only the beginning of McCurdy’s legend. When no relatives claim his body, a local coroner turns him into a macabre exhibit, charging visitors to view “The Great Dead Outlaw.” From there, Elmer’s remains pass through carnivals, wax museums, and amusement parks for decades, becoming a blank canvas onto which Americans project fantasies of the Wild West and ghostly folklore.
Despite the absurdity, Dead Outlaw never loses sight of the humanity at its core. Moses’ sharp book balances the story’s humor with genuine pathos, coaxing sympathy for Elmer even as audiences laugh at the bizarre turns his life — and afterlife — take. Durand’s performance, especially in scenes where he simply stares vacantly from inside a coffin, captures this bittersweet contradiction perfectly.
Far from exploiting Elmer, the creative team treats him with respect and curiosity. Beneath the musical’s rowdy surface, it thoughtfully explores themes of mortality, greed, and how society commodifies the dead. Elmer, in death, becomes everything to everyone: a legendary outlaw, a roadside curiosity, a teenage girl’s secret companion — a legend without ever having truly lived up to one.
Although Durand and Brown anchor the production, Dead Outlaw is very much an ensemble showcase. Yazbek and Erik Della Penna’s electrifying score gives each cast member a moment to shine: Durand’s fierce “Killed a Man in Maine,” Knitel’s poignant “A Stranger,” and Thom Sesma’s uproarious, velvet-voiced coroner anthem “Up to the Stars” all bring down the house. Meanwhile, the onstage band (Brown, Rebekah Bruce, JR Atkins, Hank Heaven, Brian Killeen, and Spencer Cohen) keeps the high-energy, country-rock spirit alive throughout the show.
Still, the musical occasionally struggles under the weight of its sprawling timeline. Heavy exposition delivered by the Emcee sometimes replaces character-driven storytelling, and the staging — designed by Arnulfo Maldonado — is surprisingly minimalistic for such an outlandish story, with a single Americana-style bandstand serving as the primary set piece. While functional, the simplicity leaves some visual opportunities untapped. Nevertheless, moments of stunning beauty, such as Durand’s silent communion with Heather Gilbert’s blinking starscape, hint at the show’s emotional depths.
At a time when Broadway often favors adaptations and familiar IPs, Dead Outlaw feels like a breath of fresh air: eccentric, touching, and genuinely original. The strange, sad, and often hilarious story of Elmer McCurdy is one you have to see to believe.
Grade: B
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