Dead Outlaw
Andrew Durand and Jeb Brown
April 10, 2024
Only in America could Elmer McCurdy become a posthumous star. And only in New York could he become the subject of a boisterous, hilarious, musical.
Short, and not at all sweet, Dead Outlaw chronicles McCurdy’s brief life – he died at 30 – and lengthy afterlife. With music and lyrics by David Yazbek and Erik Della Penna and a book by Itamar Moses, the musical explores the concept of fames and immortality with biting humor.
Born in Maine in 1880 and raised in a family of secrets, McCurdy drifted between odd jobs and served in the army, before turning, unsuccessfully, to a life of crime. After dying in a shootout at 30, his body remained unclaimed and his corpse, injected with preservatives, was traded from one showman to another for 65 years. After being displayed in wax museums, sideshows and movie lobbies, McCurdy was discovered in 1976 by a set dresser for The Six Million Dollar Man.
This bizarre humor is maintained for the 100-minute show, as folksy narration is provided by Jeb Brown, the lead singer of the onstage band. With a score spanning country, rock and even easy-listening lounge, the music evokes pastiche of the various decades Elmer’s corpse passes through. A standout moment takes place when Thom Semsa, playing coroner Dr. Thomas Noguchi, bursts into “Up to the Stars,” an old-style crooner number about forensic pathology to celebrities.)
Directed by David Cromer, the impressive cast also includes Eddie Cooper, Dashiell Eaves, Julia Knitel, Ken Marks, Trent Saunders, Emily Fink, Austin Ku, George Merrick and Max Sangerman, everyone performing several different roles throughout the show. The rotating ensemble enhances the playful atmosphere, furthered by Arnulfo Maldonado’s set featuring the band in a box on the center of the stage, skillfully lit by Heather Gilbert. We never forget that we’re watching a performance, which allows us to relax into the festive absurdity.
Julia Knitel and Andrew Durand
The dead outlaw himself is played by Andrew Durand, in a standout performance of humor and restraint. He spends the majority of the show playing a corpse, posed upright in a coffin. Durand infuses McCurdy with relatable confusion during his time alive as he struggled to live a conventional life and his time as a rebel. As McCurdy’s corpse, he remains eerily still, staring blankly at the audience.
It’s a fitting choice, as Dead Outlaw forces us to look at ourselves and our own obsession with celebrity, fame and wealth, and commercialism, and how we can project symbolism and importance onto anything. Alive, Elmer disappointed everyone. Dead, he satisfied all of those who encountered him. And Dead Outlaw, the wacky, wild show about him, satisfied the audience.