Review: Dead Outlaw

Review of the Friday, April 25, 2025 preview performance at the Longacre Theatre in New York City. Starring Andrew Durand, with Jeb Brown, Eddie Cooper, Dashiell Eaves, Julia Knitel, Ken Marks, Trent Saunders and Thom Sesma. Book by Itamar Moses. Music and lyrics, orchestrations and arrangements by David Yazbek and Erik Della Penna. Conceived by David Yazbek. Scenic design by Arnulfo Maldonado. Costume design by Sarah Laux. Lighting design by Heather Gilbert. Sound design by Kai Harada. Choreography by Ani Taj. Direction by David Cromer. 1 hour and 40 minutes with no intermission.

My first inclination was to get to my laptop and start writing my review immediately after seeing Dead Outlaw last night. It would not have been favorable. Instead, I gave myself time to think about what I saw and talk about it with Mike. I'm still a mix of emotions and thoughts, but at the very least I can say there must be something to it as I have thought of little else since departing the Longacre Theatre.

A messy parable about a messy person, the show's format is both maddening and intriguing. On the surface of it, we are narrated through what feels like a Wikipedia reading of Elmer McCurdy's life. But Itamar Moses' book presents it in such a way, back and forth in time and with glib, almost mocking commentary, that it is nonetheless mostly compelling. The real meat of the piece is in David Yazbek and Erik Della Penna's score, a crazy mix of country-ish tunes suitable for maybe a honky-tonk ba with blistering guitar licks, and more traditional theater-ish songs. It comes across at first listen as a mishmash of styles, often jarring in its tonal switches, but taken as a whole, the book and score is simply American. After all, America is a mishmash of messy people, ideas and sounds - perhaps even more so today than at any other time in our brief history. And what better emblem of that whole idea than a man who had dreams and neither the circumstance nor ability to achieve them? How perfect it is that he was more famous for being dead than alive, and made so through capitalism, opportunism, greed and grift. 

This season has been full of small, wonderfully cohesive casts, and the company of Dead Outlaw would certainly be a contender for a much-needed Best Ensemble Tony Award. Each of the eight cast members are amazingly on the same page as they navigate the potential minefield of the quirky story, and save for one, they all play multiple characters. Dashiell Eaves plays a variety of hapless men, and provides a fun running gag with a satisfying conclusion. Similarly, Ken Marks makes a meal out of several empathetic characters, including a pivotal turn as the one man who gives Elmer a shot at a future. Then there's Trent Saunders, such a presence that even when he's in the background, he makes an impression (not a bad thing in this case), and though he's saddled with what could be a throw away number (a tertiary character with a the slimmest of connections to Elmer) he even makes that a stand-out moment later in the performance. Likewise, the ever reliable Eddie Cooper is spot-on as the coroner turned businessman, and even as a train conductor.

In all of the girl/lady (and occasionally male) roles, Julia Knitel displays a wide range of ages and personalities, each with such distinction, you might wonder if she wasn't the only female in the acting troupe. I suspect she will have a long career on the stage and screen ahead of her - she gives off serious Carrie Coon vibes. And one of my favorite character actors, Thom Sesma, brings his special brand of comedic chops and eerie presence to several roles, most notably as the modern day coroner, who brings the house down with a hilarious and quite biting 11 o'clock number, "Crimson Thread."

The two lead roles here are perfectly rendered by Jeb Brown and Andrew Durand. Brown is the band leader (he plays a mean guitar with such fervor, he broke a string or two when we saw it), narrator and at one point an outlaw gang leader. He really does it all with such passion that he adds considerable heft to what could easily be a very slight show. I hope he is recognized come nomination day. Then there's Durand, whose one role really requires three characterizations, each rendered so fully, he comes across as more chameleon than actor. There's hapless, pitiable Elmer, bland as plain oatmeal - a real Mr. Cellophane - who can't seem to do anything right; there's angry, bitter and ultimately self-destructive Elmer, who is almost justifiable in his actions (he does some really awful things, but a few times the audience reacts with "awww" in sympathy). But it's his third Elmer that has gotten the most press: Elmer the touring mummy, who stands lifeless in a coffin display for about a third of the show's running time. What is remarkable about that is not only his ability to remain completely still, but that Durand always seems fully present. He continues to be one of my favorite young Broadway actors.

It would be downright disrespectful not to mention the onstage band, who are a character in the show all by themselves. They all play multiple instruments and provide occasional backup vocals. Bravo to them all.

Design-wise, we have an equally quirky production, from Arnulfo Maldonado's piecemeal set that provides a number of surprises, to Heather Gilbert's appropriately murky lighting, to Sarah Laux's time period adjacent costumes. Surprisingly, the usually superlative Kai Harada was a bit off his game with sound, as the big band numbers were way off balance, with the music being uncomfortably close to ear-splitting, and the lyrics largely unintelligible.

Holding all of this together is the spare choreography of Ani Taj and the incredibly tight direction of David Cromer. He is a master of minimalism and razor sharp character study. Winningly, he never lets the crazy tone and time shifts get away from the piece, making it all feel rather organic and sensical no matter how nuts the premise gets.

So, I can't say that this was my favorite show of the season, and I can't quite understand why it has received such universal praise. But I appreciate the effort and the outcome. And when a show sticks with you like this one has with me, that's a definite win. I think Elmer would be pleased.

📸: M. Murphy