Dead Outlaw Will Close on Broadway This Month

Dead Outlaw will play its final performance on Broadway June 29. When it closes, the production will have played 73 regular performances and 14 previews at the Longacre Theatre, where it officially opened April 27. It received seven 2025 Tony nominations, including Best Musical, but did not take home any honors.

In a statement, producers Lia Vollack and Sonia Friedman said, 鈥淟ike Elmer McCurdy, Dead Outlaw is a true outlier鈥攕trange, singular, and enduring. It never followed the rules鈥攁nd that has made it one of the most daring and fulfilling productions we鈥檝e had the privilege to stage. Despite glowing reviews and a loyal following, the commercial momentum just wasn鈥檛 fast enough in a crowded season. As the show reminds us, sometimes the most incredible lives are cut short. This may be the end of Dead Outlaw鈥檚 time on Broadway, but we believe deeply in its future and the afterlife it so richly deserves. Endless thanks to the creators, cast, crew, co-producers, investors and Audible for bringing it to life. It鈥檚 been an honor.鈥� As the producers noted, Dead Outlaw was well-reviewed but struggled at the box office.

Though like the corpse of Elmer McCurdy, this is not the end for the musical. Dead Outlaw's cast album will be released this fall (seven tracks are currently available to stream). The entire show will be released as an audio play . Dead Outlaw was Audible Theater's first-ever commissioned musical and premiered at the company's Minetta Lane Theatre last year.

The new musical features a book by Itamar Moses (The Band's Visit) and music and lyrics by David Yazbek and Erik Della Penna. David Cromer again directs after staging the musical's Off-Broadway world premiere.

Based on a bizarre but somehow completely true story, the musical follows Elmer McCurdy鈥攁n ambitious, turn-of-the-20th-century outlaw, whose death ended a life of failed crime and alcoholism and began a brilliant career as a mummified side-show attraction that traveled the USA for decades. The project is the brainchild of Yazbek, who reportedly has been fascinated with the story for three decades.

Last year, Dead Outlaw was one of the most award-winning musicals of the season. The production won the Drama Desk, Off Broadway Alliance, and New York Drama Critics Circle Awards for Best New Musical.

Dead Outlaw stars Tony nominee Andrew Durand as Elmer McCurdy, Tony nominee Jeb Brown as Band Leader/Jarrett, Eddie Cooper as Coroner Johnson, Dashiell Eaves as Louis/Charles Patterson, Tony nominee Julia Knitel as Helen/Maggie, Ken Marks as George, Trent Saunders as Andy Payne, and Thom Sesma as Coroner Noguchi, with Emily Fink, Justin Gregory Lopez, Noah Plomgren, Max Sangerman, Scott Stangland, and Graham Stevens as understudies.

The creative team includes choreographer Ani Taj, scenic designer Arnulfo Maldonado, costume designer Sarah Laux, lighting designer Heather Gilbert, sound designer Kai Harada, and music supervisor Dean Sharenow, with orchestrations by Yazbek, Della Penna, and Dean Sharenow. The electronic music design is by Billy Jay Stein and Hiro Iida for Strange Cranium, with MainBrain/Ableton Programmers Chris Petti and Steven Tran. Casting is by The TRC Company's Peter Van Dam. Cynthia Cahill serves as production stage manager.

READ: To Andrew Durand and Thom Sesma, Dead Outlaw Is an 'Original Little Show With an Oversized Heart'

The onstage band for Dead Outlaw includes music director, pianist, organist, and vocalist Rebekah Bruce; guitarist, banjo player, and vocalist JR Atkins; guitarist, lap steel player, mandolin player, and vocalist Hank Heaven; bassist Brian Killeen; and percussionist Spencer Cohen.

Lia Vollack Productions and Sonia Friedman Productions are producing.

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