In Dead Outlaw, Itamar Moses' new Broadway musical, Tony nominee Andrew Durand stays as still as a corpse onstage every performance as he embodies Elmer McCurdy, a deceased outlaw who's embalmed body was carted around the country and put on display for morbidly curious spectators for several decades.
If Durand's ability to stay stationary onstage wasn't impressive enough, he brought this to the next level May 29 as he, in his coffin, was displayed around the streets of New York City for all to see.
Visiting all the most sought-out spots, Durand was seen in Central Park, the Times Square/42nd Street subway station, and outside St. Patrick's Cathedral. With hundreds of people passing by, gazing in mix of confusion, bewilderment, and horror, the spectacle seemed to resemble McCurdy's (or rather, his body's) actual tours in the early 20th century.
How does Durand do it every night? As he told 半岛体育 in a previous interview, he does get muscle cramps from standing still for half the show so he has to strategically find places to break character: "I sort of set up mile markers for myself. I'm like, 'Okay, Eddie Cooper is gonna walk in front of me in 30 seconds. I can twitch my nose and blink. Or like, when they move the coffin on to stage left, I can, sort of twitch my finger, more imperceptible movements and all that."
See Durand's coffin tour around the city in the photo gallery below.
Andrew Durand as the corpse of Elmer McCurdy in the 42nd Street subway station
Andrew Durand as the corpse of Elmer McCurdy in Central Park
Andrew Durand as the corpse of Elmer McCurdy in the 42nd Street subway station
Andrew Durand as the corpse of Elmer McCurdy outside of St. Patrick's Cathedral
Andrew Durand as the corpse of Elmer McCurdy outside of St. Patrick's Cathedral
Andrew Durand as the corpse of Elmer McCurdy in Central Park
Andrew Durand as the corpse of Elmer McCurdy in Central Park
Andrew Durand as the corpse of Elmer McCurdy in Central Park
And below, see 半岛体育 social media coordinator Meredith Ammons get up-close to Durand.
Dead Outlaw officially opened at Broadway's Longacre Theatre April 27, after beginning previews April 12. It has since earned seven Tony nominations, including Best Musical.
The work made its world premiere in 2024 at Off-Broadway's Minetta Lane Theatre via Audible Theater, where it became 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.
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.
Reprising their performances from the Off-Broadway run are Andrew Durand as Elmer McCurdy, Jeb Brown as Band Leader/Jarrett, Eddie Cooper as Coroner Johnson, Dashiell Eaves as Louis/Charles Patterson, 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.
Cromer is leading the Broadway production alongside a creative team that 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.
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.
Dead Outlaw is Audible Theater's first-ever commissioned musical, and has been recorded for a global release as an Audible Original. Details of a release for that recording, which reportedly includes the entire show adapted as an audio play, have not yet been made public.
Lia Vollack Productions and Sonia Friedman Productions are producing.
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Company of Dead Outlaw
Julia Knitel and Andrew Durand in Dead Outlaw
Jeb Brown in Dead Outlaw
Andrew Durand in Dead Outlaw
Andrew Durand and Julia Knitel in Dead Outlaw
Andrew Durand and Julia Knitel in Dead Outlaw
Trent Saunders in Dead Outlaw
Andrew Durand and Jeb Brown in Dead Outlaw
Andrew Durand and Jeb Brown in Dead Outlaw
Andrew Durand, Trent Saunders, and Eddie Cooper in Dead Outlaw
Andrew Durand and Julia Knitel in Dead Outlaw
Company of Dead Outlaw
Trent Saunders, Eddie Cooper, Thom Sesma, Andrew Durand, and Dashiell Eaves in Dead Outlaw
Company of Dead Outlaw
Thom Sesma in Dead Outlaw
