Best Musical Tony Award nominee Dead Outlaw stopped by Today May 15, inviting audiences across the globe to enjoy the unbelievable true story playing out at Broadway's Longacre Theatre 8 shows a week.
Check out video of the cast performing the darkly comic ode to opportunity, "Something From Nothing," and "Normal," below.
Dead Outlaw, which is again directed by Tony winner David Cromer after a world premiere Off-Broadway at the Minetta Lane Theatre last year, earned seven 2025 Tony Award nominations May 1, the second-highest of any show this season. Along with the much coveted slot in this year's contenders for Best Musical, the David Yazbek, Erik Della Penna, and Itamar Moses show earned nods for Leading Actor in a Musical (Andrew Durand), Featured Actress in a Musical (Julia Knitel), Featured Actor in a Musical (Jeb Brown), Book (Moses), Score (Yazbek and Della Penna), and Direction (David Cromer). Winners will be named June 8 in a televised and streaming ceremony at Radio City Music Hall.
Dead Outlaw officially opened at Broadway's Longacre Theatre April 27, after beginning previews April 12. 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 Moses (The Band's Visit) and music and lyrics by Yazbek and Della Penna.
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 full original Off-Broadway cast is reprising their performances on the Main Stem, including 2025 Tony nominees Durand as Elmer McCurdy, Brown as Band Leader/Jarrett, and Knitel as Helen/Maggie; Eddie Cooper as Coroner Johnson; Dashiell Eaves as Louis/Charles Patterson; 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.
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. Dead Outlaw is Audible Theater's first-ever commissioned musical.
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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
