A legend of the Old West comes alive – sort of – in “Dead Outlaw”

Elmer McCurdy was a real live western outlaw. He wasn’t famous, like Jesse James. He wasn’t even all that good at it. But he was an outlaw, and he died in a gun battle, and he became famous. Just not in the way he thought he would. And that’s the true story behind the new musical Dead Outlaw, conceived by David Yazbek, with a book by Itamar Moses and a score by Yazbek and Erik Della Penna.

“Quirky” does not even begin to convey this mixture of Country-Western Pop, wild west legend, and macabre cautionary tale, so you might as well just throw your hands in the air and ride the roller coaster that is McCurdy’s story.

Elmer McCurdy led a troubled life. He was a troubled child, became a drunk, and although he had a skill for plumbing, the cyclical nature of the economy was against him. After a stint in the Army, where he picked up the basics of using explosives, he fell into a life of crime. Unfortunately, his limited explosives knowledge led him to destroy more money than he stole.

He was killed by a posse sent to get him after yet another botched train robbery, and his body, preserved by an arsenic-based solution, was kept on display by the undertaker since no one claimed it. The body was claimed by a sideshow promoter claiming to be his long-lost brother. Mummified by the embalming solution, the body passed from owner to owner before being hung up as part of a haunted house display in California. The body was assumed to be a wax figure until some TV crewmen discovered, gruesomely, that it was not. 

Elmer’s cautionary tale is presented in a Hee-Haw country western revue style. Yazbek’s music is delivered by an on-stage band fronted by Jeb Brown, which opens and closes the show with the rousing number “Dead.” Andrew Durand takes on the role of Elmer, which means he spends the second half of Dead Outlaw standing up in a coffin, barefoot, eyes closed and unmoving.

The rest of the talented ensemble, who shine in multiple parts, are Eddie Cooper, Dashiell Eaves, Julia Knitel (playing all the female parts), Ken Marks, Trent Saunders, and Thom Sesma (who does a very funny take on Thomas Noguchi, the notorious “Coroner to the Stars”).

Arnulfo Maldonado’s set resembles the interior of a barn, with a side platform for the band and a revolving double deck rectangle, lit by Heather Gilbert with sound design by Kai Harada. Sarah Laux’ costumes give the feel of the late 1800s in rural America, defining the characters by their class differences.

At a brisk 90+ minutes, Dead Outlaw whisks us through the hard life and even harder after-life of Elmer McCurdy, a poor schlub who attained after death the fame (but not the riches) he craved during his lifetime. It’s funny in spots, repetitious in others, but overall not a bad way to spend some time in the theatre. Step right up, pay your (figurative) two bits, and have a look at this Dead Outlaw!

Dead Outlaw is presented at the Longacre Theatre, 220 West 48th St., in New York. For more information, or to purchase tickets, go to deadoutlawmusical.com.