DEAD OUTLAW Reviews- Page 2

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 4/27/25 at 5:39pm

ACL2006 said: "If there was any doubt about this not getting a Best Musical Tony nomination, these raves definitely cement itas a lock. Curious what other nominations this might get?"

I wonder if they are running Jeb Brown in Lead or Featured? He's really a lead of the show (it's a two-lead show).

I think on its worst day it still gets nominated for four biggies (Musical, Book, Score, Director). Possibly also Orchestrations, 1-2 acting awards, and 1-2 Design awards. It's not a craft-heavy show and there's no world where this ends up leading the nom tally.

Updated On: 4/27/25 at 05:39 PM

[Kad]

Posted: 4/27/25 at 5:51pm

I would imagine the producers will try to push Brown into featured, even if that's a bit of category fraud. He is really more of narrator/commentator and doesn't really directly get involved in the action or have a developed character arc to the extent that, say, the Leading Player in Pippin does. 

Sesma feels like the most likely to break into Featured Actor, which I think is simply a thinner category this year. Sesma is a well-regarded theatre vet without a prior nomination and he gets the show's biggest crowdpleaser song (which also happens to essentially be its 11 o'clock number).

Durand feels like a lock for a Best Actor nom, alongside his contemporaries Groff, Jordan, & Criss.

Knitel got very good notices and was nominated for a Lortel (not always a great indicator, though) and she has one of the score's best songs. Featured Actress feels very unsettled, though, so who knows? If the nominators really like the show, she could ride that wave.

Updated On: 4/27/25 at 05:51 PM

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 4/27/25 at 5:53pm

DTLI Consensus: More alive than ever in its uptown transplant, Dead Outlaw retains its wild, wacky, and macabre charm.

13 positive (including the NYT), 1 mixed.

https://didtheylikeit.com/shows/dead-outlaw/

[The Other One]

Posted: 4/27/25 at 5:55pm

MemorableUserName said: "Washington Post

Morbid true stories make for invigorating musicals

Broadway’s “Dead Outlaw” and “Floyd Collins” spin contrasting takes on the meaning of life (and cadavers).

https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/theater/2025/04/27/dead-outlaw-floyd-collins-broadway/"

I love this!  I said in another post that these two shows were the yin to each other's yang.  They are.

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 4/27/25 at 6:02pm

I loved Sesma.

I don't think we're going to know what the nominators LOVE until the morning of. David Hyde Pierce might be the closest thing to a lock outside of Jak Malone. I don't know if i can safely predict anyone else. Christopher Sieber, David Cumming, David Thaxton, Danny Burstein, Thom Sesma, Jeb Brown, and Dez Duron are all plausible.

Overperformance in Featured Actor might actually be a sign of strength for a respective show. Or it might not be, since the nominators and voters are wholly different groups.

Updated On: 4/27/25 at 06:02 PM

[BanjoKazooie]

Posted: 4/27/25 at 6:15pm

David Hyde Pierce might end up eligible in Lead, and the Tony administration already ruled that David Cumming will compete in Lead.

Strategically, it would make sense for Dead Outlaw's producers to petition Jeb Brown for Featured. If that's what they do and it's successful, I could see the show getting four acting nominations: Durand, Brown, Sesma, and Knitel. They'd all be deserving.

[QueenAlice]

Posted: 4/27/25 at 6:16pm

After reading the raves Off Broadway, I was rather disappointed seeing the Broadway staging last week. The show is quirky, and has its moments, but is also poorly paced and lacks any kind of emotional pull.  I heard similar lukewarm reactions from other audience members leaving the theatre. This may just be one of those shows that is adored by critics but less so by mainstream audiences. Will be interesting to see how the box office fares in the coming weeks.

[chanel]

Posted: 4/27/25 at 6:20pm

Praise for it not being another meh jukebox show based on a vaguely remembered movie. "Original....the music is terrific...Durand exudes angst and sings like an angel." Plus reviews of Pirates and Stranger Things.

https://chelseacommunitynews.com/2025/04/27/review-roundup-dead-outlaw-pirates-the-penzance-musical-stranger-things-the-first-shadow-take-over-broadway/

[rannells_renthead.11]

Posted: 4/27/25 at 6:48pm

Is a Critic’s Pick from the New York Times now considered a warning?"

 

LMAO I was just thinking that the other day after I saw Redwood. Floyd Collins, Redwood, and Smash?!? Jesse Green and the person who wrote the Floyd Collins interview (I forget their name sorry) need to be studied.

 

[Ensemble1698878795]

Posted: 4/27/25 at 7:57pm

QueenAlice said: "After reading the raves Off Broadway, I was rather disappointed seeing the Broadway staginglast week. The show is quirky, and has its moments, but is also poorly paced and lacks any kind of emotional pull. I heard similar lukewarm reactions fromother audience members leaving the theatre. This may just be one of those shows that is adored by critics but less so by mainstream audiences. Will be interesting to see how the box office fares in the coming weeks."

Totally agree. I dunno that people are flocking to this. I like the show and the performances, but this doesn’t scream tourist magnet. Most friends that have seen it are bored. 

[BETTY22]

Posted: 4/27/25 at 8:18pm

My favorite show of the season - wow, it is fantastic. Loving reading all these rave reviews. 

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 4/27/25 at 8:47pm

Vulture is positive

In Dead Outlaw, Elmer McCurdy Gets One More Turn in the Spotlight

An antihero takes an exceptionally long, exceptionally strange, exceptionally American voyage through the West. 

https://www.vulture.com/article/theater-review-dead-outlaw-musical-broadway.html

 

[ShowBro]

Posted: 4/27/25 at 9:05pm

Ensemble1698878795 said: "QueenAlice said: "After reading the raves Off Broadway, I was rather disappointed seeing the Broadway staginglast week. The show is quirky, and has its moments, but is also poorly paced and lacks any kind of emotional pull. I heard similar lukewarm reactions fromother audience members leaving the theatre. This may just be one of those shows that is adored by critics but less so by mainstream audiences. Will be interesting to see how the box office fares in the coming weeks."

Totally agree. I dunno that people are flocking to this. I like the show and the performances, but this doesn’t scream tourist magnet. Most friends that have seen it are bored."

Worth noting that The Band’s Visit was another critically acclaimed but polarizing show that got hit with the same ‘boring’ complaints, even though it only ran about 90 minutes without an intermission.

Updated On: 4/27/25 at 09:05 PM

[Auggie27]

Posted: 4/27/25 at 10:05pm

So is this show about to throw a curve ball into the Tony nominations? 

Glad I got my TDF tickets when they appeared, albeit briefly. 

[FLarnhill]

Posted: 4/27/25 at 10:20pm

ShowBro said: "Ensemble1698878795 said: "QueenAlice said: "After reading the raves Off Broadway, I was rather disappointed seeing the Broadway staginglast week. The show is quirky, and has its moments, but is also poorly paced and lacks any kind of emotional pull. I heard similar lukewarm reactions fromother audience members leaving the theatre. This may just be one of those shows that is adored by critics but less so by mainstream audiences. Will be interesting to see how the box office fares in the coming weeks."

Totally agree. I dunno that people are flocking to this. I like the show and the performances, but this doesn’t scream tourist magnet. Most friends that have seen it are bored."

Worth noting that The Band’s Visit was another critically acclaimed but polarizing show that got hit with the same ‘boring’ complaints, even though it only ran about 90 minutes without an intermission."

They hated it because it wasn't SpongeBob.

[DrMonicaDeMoneco]

Posted: 4/27/25 at 11:57pm

BETTY22 said: "My favorite show of the season - wow, it is fantastic. Loving reading all these rave reviews."

Ok… it’s got great reviews… but there’s still no momentum for this fabulous downtown show turned not so fabulous Broadway show. 

my prediction: it loses all its nominations and closes shortly after the Tony’s 

[binau]

Posted: 4/28/25 at 3:00am

Will be interesting to see if like Maybe Happy Ending a positive set of reviews can help turn the show around.

A LOT of availability for tomorrow...

[QueenAlice]

Posted: 4/28/25 at 9:19am

For what it's worth, I thought The Band's Visit was exquisite - mesmerizing and very moving. I would not compare my experience of that show at all to my experience watching Dead Outlaw. Dead Outlaw would make like a nice 10 minute musical episode of Ripley's Believe it or Not. As it is, the show could easily lose 10 minutes by simply picking up the pace.

[ShowBro]

Posted: 4/28/25 at 11:14am

Correct — it’s a completely different type of show, and Dead Outlaw isn’t written in the same way to evoke that same deep, “lump in your throat” emotional response that The Band’s Visit did. It’s interesting you brought up pacing, though, because one of the more common criticisms of The Band’s Visit at the time was that people found it too slow and quiet.

 

[yyys]

Posted: 4/28/25 at 12:04pm

I think you're in the minority on this one....loved the show and I hope it gets several Tony nominations.

QueenAlice said: "For what it's worth, I thought The Band's Visit was exquisite - mesmerizing and very moving. I would not compare my experience of that show at all to my experience watching Dead Outlaw. Dead Outlaw would make like a nice 10 minute musical episode of Ripley's Believe it or Not. As it is, the show could easily lose 10 minutes by simply picking up the pace."

 

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 4/28/25 at 1:34pm

ShowBro said: "Ensemble1698878795 said: "QueenAlice said: "After reading the raves Off Broadway, I was rather disappointed seeing the Broadway staginglast week. The show is quirky, and has its moments, but is also poorly paced and lacks any kind of emotional pull. I heard similar lukewarm reactions fromother audience members leaving the theatre. This may just be one of those shows that is adored by critics but less so by mainstream audiences. Will be interesting to see how the box office fares in the coming weeks."

Totally agree. I dunno that people are flocking to this. I like the show and the performances, but this doesn’t scream tourist magnet. Most friends that have seen it are bored."

Worth noting that The Band’s Visit was another critically acclaimed but polarizing show that got hit with the same ‘boring’ complaints, even though it only ran about 90 minutes without an intermission."

Also worth noting that The Band's Visit hit $862k in its first week, was at over a million by week three, and remained there for a couple months (and over $900k through the summer). Dead Outlaw doesn't appear to have anywhere near that momentum (I'm one of the ones who think they botched their box office strategy by not offering discount codes early and having their prices too high) and has a long way to catch up. In a very crowded season, those raves are going to have to do a lot of heavy lifting.