New Musical, DEAD OUTLAW, from Penna/Yazbek/Moses

[jacobsnchz14]

Posted: 2/7/22 at 12:01pm

Tony, Emmy and Grammy Award winner David Yazbek and Erik Della Penna have composed 14-songs for a new theater piece titled Dead Outlaw, featuring a book by Tony Award winner Itamar Moses.

Dead Outlaw is a true story about money, fame and death. It's about Elmer McCurdy, a dangerous but inept outlaw at the turn of the century who was killed by a sheriff's posse. And that's when his showbiz career as a traveling side-show attraction really took off.

Composer, writer and performer David Yazbekhas been haunted by the story of Elmer McCurdy for thirty years, since first hearing it from a friend. A few years ago, he told his friend and bandmate Erik Della Penna and "The Band's Visit" collaborator Itamar Moses the story. They discussed why this tale of money, ambition, fame, memory and death was so compelling. David and Erik started writing songs and Itamar wrote a narrative based on this odd life and these universal yet somehow very American themes.

Updated On: 2/7/22 at 12:01 PM

[TaffyDavenport]

Posted: 2/7/22 at 12:05pm

Premiere presentation at 54 Below on Monday, March 14th.

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 2/7/22 at 12:06pm

I'm always down for a new Yazbek score.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 2/7/22 at 12:10pm

Hmmmm....not really sure how I feel about songs that MIGHT be about a travelling corpse.  (but I like the creative team!)

[carnzee]

Posted: 2/7/22 at 12:11pm

As soon as I saw the title DEAD OUTLAW I wondered if it was about Elmer McCurdy but then I thought "nah, surely no one tried to use that as the basis for a musical." Well, I'll be danged. Should be unique to say the least.

[steve.sometime]

Posted: 8/22/23 at 12:17pm

https://www.playbill.com/job/untitled-yazbek-moses-musical-nyc-epa-08-28-23/0e29b3a5-9ad7-4380-bf61-dc3b0b858511

[darquegk]

Posted: 8/22/23 at 12:46pm

Does this mean Princess Bride is dead in the water?

[raddersons]

Posted: 8/22/23 at 3:05pm

Excited to hear a Yazbek project that’s not based on a movie

Updated On: 8/22/23 at 03:05 PM

[SeanD2]

Posted: 8/22/23 at 3:20pm

raddersons said: "Excited to hear a Yazbek project that’s not based on a movie"

Isn't this his first project that's not based on a movie? Everything else he's done that's reached Broadway has been. I guess you could somewhat count Bedwetter as not being based on a movie, but as of the off-Broadway production he's not the credited songwriter (though that could change as the show continues to evolve).

[Alex Kulak2]

Posted: 8/22/23 at 5:25pm

Per Yazbek on Twitter, this is one of quite a few projects he's working on in the next few years, including a film and a new show with Jeffrey Lane.

https://twitter.com/DavidYazbek/status/1693605989436588360?s=20

[Chaz Hands]

Posted: 8/22/23 at 5:41pm

Alex Kulak2 said: "Per Yazbek on Twitter, this is one of quite a few projects he's working on in the next few years, including a film and a new show with Jeffrey Lane.

https://twitter.com/DavidYazbek/status/1693605989436588360?s=20"

I really do love when writers tell us what they are working on, because it builds excitement for me. Now if only I knew what William Finn was working on haha

[Hey, Zelda!]

Posted: 8/23/23 at 12:26pm

Double bill with Operation Mincemeat one day?

[jacobsnchz14]

Posted: 1/2/24 at 3:26pm

"Happy New Year, indeed! The Tony Award-winning team behind The Band's Visit is back with a brand-new musical! Follow along.  Tickets on-sale soon!" https://www.facebook.com/AudibleTheater

[TaffyDavenport]

Posted: 1/2/24 at 3:54pm

The dates have been loaded on Ticketmaster for a couple of weeks, and it says general onsale is 1/12 at noon ET.

[steve.sometime]

Posted: 1/2/24 at 5:34pm

I saw it at 54 Below as a concert 2 years ago. It was quirky and fun. Can't wait to see what a full production looks like and hear the new songs!

Updated On: 1/2/24 at 05:34 PM

[jacobsnchz14]

Posted: 1/10/24 at 12:17pm

https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Cast-Set-For-Audible-Theaters-World-Premiere-of-DEAD-OUTLAW-From-the-Team-Behind-THE-BANDS-VISIT-20240110

Dead Outlaw’s cast will feature Jeb Brown, Eddie Cooper, Andrew Durand, Dashiell Eaves, Julia Knitel, Ken Marks, Trent Saunders, and Thom Sesma.  Understudies include Emily Fink, Austin Ku, George Merrick, and Max Sangerman.

The creative team for Dead Outlaw includes Ani Taj (movement direction), Dean Sharenow (music supervisor), Arnulfo Maldonado (scenic design), Sarah Laux (costume design), Heather Gilbert (lighting design), Kai Harada & Josh Millican (sound design), Isabella Curry (soundscape composition), Rebekah Bruce (music director), Erik Della Penna, Dean Sharenow, & David Yazbek (orchestrations), Faye Armon-Troncoso (properties), and Cynthia Cahill (production stage manager), with casting by Tara Rubin Casting, Peter Van Dam, CSA. Technical supervision is by Hudson Theatrical Associates’ Sean Gorski with general management by Baseline Theatrical’s Jonathan Whitton.

[TaffyDavenport]

Posted: 1/12/24 at 12:16pm

Some discounted tickets (10 seats per show) available now on Ticketmaster for the first week of previews (through March 3). $19.11, comes out to $31.01 with fees.

https://www.ticketmaster.com/artist/3093629

Updated On: 1/12/24 at 12:16 PM

[jkcohen626]

Posted: 1/12/24 at 5:27pm

TaffyDavenport said: "Some discounted tickets (10 seats per show) available now on Ticketmaster for the first week of previews (through March 3). $19.11, comes out to $31.01 with fees.

https://www.ticketmaster.com/artist/3093629"

This is awesome! Just got a pair for the first Saturday. Love the team and hoping this is cool!

[dave1606]

Posted: 1/16/24 at 4:13pm

Any other discounts for this show? I missed the $19 tickets infuriately. Todaytix has one but its not great. I've gotten an email about one but the code doesn't seem to work either. 

[jacobsnchz14]

Posted: 2/28/24 at 10:59am

Anyone attending?

[yyys]

Posted: 2/28/24 at 11:03am

This weekend.

[OhHiJohnny]

Posted: 3/1/24 at 10:50am

Caught the second preview of this last night. David Cramer gave a speech saying they might stop, but aside from a tangled mic cord, the show ran incredibly smoothly.

Personally, I really loved it. The show is presented in a very unique narrative form, cutting back and forth between different time lines and juggling dozens of characters amongst its small cast & band. I don’t know what commercial prospects a piece like this can have, but for what it is, I thought it was incredibly successful. 
 

I don’t want to spoil too much, but there’s several songs I’m still humming today, several hysterical sequences, some gorgeous stage pictures, and stellar performances. Julia Knitel, in particular, gets two incredible solos.

The material, itself, is definitely on the less conventional side, and a lot of the show’s humor is on the more morbid/ dark side. A more grounded “Bloody Bloody...” or a less devastating “Scottsboro Boys.” There were times from the audience’s reaction where I couldn’t tell if the laughs were hitting because they got the joke or because they couldn’t believe what they were seeing. But, personally, I was enthralled.
 

My advice? Grab a ticket while you can. 

Updated On: 3/1/24 at 10:50 AM

[yyys]

Posted: 3/1/24 at 4:49pm

selling 1 ticket for tomorrow March 2, at 8 pm. 4th row.  PM me. $30!

[iluvtheatertrash]

Posted: 3/1/24 at 10:02pm

yyys said: "selling 1 ticket for tomorrow March 2, at 8 pm

. 4th row. PM me. $30!"

Messaging you!

[yyys]

Posted: 3/2/24 at 5:22am

Sorry it's been sold!