Dead Outlaw will play its final performance on Broadway on Sunday, June 29, producers announced today.
The critically lauded musical, nominated for seven Tony Awards including Best Musical, opened at the Longacre Theatre on Sunday, April 27. When it closes it will have played 14 previews and 73 regular performances.
Dead Outlaw is the second Broadway show, following Real Women Have Curves, to announce its closing after being shut out at the Tonys.
With music and lyrics by David Yazbek and Erik Della Penna, and a book by Itamar Moses, Dead Outlaw tells the strange-but-true tale of Elmer McCurdy, a bank robber killed in a shoot-out in 1911. His embalmed corpse went unclaimed and was put on display, sometimes mistaken for a mannequin, in various carnivals, wax museums and even amusement parks until the 1970s.
In a statement, producers Lia Vollack and Sonia Friedman said, “Like Elmer McCurdy, Dead Outlaw is a true outlier — strange, singular, and enduring. It never followed the rules — and that has made it one of the most daring and fulfilling productions we’ve had the privilege to stage. Despite glowing reviews and a loyal following, the commercial momentum just wasn’t fast enough in a crowded season. As the show reminds us, sometimes the most incredible lives are cut short. This may be the end of Dead Outlaw’s time on Broadway, but we believe deeply in its future and the afterlife it so richly deserves. Endless thanks to the creators, cast, crew, co-producers, investors and Audible for bringing it to life. It’s been an honor.”
Originating Off Broadway, Dead Outlaw featured a Broadway cast including Andrew Durand, Jeb Brown, Eddie Cooper, Dashiell Eaves, Julia Knitel, Ken Marks, Trent Saunders and Thom Sesma.
