Dead Outlaw

Dead Outlaw tells a true story that's larger than life — and death. The title character is Elmer McCurdy, a train robber who died in a shootout in 1911 at age 31. His death, however, was just the beginning of his infamy.

No family members claimed his corpse, so an undertaker preserved and displayed it to visitors for a fee. Thus began decades of people parading the "dead outlaw" across the country as a carnival attraction, movie prop, museum piece, and more.

After premiering off Broadway in 2024 and winning four Best Musical prizes among numerous other accolades, the most delightfully weird musical this side of the Wild West is getting a bigger stage.

The celebrated creative team behind the Tony Award-winning musical The Band's Visit has reunited to musicalize the true story of Elmer McCurdy, a man more famous in death than life. After dying young, the former train robber — that is, his preserved corpse — got a second life as a sideshow attraction. McCurdy's unbelievable tale is set to folk-rock music played by an onstage band, making Dead Outlaw a unique combination of a radio play, an Americana concert, and a simply thrilling musical.