Music Theatre International (MTI) has announced its acquisition of the stage licensing rights to “Dead Outlaw.” According to MTI, the musical is expected to be available for licensing by theater companies in early 2027. Additional information is available on MTI’s website.
“Dead Outlaw” is based on the true story of Elmer McCurdy, a Wild West outlaw killed in a standoff after a failed train robbery. His preserved body went unclaimed and was illicitly sold to the operators of a traveling circus, who displayed it as a sideshow. The musical explores themes of exploitation, legacy and celebrity, following McCurdy’s corpse as it becomes a movie prop, a wax museum exhibit and a haunted house fixture before his true identity is finally discovered.
“Dead Outlaw” features Tony Award-nominated music and lyrics by David Yazbek and Erik Della Penna and a Tony-nominated book by Itamar Moses.
“‘Dead Outlaw’ began as David Yazbek’s 30-year obsession with one of the most outlandish stories in the history of the American West, became the joint obsession of the entire creative team and then expanded to the show’s very loyal fans in New York,” said Della Penna, Moses and Yazbek in a joint statement. “We’re so excited that now MTI is going to spread it around the country and the globe, so that everyone can become obsessed with the almost-impossible-to-believe story of what happened to Elmer and the question of what it all means.”
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“‘Dead Outlaw’ is exactly the kind of show that reminds you why musical theater matters,” said MTI’s president and chief executive officer Drew Cohen. “It is bold, original and unlike anything else. David, Erik and Itamar have created something genuinely unique: a darkly funny, deeply moving American story told through an extraordinary score that audiences won’t be able to get out of their heads.”
“Dead Outlaw” premiered Off-Broadway at Audible’s Minetta Lane Theatre in 2024. It then opened at Broadway’s Longacre Theatre on April 27, 2025, where it ran through June 29, earning seven Tony nominations, including one for Best Musical. It was produced on Broadway by Lia Vollack Productions and Sonia Friedman Productions.
MTI was founded in 1952 by composer Frank Loesser and orchestrator Don Walker. As a licensor, it provides scripts, musical materials and other resources to professional, amateur and school theaters worldwide. MTI’s recent acquisitions and releases include “Back to the Future,” “Girl from the North Country” and “Kimberly Akimbo.”
