{"id":2674,"date":"2025-05-14T14:24:13","date_gmt":"2025-05-14T14:24:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fotobreak.com\/news\/dead-outlaw-musical.html"},"modified":"2025-05-14T14:24:13","modified_gmt":"2025-05-14T14:24:13","slug":"dead-outlaw-musical","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fotobreak.com\/news\/dead-outlaw-musical.html","title":{"rendered":"Dead outlaw musical: a corpse-riddled cabaret of ghostly guitar solos &amp; zombie hoedowns (yeehaw\u202f!)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div id='video-container' data-video-id='5EgK-AvbH9o' style='width:100%; height:auto; max-width:587px; position: relative;'>\n<div class='image-video-plugin' style='background:url(\"https:\/\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/5EgK-AvbH9o\/0.jpg\") center no-repeat; background-size: cover;'><\/div>\n<p>        <span class='youtube-play-button'><\/span><br \/>\n        <noscript><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=5EgK-AvbH9o\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/a><\/noscript>\n    <\/div>\n<p><\/p>\n<h2>Is the Dead Outlaw musical good?<\/h2>\n<h3>Well, Does a Singing Corpse Count as \u201cGood\u201d?<\/h3>\n<p>Let\u2019s address the undead elephant in the room: this musical\u2019s protagonist is a <b>literal dead guy<\/b>. If you\u2019ve ever wondered what a decomposing outlaw might sound like belting show tunes, congratulations\u2014your curiosity is about to be rewarded. The music? A bizarrely catchy blend of twangy folk, existential banjo solos, and lyrics that ask profound questions like, <i>\u201cDo ghosts need sunscreen?\u201d<\/i> Spoiler: The answer is no, but the harmonies are a solid yes.  <\/p>\n<h3>Critics Are Confused (In the Best Way)<\/h3>\n<p>Reviews have ranged from <b>\u201chauntingly brilliant\u201d<\/b> to <b>\u201cdid someone spike the punch with absinthe?\u201d<\/b> Highlights include:  <\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>A tap-dancing showdown between the Dead Outlaw and a vengeful tumbleweed.<\/li>\n<li>A love ballad sung to a jar of pickled eggs (it\u2019s symbolic, probably).<\/li>\n<li>The fact that the set design smells vaguely of bourbon and regret.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>If this sounds unhinged, that\u2019s because it is\u2014but in a way that\u2019s weirdly irresistible, like eating nachos at a s\u00e9ance.  <\/p>\n<h3>Should You See It? Depends.<\/h3>\n<p>Do you enjoy stories where the hero\u2019s <b>greatest adversary is rigor mortis<\/b>? Are you the type to cry during a power ballad about a coffin\u2019s interior design? If so, grab tickets immediately. If not, just know you\u2019re missing out on the only show where the curtain call might involve a stray limb falling off. The Dead Outlaw isn\u2019t \u201cgood\u201d in the traditional sense\u2014it\u2019s more like a fever dream your weirdest cousin would have after binge-watching Westerns. And honestly? That\u2019s what makes it glorious.<\/p>\n<h2>How long is the Dead Outlaw musical?<\/h2>\n<p>Great question! The runtime of <i>Dead Outlaw<\/i> is roughly <b>2 hours and 15 minutes<\/b>, including intermission\u2014or, as we like to call it, \u201cthe time it takes for a ghostly bandit to haunt a saloon, steal a pie, and ride a spectral goat into the sunset.\u201d It\u2019s long enough to tell a tale of betrayal, revenge, and questionable life choices, but short enough that your legs won\u2019t stage their own rebellion against the theater seat.<\/p>\n<h3>Breaking it down (because chaos demands structure)<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Act 1:<\/b> 65 minutes. Approximately the time it takes to microwave 13 burritos consecutively <i>or<\/i> teach a raccoon to fist-bump. Whichever feels more productive.<\/li>\n<li><b>Intermission:<\/b> 20 minutes. Ideal for: existential reflection, aggressively buttering a pretzel, or questioning why cowboy boots aren\u2019t mandatory attire.<\/li>\n<li><b>Act 2:<\/b> 50 minutes. A sprint through chaos, redemption, and at least one scene where someone shouts \u201cYeehaw!\u201d unironically. Buckle up.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>But time is a social construct, right?<\/h3>\n<p>Here\u2019s the twist: While the clock says 2 hours and 15 minutes, the <i>vibes<\/i> say \u201ceternity in the best way.\u201d You\u2019ll laugh, you\u2019ll cry, you\u2019ll wonder if that actor just <i>actually<\/i> lassoed a prop cactus. The pacing? Let\u2019s call it a <b>caffeinated armadillo<\/b>\u2014unpredictable, occasionally sideways, but always moving forward. Pro tip: Blink too long, and you might miss a shootout, a ballad, or a philosophical debate about tumbleweeds.<\/p>\n<p>And remember: The show\u2019s length is precisely calibrated to ensure you\u2019ll exit the theater questioning your life choices <i>exactly<\/i> 12% more than when you entered. You\u2019re welcome.<\/p>\n<h2>What is the Broadway musical about 911?<\/h2>\n<p>Imagine if a herd of confused moose, a legion of overly polite Canadians, and 7,000 stranded airline passengers walked into a bar\u2014then decided to process a national tragedy through folk-rock anthems. That\u2019s <b><i>Come From Away<\/i><\/b>, the Tony-winning musical that takes the grim reality of 9\/11 and spins it into a story about humanity\u2019s group project that somehow got an A+. No, it\u2019s not a documentary about conspiracy theorists who think airplanes are just <i>really committed<\/i> pigeons. Instead, it\u2019s a surprisingly heartfelt ode to the small Newfoundland town that hosted thousands of displaced travelers when U.S. airspace shut down. Spoiler: there\u2019s a lot of Tim Hortons coffee involved.<\/p>\n<h3>The Plot: More Twists Than a Moose\u2019s Antlers<\/h3>\n<div class='global-div-post-related-aib'><a href='\/news\/my-master-builder-review.html' class='post-related-aib'><div class='internal-div-post-related-aib'><span class='text-post-related-aib'>You may also be interested in:<\/span>&nbsp; <span class='post-title-aib'>My master builder review: why a rubber duck, 3 toothpicks and a disgruntled llama built my shed (spoiler: it\u2019s leaning\u2026)<\/span><\/div><\/a><\/div>\n<p>The show\u2019s premise sounds like a dare: \u201cLet\u2019s make a musical about 9\/11 where the biggest villain is <b>limited Wi-Fi<\/b>.\u201d Over 100 minutes, actors double as both townsfolk and \u201cplane people,\u201d navigating cultural clashes, impromptu BBQs, and a budding romance between a vegan and a chef who\u2019s just discovered <i>all the spices<\/i>. Key moments include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><b>\u201cWelcome to the Rock\u201d<\/b>: A toe-tapping opener that\u2019s basically Newfoundland\u2019s tourism anthem.<\/li>\n<li><b>\u201cScreech In\u201d<\/b>: A ritual involving kissing a codfish. Yes, really. No, the cod does not get a solo.<\/li>\n<li><b>\u201cPrayer\u201d<\/b>: A haunting interfaith number that\u2019s less \u201cKumbaya\u201d and more \u201cWe\u2019re all stuck here, so let\u2019s vibe.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Why It Works: Trauma, but Make It Quirky<\/h3>\n<p>Somehow, this musical avoids feeling like a <i>\u201cLive, Laugh, Love\u201d<\/i> poster at a funeral. Instead of focusing on the attacks, it zooms in on the weird, wonderful chaos of strangers becoming neighbors\u2014like a zombie apocalypse movie, but with more accordions and fewer bite wounds. The show\u2019s secret sauce? It treats grief and kindness as two sides of the same loonie (that\u2019s Canadian for \u201ccoin,\u201d eh). You\u2019ll cry, but you\u2019ll also laugh at a grumpy New Yorker learning to line dance. Balance!<\/p>\n<div class='global-div-post-related-aib'><a href='\/news\/glorious-39-cast.html' class='post-related-aib'><div class='internal-div-post-related-aib'><span class='text-post-related-aib'>You may also be interested in:<\/span>&nbsp; <span class='post-title-aib'>Who\u2019s in the glorious 39 cast? spoiler: it involves time-traveling corgis, a sentient top hat &amp; existential dread (don\u2019t ask)<\/span><\/div><\/a><\/div>\n<p>So, is it \u201cabout\u201d 9\/11? Kinda. It\u2019s really about what happens when the world stops\u2014and a bunch of humans decide to <b>start singing<\/b>. Also, there\u2019s a goose. The goose does not sing either, but it\u2019s definitely judging you.<\/p>\n<h2>Who wrote the music for Dead Outlaw?<\/h2>\n<h2>Who wrote the music for <i>Dead Outlaw<\/i>?<\/h2>\n<p>If you\u2019re imagining a lone composer hunched over a piano, muttering <i>\u201cyeehaw\u201d<\/i> while scribbling sheet music, you\u2019re only half wrong. The musical madness behind <b><i>Dead Outlaw<\/i><\/b> comes from the dynamic duo of <b>David Yazbek<\/b> (the Tony-winning brain behind <i>The Band\u2019s Visit<\/i>) and <b>Erik Della Penna<\/b> (a multi-instrumentalist who probably has a banjo in one hand and a distortion pedal in the other). Together, they\u2019re like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich\u2014if the peanut butter was made from existential cowboy angst and the jelly was fermented in a blues bar.<\/p>\n<div class='global-div-post-related-aib'><a href='\/news\/elite-powder-coating.html' class='post-related-aib'><div class='internal-div-post-related-aib'><span class='text-post-related-aib'>You may also be interested in:<\/span>&nbsp; <span class='post-title-aib'>Elite powder coating: the secret sauce your muffins (and metal) never knew they craved!<\/span><\/div><\/a><\/div>\n<h3>Yazbek &#038; Della Penna: A Collision of Twang and Absurdity<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Yazbek<\/b>: Known for turning mundane human moments into musical gold, he\u2019s the guy who\u2019d write a power ballad about a tax audit. For <i>Dead Outlaw<\/i>, he swaps spreadsheets for six-shooters.<\/li>\n<li><b>Della Penna<\/b>: Brings a gritty, genre-mashing vibe. Rumor has it he once wrote a song using only a chainsaw and a mandolin. (This is unconfirmed, but we choose to believe.)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The soundtrack? Think <i>\u201cEnnio Morricone meets Tom Waits at a karaoke bar run by a sentient tumbleweed.\u201d<\/i> It\u2019s a fever dream of folk, rock, and Americana\u2014perfect for a musical about a <b>mummified outlaw<\/b> who toured carnivals post-mortem. Yes, really. Songs like <i>\u201cBallad of Elmer McCurdy\u201d<\/i> and <i>\u201cCorpse on a Carnival Tour\u201d<\/i> aren\u2019t just titles; they\u2019re existential crises set to a toe-tapping beat.<\/p>\n<h3>But Wait\u2014Who\u2019s Elmer McCurdy?<\/h3>\n<p>Oh, just the <b>actual dead outlaw<\/b> whose bizarre afterlife inspired the show. Yazbek and Della Penna didn\u2019t just write music\u2014they channeled Elmer\u2019s ghostly vibes. Picture them: one strumming a resonator guitar, the other whispering <i>\u201cwhat if banjo, but spooky?\u201d<\/i> into a tape recorder. The result? A score that\u2019s equal parts haunting, hilarious, and 100% unhinged. You\u2019ll laugh, you\u2019ll cry, you\u2019ll question why that accordion solo feels <i>personal<\/i>.<\/p>\n<p>So, if you\u2019re craving music that\u2019s weirder than a raccoon in a ten-gallon hat, thank Yazbek and Della Penna. They\u2019re the mad scientists behind the soundtrack that asks: <i>\u201cWhat if death was just the first verse?\u201d<\/i> (Spoiler: The answer involves a fiddle.)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Is the Dead Outlaw musical good? Well, Does a Singing Corpse Count as \u201cGood\u201d? Let\u2019s address the undead elephant in the room: this musical\u2019s protagonist is a literal dead guy. If you\u2019ve ever wondered what a decomposing outlaw might sound like belting show tunes, congratulations\u2014your curiosity is about to be rewarded. The music? A bizarrely&hellip;&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.fotobreak.com\/news\/dead-outlaw-musical.html\" rel=\"bookmark\">Read More &raquo;<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Dead outlaw musical: a corpse-riddled cabaret of ghostly guitar solos &amp; zombie hoedowns (yeehaw\u202f!)<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2675,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"neve_meta_sidebar":"","neve_meta_container":"","neve_meta_enable_content_width":"","neve_meta_content_width":0,"neve_meta_title_alignment":"","neve_meta_author_avatar":"","neve_post_elements_order":"","neve_meta_disable_header":"","neve_meta_disable_footer":"","neve_meta_disable_title":"","iawp_total_views":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2674","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fotobreak.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2674","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fotobreak.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fotobreak.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fotobreak.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fotobreak.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2674"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.fotobreak.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2674\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fotobreak.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2675"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fotobreak.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2674"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fotobreak.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2674"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fotobreak.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2674"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}