Howdy, partner—
This here’s your weekly dispatch from the dusty trail, where Broadway gets weird, legends don’t stay dead, and the only thing louder than the gunfire is the band. If you like your musicals with a little twang and a whole lotta attitude, saddle up.
The Rat’s sniffed out something strange this week... and it’s already starting to stink of trouble.
💀 The man’s dead, but the myth won’t stay buried.
If you’re enjoying these little underground dispatches, pass the tunnel map to your fellow rats… 🐀
THE RAT’S RECOMMENDATION:
“DEAD OUTLAW”
Cheese Score: 🧀🧀🧀(3/5)
Description:
Dead Outlaw is a darkly funny, roots‑rock musical that follows bungling train robber Elmer McCurdy’s cadaver as it becomes a macabre sideshow sensation, exposing how American myth‑making keeps the dead alive.
Why You Should Care:
This story shouldn't be real— Elmer McCurdy was a bad train robber. He died in a shootout, got embalmed, and somehow ended up as a sideshow prop for 60 years. When they found him, he was hanging in a funhouse. That’s the real history the show starts with. It only gets weirder from there…
Great Music – Live music drives the show like you’re in a country bar. It’s gritty, aggressive and full of swagger. Think country-noir meets outlaw blues.
More Than a Freak Show – Beneath the spectacle is something sharp. The show digs into how America turns failure into folklore, how we recycle the dead for profit, and what gets remembered.
Where – Longacre Theatre
How Long – 1hr 40 mins
Who to Bring - The person you know who just wears cowboy boots… yep. That friend who says they hate musicals but cried during Sweeney Todd. Your dad who once tried to smoke brisket in a filing cabinet. That friend who pretends they’re into vintage outlaw culture but just wants an excuse to buy another leather jacket.
Rat Tip - Bring your cowboy hat!
Have you seen it? What's your rating?
Overall Cheese rating: 3/5
RAT READERS 🐀🐀🐀
Here we share the responses from our fellow Rat Mischief - this was from last week’s show - Just In Time! Submit your review and get featured in next week’s edition.
Jonathan Groff is a force of nature! He can hold an audience like nobody's business and is just a joy to watch. And with the two-stage motif there's really not a bad seat in the house. Can't recommend this show enough!
Until next week, keep it dramatic, keep it ratty, and always aim for center stage! 🐀✨.
P.S. Thanks for being part of this weird rat family. Please reply to this email and let us rats know how we are doing?
With lots of Ratitude,
The Stage Rat