Dead illegal Pushing the last nail to the 2024-25 Broadway season, I never felt alive. Elmer McCurdy’s funeral is the party of the year: a wall to wall country and rock band, a dynamite actor and a story that’s too weird. Elmer’s story is unique American, a strange chronicle of greed, crime and bad taste. You’ll see Maine-born McCurdy riding west on tracks, driving a train in Oklahoma just to get himself shot at Hayloft, 30. His stiff body lifted the rifle in his strictly worn hands, lifted the rifle in his strictly worn hands, and stood out among various countries through vans from various states for decades. Location reconnaissance Six million dollars Discovered a ridiculous, devilishly painted corpse in California in 1976 – Elmer’s journey to self and dignity.
The same is true for (no emotion) emotional arc Dead illegalwhich contains a sublime and desire book by Itama Moses and David Yazbek and Erik Della Penna and Rootsy earworms. It’s an exciting musical about a miracle of life and how difficult it is to find meaning in that miracle. In the early scenes, Elmer (Andrew Durand) sits with his gangsters on the train tracks, staring at the stars. “The sky is black, but full of diamonds,” Durand serenades in the sky, stretching out his arm. “You can almost hold them in your hands / The God who gets there preaches / laughs when you arrive.” It’s best to taste Elmer’s brief hope, whose childhood is damaged by his parents’ neglect and his adult life is burned and angry, which dispels potential love interest (Julia Knitel). Not long after, Elmer’s Elmer’s guitar band leader (Jeb Brown) ripped into a song, making our days numbered: “between darkness and darkness / the sound you always hear / the sound you always hear / some crazy auctioneer yelled at you. Gothic gallows humor fell into the motorcycle beat, no matter how time goes
Yazbek concept (Complete Monty, dirty rotten clown), Dead illegal Often played like a clever concept album, sharing early sketches of the anti-hero, and then breaking into a series of horrible anecdotes after Elmer was sucked in arsenic to freeze his tissue. Although musical habits are in Bluegrass, the 80s rock anthem and the Las Vegas Jazz (a looser cut by Impish thom sesma), the repetitive pattern is the murder ballad, killer and other villains’ Aparachi ode. The most obvious example of a dramatic murder ballad in musicals is Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd And, more explicitly, assassin. (Brecht and Weill’s Mackie Messer are famous.) The difference is that the criminals failed and it is not clear whether he has ever killed anyone. It is time to commit crimes against nature with society.
Yazbek and Della Penna are fascinating and full of memorable hooks and lyrics, and Yazbek and Della Penna are easily the best new scores on Broadway The band’s visit (Moses also has a masterful book). From Frank Loesser to the influence of the British band XTC, Yazbek has a 25-year history and remains one of my favorite composer-Lanricists. His melodies and lyrics always remind you of his roots as a singer-songwriter (Dead illegalWeird black comedy brings my thoughts back to the 1996 album Laughing man). Along with Jeanine Tesori and Dave Malloy, Yazbek is an artist with a hope for American musicals.
After a sold-out run at the Minetta Lane Theatre last year (produced by Autoble and now joined by Sonia Friedman Productions), David Cromer’s lean and stylish work has moved to Longacre. Cromer Good night, good luck), he has an excellent actor. Durand, mentioned above, swayed in Punk Wailer, “killed a man in Maine” as he was still idly in the coffin. Willowy and Radiant Julia Knitel is a charming newcomer and versatile comedian. The loud Eddie Cooper plays all kinds of dirty and sinister roles, especially as a greedy thologie. Dashiell Eaves has a softer pipeline, but a concise character who plays a small number of schnooks and scammers. Trent Saunders got the entire number, “Andy Payne”, who had to go to the marathon and run wild for his heart. Ken Marks assumed several fathers and authority figures as wry zest. As mentioned earlier, Sesma’s actions as a pathologist were very moving, and he asked for proper burial of Elmer’s body. Finally, Jeb Brown is our whiskey-soaked narrator, a family-style potter who keeps fun no matter how dark it is.
Brown spent considerable time in a movable unit designed by Anulfo Maldonado, which resembles the stage of a small town road house floating in ink voids. Around this Rock-Band Island, Cromer created a striking parade, Penumbral Tableaux, whose actor is illuminated by Heather Gilbert and has been dressed by the outstanding Sarah Laux for decades. Since the work was originally recorded and distributed on audio by Audible, everything you need to know is in books and songs, but it’s still a visually engaging payment. My vote for the best new musical of the season, Dead illegal Don’t preach any choir or pander to visitors, but based on the company’s IP, and don’t need stars to sell tickets. By Broadway’s expectations for Broadway, this should mean death upon arrival, but I really hope the longest life of this show.
Dead illegal | 1 hour and 40 minutes. No intermission. | Longacre Theatre | 220 West 48th Street | 212-239-6200 | Buy tickets here
