Dead Outlaw
Chicago Premiere
Dead Outlaw
February 10 – March 21, 2027
Co-Production with Theater Wit
Začek McVay Mainstage at Biograph Theater, 2433 N. Lincoln Ave.
Music and Lyrics by David Yazbek & Erik Della Penna
Book by Itamar Moses
Conceived by David Yazbek
Directed by Jeremy Wechsler
Music Directed by Kara Kesselring
Choreographed by Brenda Didier
The 2025 Tony Award-nominated for Best Musical and winner of three Best Musical awards (Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle and New York Drama Critics’ Circle), Dead Outlaw is a wickedly irreverent tale based on the true story of bumbling bandit Elmer McCurdy. This musical comedy spanning more than a century delves into themes of fame and its repercussions as McCurdy’s mummified body becomes a traveling curiosity across America and beyond. Entertainment Weekly calls the Tony Award-nominated new musical,“a truly one-of-a-kind production, complete with a whole lot of laughs and a surprising amount of heart. It needs to be seen to be believed!”
Included in our 2026/27 Subscription Series. Tickets on-sale December 1, 2026.
JEREMY WECHSLER (Director)
KARA KESSELRING (Music Director)
Pianist, vocalist, and arranger Kara Kesselring is a bustling freelance musician and dedicated educator based in Chicago. For over a decade she’s mined the Windy City’s vibrant music scene, establishing an eclectic career. Highlights include playing keys and singing in the Tony award-winning smash hit Jersey Boys (National Tour, Broadway in Chicago); touring with the doo-wop group Under the Streetlamp, The Beat Goes On – CHER Experience, as well as composing, arranging, and global performances of educational sketch comedy with the troupe Wavelength. She has been a Broadway pit musician on touring shows Waitress, A Bronx Tale and The Grinch, and has worked at many Chicago theaters such as Chicago Shakespeare Theater and Marriott Lincolnshire Theater.
Kara made her music directing debut on the show A Taste of Things to Come at the Chicago Broadway Playhouse and conducted Rock of Ages at Paramount Theater in Aurora, IL. Kara is the owner and bandleader of the celebrated and award winning society band & entertainment company Standing Room Only Orchestra www.onthedancefloor.com.
Kara is thrilled to work with the talented Porchlight Music Theatre team on the show Dead Outlaw.
BRENDA DIDIER (Choreographer)
To be announced soon.