On October 7, 1911, a gunfight erupted between a posse of lawmen and train robber Elmer McCurdy. Elmer would not survive the encounter. He would, however, go on to become a legend. The story of outlaw-turned-mummy Elmer McCurdy garners worldwide interest and has been featured in books, documentaries, and a Broadway musical. The Oklahoma Territorial Museum and Carnegie Library in Guthrie is the home of his story, and the “Boot Hill” section of Summit View Cemetery on the edge of town is his final resting place.
Join the Oklahoma Territorial Museum and Carnegie Library on Zoom on Tuesday, October 7, at noon as museum director Michael Williams moderates a discussion on the life and afterlife of Elmer McCurdy with David Yazbek and Erik Della Penna, creators of the Broadway musical Dead Outlaw (2025). Yazbek is an American writer, musician, composer and lyricist. He wrote the music and lyrics for the Broadway musicals The Full Monty (2000), Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (2004), Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (2010), The Band’s Visit (2017), Tootsie (2019) and Dead Outlaw. He won a Tony and a Grammy® Award for The Band’s Visit (2007). He also consulted on the musical Buena Vista Social Club (2023).
Della Penna is a composer, lyricist, instrumentalist and vocalist who has appeared on over 60 rock, pop and Americana albums. He has toured and recorded extensively with Joan Osborne, Natalie Merchant and Joan Baez and has worked with legendary music producer T Bone Burnett. He is conservatory-trained, holding a BFA in Classical Guitar from the Mannes School of Music (now The New School). He also plays the banjo, lap steel guitar and mandolin. In 2024, he won the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lyrics for Dead Outlaw, which was off-Broadway at the time. This event is free; however, spots are limited, and registration is required.
You may also like the following events from Oklahoma Territorial Museum:
- Next month, 25th September, 06:00 pm, The Marriage of Indian and Oklahoma Territory presentation by Dr. Matthew Pearce in Guthrie
- Next month, 26th September, 06:00 pm, Secret Oklahoma: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure Book Signing with Matt Kirouac in Guthrie
- This October, 1st October, 09:00 am, When the Circus Comes to Town exhibit opens in Guthrie
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