Outlaws: The Ballad of Billy the Kid

A new rock musical by Alastair William King, Perry Liu and Joe Calarco tells the tale of the most notorious outlaw of the Wild West from his humble beginnings to his rise to infamy and finally his inevitable demise from the single shot of a gun at the young age of 21. It can also be said that it is the story of any teenage boy who lives during a time when the rules of society are unclear, guns are easily accessible and fame is celebrated regardless of how or why it is achieved. Driven by a heart-pounding rock score, this edgy musical spins a tale of youth and friendship, fame and violence in America. Using the conceit that the Wild West was not like the images seen in the movies, the authors decided to create their “own” west making dialogue as colloquial and as familiar as possible to a contemporary audience.

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"Cross 'Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson' with 'American Idiot' and you get 'Outlaws: The Ballad of Billy the Kid'..."

Frank Scheck, New York Post

"For lack of a better word, Outlaws is badass. And then there are the songs. Oh, the songs. I dare you to get "We Do Whatever We Want" out of your head. Hint: you won't be able to. It's hard to pick favorites out of the score, but the opening "That's What They Said" (which forms a leimotif throughout), the driving "Gun Song," and the haunting "Little Man" are standouts."

gruyere.livejournal.com

"'Outlaws: The Ballad of Billy the Kid' manages to pack quite a punch, …the show delivers several pulse-pounding musical evocations of adolescent rage, including "We Do Whatever We Want," a knockout anthem to uncontrolled id, and "The Way of the World," Billy and Pat's declaration of their lust for fame and power. The jagged, raw music by King and Liu has a powerful rock beat…"

David Sheward, Backstage

"This is the real deal, folks. Not only does its score, which features music by Alastair William King and Perry Liu and lyrics by Liu, legitimately sizzle, it's done straight, in the grand tradition of serving its story. Outlaws: The Ballad of Billy the Kid succeeds because Calarco, King, and Liu have followed, almost to the letter, the rules of both rock concerts and musical theatre. The result is an evening so electrifying, you may wonder whether Billy packed a Taser rather than a Colt."

Matthew Murray, www.talkinbroadway.com

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