Outlaws: The Ballad of Billy the Kid

Though its subject is aimless violence and the characters really don't have much of an objective or goal, "Outlaws: The Ballad of Billy the Kid" manages to pack quite a punch. Fusing the legend of the titular criminal with a contemporary disaffected-youth sensibility, this rock musical seems to take place simultaneously in the Wild West of the late 19th century and in the urban wasteland of today. This Billy is not unlike the antihero immortalized by James Dean in "Rebel Without a Cause," who turns to lawlessness for a sense of belonging after the adult world either ignores or rejects him. His companions resemble the rudderless rowdies of "American Idiot," following the first strong figures they encounter—namely Billy, whose sharpshooting and impulsiveness impress them, and his slightly more mature pal Pat Garrett, who at least plans beyond the next thrill.

The book by Perry Liu, Joe Calarco, and Alastair William King follows Billy as he blazes a trial of blood and crime across 1880s New Mexico. After joining up with Garrett, whom he meets in jail; a gang of lost boys; and Celsa, a loose woman and unmarried mother, the teenaged bandit kills a shopkeeper during a clumsy robbery and subsequently becomes a media sensation on a par with Lindsay Lohan or Paris Hilton. He even holds an anachronistic press conference with paparazzi snapping his photo. The characters speak like 2011 adolescents, frequently dropping the "f-bomb" and complaining about grownups abandoning them or assuming they are troublemakers.

Directed and choreographed with a sure, swift hand by Jenn Rapp, 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 but is hampered somewhat by Liu's pedestrian lyrics ("Damn this life/It cuts like a knife"). My other main problem with the show is its repetition. The theme of parental neglect leading to recklessness and tragedy is established quickly and then remade several times. If 20 minutes were cut from the two-act running time, "Outlaws" would be as lean as it is mean.

The six-member cast displays impressively rugged vocals and lifelike limning. Corey Boardman constructs a mighty wall of macho bluster as Billy and also shows us the scared little boy behind it. David Murgittroyd taps into Pat's innate intelligence as well as his explosive temper. Isabel Santiago's Celsa is both a sexy temptress and a desperately lonely girl trapped by her circumstances. Justin Gregory Lopez, Antonio Addeo, and Travis McClung round out the talented young company.

Self-presented as part of the New York Musical Theatre Festival at the McGinn/Cazale Theatre, 2162 Broadway, 4th floor, NYC. Sept. 28–Oct. 9. Remaining performances: Sat., Oct. 1, 8 p.m.; Thu., Oct. 6, 1 and 4:30 p.m.; Fri., Oct. 7, 8 p.m.; Sun. Oct. 9, 4:30 p.m. (212) 352-3101, (866) 811-4111, www.theatermania.com, or www.nymf.org. Casting by Clemmons/Dewing Casting.