Bonnie And Clyde

Based on real-life accounts, the inspiration for this show comes from the incidents and relationships of American depression era crime duo Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker, giving us ‘All Saints Musical Productions’ latest presentation; "Bonnie and Clyde – the musical".  

With any show which failed to maintain a healthy run on the professional stage I naturally find myself making an attempt to dissect the piece and come to my own conclusion to why it might not have done so well. Sometimes it doesn’t take very long and it’s often blatantly clear why it flopped, usually because it’s rubbish. With this show, I failed to pinpoint a strong enough theory or opinion as this has so many ingredients and qualities to have sustained a far superior and deserving stretch. I wasn’t lucky enough to see a professional production of this show but maybe what was needed for it to succeed was sitting in Salford.

What a find! This show had (and needed) the passion and drive from its production team to believe and have faith in the project. Yes, being so unknown in the musical theatre catalogue of titles it was evident that the box office had suffered, however, if it’s any conciliation (and I hope it is), I have every confidence that the people who did attend and support the production would have loved it just as much as I did, or probably even more so would be more likely (for those who know me).  

This was opening night and for the technical aspects we saw the equivalent of a good dress rehearsal, they were still finding their feet as we had a few late cues and lighting states jumping back and forth but I have no doubt these would have been ironed out in no time. I always do my best to avoid attending shows on opening night as I prefer to give things chance to settle but this is occasionally unavoidable. I found the design of the lighting to be very attractive and rather than opting for predictable dark and ambient moods - that one may expect for a show of this nature - we got many bright scenes which reflects the Southern setting and contrasted nicely with the dark mood of the book.

Let’s get the few niggles which occurred out of the way. I found it somewhat grating to see people who’d just been killed (shot) getting up and running off into the wings in a strange ‘if I run bent over you won’t be able to see me’ fashion (!?) and one of my biggest bugbears is seeing the crew dressed in their blacks with cans on – I mean, could they look more out of place for this piece? – sauntering on in full light to move bits of furniture, and at the most inappropriate of moments too! It’s so easy to avoid such incidents and if there really is no other alternative than to see them, do they really need to distract us at such a sensitive moment in the song/scene? Could they be dressed as though they’re part of the cast to prevent them looking so out of place?  Such comments could be seen as being overly critical, however, it was only these aspects which reminded me that I was watching an amateur production.     

Many of the comments I’ve made and which are to follow relate back to Ian Bennett and his choices as Director. His dedication and enthusiasm communicates through the performances which is a fine example of how he infects his cast with his passion and love for the piece. In the grand scale of things, some of the more minor facets had been overlooked but it’s made easier for us to overlook those given the strength and proficiency which was demonstrated in other areas.

The set design was an excellent concept which eliminated any unnecessary fuss with help of projection, perhaps something on the back of the three screens to prevent us being able to see what was happening behind them would have seen a more improved finish to the set but I liked how it worked, its simplicity and overall presentation. The props and wardrobe departments had sourced a fine selection (including accurate footwear) with some not-so easy items obtained.  

Samuel Maurice gave a striking performance as Clyde Barrow, despite leading Bonnie down a dark path making us secretly wish she’d come to her senses and go home, the musical does allow Clyde to explain things to us which helps us to see and appreciate his situation a little more, he can’t be all bad if he’s singing to us – right? Though, getting hold of a gun with the desire to shoot things from a young age with Al Capone and Billy the Kid being his heroes, he gives the impression of having ‘trouble’ running through him from the start. Vocally, probably the most challenging and demanding sing of the show and one he faced with vigour.

Rosie Plummer was the biggest "wow" factor of this production. From the slinkiness of "How 'Bout a Dance," to the defiant "This World Will Remember Us" (with Samuel Maurice), to her heart wrenching explanation telling us she's not scared of the fatal path she's chosen in "Dyin' Ain't So Bad" which is the moment of this production which stayed with me for several days after. This role proved to be the perfect vehicle for her, suiting her style and impeccably showcasing her abilities, a very compelling and impressive achievement.

John Barry’s music direction was outstanding, the sound from on stage and under it (the pit) was exquisite. Regardless of if we know these songs or not one thing that’s for sure is the quality of the music and the vocals which could not be faulted. There really isn’t much more I can say about it than that.

Blanche Barrow (Clyde’s God-fearing Sister-in-Law) was another highlight performance of the evening. Played with maturity and sincerity by Dominique McClafferty. Bonnie sings “Dyin’ Aint So Bad” to Blanche when they know that death is a possible / likely result for them. But it’s the second line of the songs chorus which struck “…as long as you both go together”. Making a sad ending for Blanche as she’s the only survivor of the four.

We had many supporting roles throughout the show from many worthy performers, from Blanches customers in her salon to the sheriff’s crew and parents of the title characters. All of which were presented with high calibre, raw emotion but fittingly, everyone is desperate for something which came across as the mightiest trait of many, which is exactly what was needed. A mention has to go to Isabel Cross as Young Bonnie who sang and danced superbly, holding her own in skill and with verve against this throng of experienced players.  

All Saints Musical Productions are an embracing society who’ve welcomed many new faces onto their stage amongst the principal and supporting cast. The group have a reputation at excelling with ensemble pieces so it was a refreshing and bold choice to present this show which doesn’t rely on an ensemble for hardly anything …if anything at all, but their stylish production of this unpredictable choice of show demonstrated once again just why this company really is consistently the ones to watch.

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