Bonnie & Clyde

This was the first time I had seen a production of this dramatic musical with music by Frank Wildhorn, lyrics by Don Black and book by Ivan Menchell and I was “mighty impressed!” (if you’ll forgive the Americanism). It tells the story of the ill-fated lovers and outlaws Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow from their meeting in 1930 to their deaths in 1934. The score is a combination of rockabilly, blues and gospel redolent of the music of Texas in the Great Depression years which was played with gusto by Craig McDermott and his 8-piece band. Rhona Johnston and Matthew McBrier as the lead characters Bonnie and Clyde were truly outstanding both in their acting and singing abilities – they brought the chemistry between the two characters alive on stage. Excellent performances too were given by Lewis Craddock and Charlie Aitken as Clyde’s brother and sister-in-law Buck and Blanche Barrow. Blanche’s number with her trio of hairdressing salon customers “You’re Goin’ Back to Jail” was hilarious contrasting well with her more thoughtful solo “ Now That’s What You Call A Dream” in Act 2. Callum Bell gave a very strong portrayal of Sheriff’s Deputy Ted Hinton, driven by his love of Bonnie to rescue her from the clutches of Clyde – his duet with Clyde “You Can Do Better Than Him” was excellent. As the young Bonnie and Clyde, Beth Nicholson and Tom Dixon gave good accounts of the characters, with Beth in particular having a good, strong singing voice in the “Picture Show” number. Strong support was given by Rhonda Scott (Emma Parker, Bonnie’s long-suffering mother), Craig Scott (Sheriff Schmid), Cath Munro (Cumie Barrow, Clyde’s anguished mother), Kenny O’Brien (Henry Barrow, Clyde’s dispirited father). The ensemble did not have much to do musically but gave a rousing rendition of the gospel-like “God’s Arms Are Always Open” led by Scott Jameson’s powerful Preacher. The multi-level set, in shades of brown, gave off the atmosphere of dusty small-town America of the period and with a few simple changes moved easily between interior and exterior scenes. The costuming was appropriate to the era. Thank you all for bringing this entertaining but thought provoking production to the North East.

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