Bonnie & Clyde

This is a show that has not yet ‘done the rounds’ of the amdram circuit so it was fresh and director Suzanne Walters did not have to consider the audiences pre-conceived ideas of the show.  It is quite a ‘dark’ show and the music is especially powerful and varied.  For me the script and score seemed incompatible.

The two lead roles were well cast, Sophie Cave was terrific as Bonnie, a, really, excellent characterisation and very well performed.  Declan Wright played Clyde and he has a powerful singing voice which made his songs very watchable.  Their duets were particularly memorable.

John Staines played Clyde’s brother Buck well, a strong performance.  Heather Cooper played his wife Blanche, and this was another excellent performance, totally believable with a touch of humour and plenty of drama!   Ross Howard played Ted Hinton very well, he showed the angst of loving Bonnie and not believing she could do anything bad.

The children playing young Bonnie and young Clyde were both good, plenty of confidence and good characters.  It’s a shame I only get to see one pair, but I am sure that the other two were equally as good.

There were some notable cameo parts, the three Salon ladies were very entertaining, strong performers all and they brought some much needed comedy to the roles.  I did say the show was quite dark, so these comedy interludes did help to keep the show alive.  Jon Buxton played the preacher well, resisting the temptation to go ‘over the top’ he kept the character just the right side of caricature which really worked well in the show.

The ensemble all had some character to play and I just don’t have the space to mention them all.  They did an excellent job and the show, as a whole, was well performed.    The accents were not always accurate, but the Southern Drawl is quite tricky to do, so well done to everyone for giving it a go.  It was difficult to understand some of the dialogue because the actors did not speak slowly enough.  This accent is the best excuse of all for not rushing dialogue, it works so much better when it is well paced.

The scenery was very effective, and the cast worked the different levels well.  There were one or two ‘oddities’ for example, where did Clyde get a bed leg from, to use as a weapon, when the bed was on the floor?   I also find it very odd that, on stage, it is considered fine for people to drink from empty glasses.

The costumes were, in the main, right for the period and some of the ladies’ dresses and suits were absolutely beautiful.  However, I do have to comment on the modern shoes worn by some of the men.  Ladies wearing character shoes works and they cross the periods well.  However, men wearing long toed shoes is just completely wrong.  Some of the suits were also a bit too modern but I do appreciate the difficulties in getting suitable period style suits.   However closer attention to these details would have been beneficial to the production.

Choreography was minimal but, to be honest, I didn’t really see many opportunities for big company numbers.  It is the one of the things that is, perhaps, lacking in the script.  The band, under the direction of Ashton Moore, was well balanced and provided a good support for the singing. Matching the volume and power as required.   Light and sound were fine, although there were one or two occasions when mics were turned up late.  Given that it is a professional technical team, I find this unacceptable.

Overall a good, strong, production. It was well received by the audience, it is, however, a shame that the audience was comparatively small.  I do hope it picked up for the rest of the run.

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