Bonnie & Clyde

Bonnie and Clyde is set in the 1930’s and based on two folk heroes at the time of the depression in America. In Arthur Penn’s 1967 movie version the lead roles are played by Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway. The musical adaptation with music by Frank Wildhorn, lyrics by Don Black is based on a book by Ivan Menchell.

For anyone unfamiliar with the story of Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow, they die in the end. In the musical version, they die in the beginning too. The couple surrounded by gun-toting cops as they drive in their Ford V8 opens the show, from there on in we are part of the ill-fated journey that leads to this fatal conclusion. The story is quite a simple story of boy meets girl, but boy sees himself as a wannabe Billy the Kid and the girl, in search of fame, wants it at any cost.

Opening the show, Emily Richmond and Aron Mir were so self-assured and perfectly suited for the roles of the young Bonnie and Clyde. Emily gave a confident and bright characterisation of the girl with the world at her feet and stardom in her eyes whilst Aron delivered with conviction the boy finding his way in a troubled time with questionable heroes to look up too. They both sang and acted with ability way beyond their years.

The four main characters excelled in every way possible. Dom Moccia was totally convincing as the Billy the Kid inspired Clyde Barrow. It is a very challenging and demanding role which Dom gave not only energy and enthusiasm but depicted the complexities of the character superbly. From serenading Bonnie whilst sitting in a bathtub to delivering the more upbeat numbers with great relish, Dom gave a magnificent performance. Coming late to the production Molly Griffiths was perfect as Bonnie Parker. She deeply loves Clyde and very soon becomes a part in his ‘world’. She excelled in both acting and singing and the number “Dyin Ain’t So Bad” was as heart wrenching as it was superb. Dom and Molly were perfect partners in crime.

Another stand out performance came from Poppy-Jo Lumley as Blanche, the deeply religious but caring wife of Clyde’s brother Buck. Her singing of “Now That’s What You Call A Dream” was so moving as was the duet with Bonnie “You Love Who You Love”.

Robin Walsh put in a strong performance as Buck, trying desperately to stay on the right side of his wife whilst at the same time being loyal to his brother and making some easy money. Strong vocals and acting gave the audience another fantastic character.

Excellent support came from Kristian Cleworth as Ted Hinton. Ted is a long-time admirer of Bonnie and it must have been torturous to have been part of the final ambush to bring her down. Kristian was faultless. Quality singing and confidence in every scene he brought real pathos.

Jon Crebbin as The Preacher gave the audience something really special. “Gods Arms Are Always Open” was truly sensational. Jon commanded the stage and had the audience in the palm of his hand. People can learn a lot from watching this man perform.

Clyde’s parents played by Geraldine Mulligan and Gareth Treece, Bonnie’s mother Melanie Murray, the three sassy ladies in the hairdresser’s salon Sonya Calvert (Trish), Anne-Marie Senior (Stella), Stacey Gilyard (Elanor) and Colin Harris as Sherriff Schmitt, brought some real strength in depth to the strong principle cast. To be honest all the ensemble added so much value to the entire production it was hard to find fault.

The set was multi-level and quite minimalist and the cast and crew coped extremely well with the large number of scene changes. The minimalist set made sure your focus was on the characters at all times. I loved the car which emerged from the back of the stage several times and the projections of event headlines as the crimes unfolded added a nice final touch.

Lighting and Sound were both crisp and enhanced the scenes without over powering them. The set/stage/sound/lighting and props team deserve a lot of credit for their efforts.

Costumes were of the high standard you would expect from seasoned costumier Ian Stead.

Congratulations must go to Michael Hellawell (Director) Robert Durkin (MD) and Adele Taylor (Choreographer).  Michael skilfully directed this show ensuring that every scene had its purpose. Never was a line thrown away or without reason. Alongside the touching dialogue Michael gave it an odd sense of fun considering the storyline, especially in the final bows, so audiences went home with smiles on their faces.

Rob held the tricky score together in the way you would expect from a professional performer. From blues to gospel and a touch of country, Rob had us tapping our feet or wiping our eyes.

Not exactly a “Dancing Show” however Adele added some quality routines when it was needed and the final bows dance was a joy to watch with some clever period moves used to close the show on a high.

From front of house to all the backstage crew and to the wonderful cast, congratulations. Your obvious hard work, commitment and enthusiasm made this a most entertaining piece of theatre. Thank you for making my wife and I feel very welcomed and it was refreshing to see a company bring something new to the stage.

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