Bonnie & Clyde, The Musical

For their first musical of the year, the Norbury Players took us back to 1930s America and the tale of notorious criminal outlaws Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow.  The scene was set from the off, as the foyer displayed a series of ‘Wanted’ posters for members of the cast and crew, complete with amusing comments on their misdemeanours!  The programme also featured a respectful roll-call of the victims of the pair, rightly highlighting the human cost of their actions and encouraging us to avoid romanticising them.

Into the auditorium and we were greeted by a full size vehicle on stage, a 1939 Morris 8 Series E, which really helped to set the mood for the show to come.  There was an appropriately rough-hewn feel to the staging, with the rear of the stage faced with wooden boards, as was a raised platform, behind which sat the band, on full display. 

The play got off to a strong start as we met Young Bonnie, confidently portrayed by Alexis Steele (this role was shared with Emma Savic, who joined the ensemble for the performance that I attended).  Alexis is a performer who I have seen several times at the Norbury, and it was good to see her continuing her progress with this characterful performance.  Alongside her, Lucid Peace played Young Clyde, clearly demonstrating the hot-headed nature of his personality that would cause so many problems later on in life.  Their song ‘Picture Show’ provided a great start to the evening.

Unfortunately, actor David Bradley was unable to perform due to illness, meaning that Paul Steele stepped into the lead role of Clyde at extremely short notice (just a few hours before the first performance.)  Paul did an astonishingly good job in the circumstances, singing and acting well, and fully interacting with the other performers.  An outstanding effort, bravo!  A word too for Assistant Stage Manager Sarah Nicholas, who manually scrolled through the entire script for the autocue display, whilst also cueing the sound and lighting – that must have taken some real concentration.

This change also meant that Sarah Smith, Hayley Gass and Mary Steele shared the role of Preacher, with Hayley Marshall taking on the roles of Frank Hamer and Alcorn.  They all did tremendously well to cope with these short notice changes, which really showed the togetherness within the cast and willingness to do what was necessary so that the show could go on! 

The role of Bonnie was performed by Grace Duggan, another familiar Norbury face, in this case taking on her first leading lady role.  She did an excellent job of it, giving a natural, charismatic performance and showing a great range of emotion as well as a keen eye for humour, even in serious situations such as the hold-ups which Bonnie and Clyde carried out.  She wasn’t put off by the cast changes going on around her, taking responsibility and providing strong support for Paul as he stepped into the role of Clyde.  Her singing was strong throughout, in particular her solo number ‘Dyin’ Ain’t So Bad’ which was impressively performed, and accompanied by some nice lighting (well done to Ben Thompson for the lighting design.)

Further strong performances came from Francis Blincoe as Clyde’s brother, Buck Barrow, and Hayley Gass as his wife, Blanche.  Hayley was particularly good as the woman who tried to keep her husband away from the orbit of his destructive brother, only to eventually be drawn in to their final tragedy. Her duet with Bonnie, ‘You Love Who You Love’ was a striking and emotional first-half highlight. Francis also did very well to show Buck’s love for his wife but also his ultimate love for the gangster lifestyle that undid them both, as illustrated in the forceful reprise of ‘Raise a Little Hell’ with Clyde.

As the officers of the law pursuing the fugitive Bonnie and Clyde, Steve Peace was a strong, unyielding Sheriff Schmid, whilst Jake Jones gave Ted Hinton an edge of desperation as his yearning for Bonnie fuelled a desperate fire to bring her, and more particularly Clyde, to justice.  Also hitting strong emotional beats were the parents of the protagonists – Emma Parker (Mary Steele), Cumie Barrow (Julia Jones) and Henry Barrow (James Cowlishaw).

The principals were supported by a committed ensemble, who provided effective support during the group scenes.  Liz Griffiths, Abii Ward and Hayley Marshall were to the fore as Blanche’s concerned friends Eleanor, Trish and Stella; whilst specialist dancers Emily Dutton, Emily Tennant and Laura Ann Roberts delivered some nice choreography from Lois Press (who also co-directed), with the charming Beauty Parlour-set ‘Going Back to Jail’ being a particular highlight. 

Rounding out the cast were Alice Clarke, Linda Cooke, Charlotte Gomersall, Erin Jones, Ryan Simcock and Sarah Smith, who played a variety of roles including churchgoers, bystanders and unfortunate victims of Bonnie and Clyde.  I thought the group songs such as ‘God’s Arms are Always Open’ and ‘Made in America’ made particularly good use of the ensemble.

Co-directing the show alongside Lois was musical director Laurence Nicholas, who led an eight strong band with a great, swinging style that suited the music perfectly.  He even found time to fill in with a nice solo towards the end of the play!  The pair, directing together for the first time, added some good directorial flourishes.  I particularly liked the Police approaching the Barrow gang through the auditorium during the final siege, which added an intimacy to the scene by bringing the audience into it.  They also fashioned a downbeat, respectful ending as Bonnie and Clyde retreated to their vehicle – hinting at, rather than showing, their final demise. 

Congratulations to the Norbury Players for staging such an engaging, thought-provoking production of this musical, and well done to the whole cast for coping so well with the enforced, last minute changes.  As I write, I believe that there are tickets still available for the second week of the show’s run, so do yourself a favour and get on down to the Norbury and grab yourself a piece of the action! 

Chris Davies. Regional Representative District 05

Chris, as the Regional Representative, saw the show earlier in the run than I did in my role as Regional Councillor for NODA West Midlands. 

For this performance, Paul Steele was undertaking the role of Clyde for the fourth time. Although he referred to the autocue on occasions, it was evident that he had learnt many of the lines and was using it more as a safety blanket. The pace of the performance was not affected, and he had clearly worked hard to develop the character.

My congratulations go to Paul for embodying the "the show must go on" spirit. This commitment was clearly acknowledged and appreciated by the audience. 

Although not necessarily a well-known musical, the score is wonderful and was expertly delivered by the band under the musical direction of Laurence Nicholas. 

My congratulations go to everyone on and off stage for an entertaining evening, and I wish you all the very best for your second week. I most certainly look forward to seeing Our House later in the year.

Andy Brown, Regional Councillor NODA West Midlands

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.