Bonnie & Clyde (musical)

Bonnie & Clyde
Original Broadway poster
Music	Frank Wildhorn
Lyrics	Don Black
Book	Ivan Menchell
Basis	The lives of Bonnie and Clyde
Productions	2009 La Jolla Playhouse 2010 Asolo Repertory Theatre 2011 Broadway 2011 Tokyo, Japan

Bonnie & Clyde is a musical with a book by Ivan Menchell, music by Frank Wildhorn, and lyrics by Don Black. It is directed by Jeff Calhoun. The musical made its world premiere at the La Jolla Playhouse in November 2009, played Asolo Repertory Theare in Sarasota, FL in late 2010 and opened on Broadway on December 1, 2011. Despite a generally positive audience reaction, due to negative critical reception and lackluster ticket sales the show closed on Broadway on December 30, 2011.

The musical centers on Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow, the ill-fated lovers and outlaws whose story has been infamous since they achieved folk hero status during the Great Depression. Wildhorn has described the music as a "non-traditional score, combining rockabilly, blues and gospel music."

Background

Previously, Black and Wildhorn collaborated on Dracula, the Musical, which also had its world premiere in La Jolla. Wildhorn got in touch with Black about the possibility of writing a song cycle based on the story of Bonnie and Clyde. They released a demo of songs - five of which are still in the present musical - with Michael Lanning and Linda Eder for Atlantic Records. The music contains elements of country and western, the Blues, and Broadway pop.

In February 2009, the show held an industry-only reading at Roundabout Theatre Company, starring Laura Osnes as Bonnie and Stark Sands as Clyde. It was directed by Jeff Calhoun. Other featured and ensemble cast were Rob Evan, Kelsey Fowler, Natalie Hill, Michael Lanning, David Larsen, Jacob Levine, Brynn O'Malley, Geoff Packard, Tricia Paoluccio, Jessica Phillips, Nancy Ringham, Bart Shatto, Marty Thomas, Ben Thompson, Tad Wilson and Betsy Wolfe.

Production history

The musical had its world premiere at the La Jolla Playhouse in La Jolla, California, running from November 10, 2009, through December 20, 2009. Calhoun was the director and choreographer, with John McDaniel, music director and orchestrator; Tobin Ost, Scenic and Costume designer; Michael Gilliam, lighting designer; and Aaron Rhyne, projection designer. Osnes and Sands starred, along with Mare Winningham as Bonnie's mother, Wayne Duvall as the hot-tempered sheriff who's got it in for Clyde, Melissa van der Schyff as Blanche, Claybourne Elder as Buck and Leslie Becker as Clyde and Buck's mother. It won five major 2009 San Diego Theatre Critics Circle Awards.

The next production opened on November 19, 2010 at the Asolo Repertory Theatre in Sarasota, Florida. It ran through December 19, 2010, and was once again directed and choreographed by Jeff Calhoun. Asolo producing artistic director Michael Edwards had said: "How it goes here will determine whether it goes to Broadway."

The musical began Broadway previews on November 4, 2011, at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre, and opened on December 1, 2011. The show closed on December 30, 2011 after 33 previews and 36 regular performances.

Plot

In Depression-era West Texas, Bonnie is a 23 year-old diner waitress who dreams of a life in the movies ("Picture Show"). Clyde Barrow, who has just broken out of prison with his brother Buck, discovers Bonnie on the side of the road and a connection is made between the two dreamers as he repairs her car in exchange for a lift into Dallas ("This World Will Remember Me"). Meanwhile, Blanche Barrow urges her husband, Buck, to turn himself in and set things right with the Lord and with the law ("You're Goin Back to Jail").

Bonnie ends up spending the whole day, and several thereafter, with Clyde. She tells him of her grand plans: to be an actress, a poet and a singer. Clyde convinces her to sing him a song (How 'Bout a Dance?) and assures her that together they'll make both their dreams - his of a life without having to worry about money, hers of fame - come true.

The two go to visit Buck. Clyde is overjoyed to see his brother again and they talk of driving away from Dallas in the latest Ford, which is said to be able to go 60 miles per hour (When I Drive). However, when Clyde hears of Buck's plan to turn himself in and complete his sentence, he's strongly opposed to the idea and leaves angrily.

Laura Osnes and Jeremy Jordan

However, Clyde is eventually caught by authorities while Buck turns himself in ("God's Arms Are Always Open"). Clyde receives a much harsher jail sentence, and faces a difficult time of continuous physical and sexual assault while in prison. At the peak of his abuse, Clyde turns to a makeshift weapon and performs his first murder ("Raise a Little Hell"). He convinces Bonnie to smuggle a gun into his cell, and Clyde again breaks out of prison, this time killing a deputy ("This World Will Remember Us").

Act II Bonnie & Clyde begin a life of crime, robbing stores and traveling all around to avoid being caught ("Made in America"). During a grocery store robbery gone wrong, Clyde shoots a deputy who was, in his words, "trying to be a hero." when she hears that Clyde has gone from robbery to murder, a frenzied Bonnie wants out (Too Late to Turn Back Now) but realizes that she's too far from what she's known to go back. In part due to the grocery store shooting, the two achieve folk hero status throughout the country, with officers in every Southern state on the hunt for them. Clyde sends occasional letters to Buck and Blanche, telling them of the adventures and opportunities they've made on the road. Buck begins to see that there is more for them out there than can be found in their current situation, and he unsuccessfully tries to convince Blanche that they should join Clyde and Bonnie ("That's What You Call a Dream").

The infamous duo, meanwhile, continue on their robbery spree, growing increasingly bold in their endeavors (What Was Good Enough for You) and graduating from stores to banks. In the midst of an unsuccessful bank robbery, Clyde is shot in the shoulder. Upon hearing of his brother's injury, Buck leaves home - and his wife, who's torn between her love for her husband and what she knows is right - to help Clyde. In the hideout, Clyde and Bonnie share a tender moment (Bonnie) before being interrupted by Buck at the door. He's with a reluctant Blanche; her love for her husband won out in the end. Days later, Bonnie and Blanche nervously await the return of Clyde and Buck from a robbery, as Blanche questions how Bonnie can happily live the way they do. Bonnie replies that she and Clyde are the only ones truly living life to the fullest ("Dyin' Ain't So Bad"). Buck and Clyde return, with their respective partners elated to see them, but the celebration is short-lived as they learn that they've been followed by the authorities to the hideout. A shootout ensues, in which Buck is mortally wounded. Clyde quickly whisks Bonnie away, but a heartbroken Blanche stays with Buck until his dying breath and is arrested ("God's Arms Are Always Open [Reprise]").

In the woods on the way back to Dallas, Clyde wonders how his family will even be able to look at him after what he's done to Buck. Bonnie assures him that it wasn't his fault, but both realize that they're nearing the end of their fateful journey (Picture Show [Reprise]/Dyin' Ain't So Bad [Reprise]). On May 23, 1934, on a rural Louisianan road, Bonnie and Clyde are ambushed and killed by police on the way to meet their parents.

Songs

ACT I

• "Picture Show"--Young Bonnie, Young Clyde, Bonnie, Clyde
• "This World Will Remember Me"--Clyde, Bonnie
• "You're Goin' Back to Jail"--Blanche, Buck, Salon Women
• "How 'Bout a Dance"--Bonnie
• "When I Drive"--Clyde, Buck
• "God's Arms Are Always Open"--Preacher, Congregation
• "You Can Do Better Than Him"--Ted, Clyde
• "You Love Who You Love"--Bonnie, Blanche
• "Raise a Little Hell"--Clyde
• "This World Will Remember Us"--Clyde, Bonnie

ACT II

• "Made in America"--Preacher, Ensemble
• "Too Late to Turn Back Now"--Clyde, Bonnie
• "That's What You Call a Dream"--Blanche
• "What Was Good Enough For You"--Clyde, Bonnie
• "Bonnie"--Clyde
• "Raise a Little Hell (Reprise)"--Clyde, Buck, Ted
• "Dyin' Ain't So Bad"--Bonnie
• "God's Arms are Always Open (Reprise)"--Blanche, Preacher
• "Picture Show (Reprise)"--Young Bonnie, Young Clyde
• "Dyin' Ain't So Bad (Reprise)"--Clyde, Bonnie

Cast

• Bonnie Parker - Laura Osnes
• Clyde Barrow - Jeremy Jordan
• Blanche Barrow - Melissa van der Schyff
• Marvin "Buck" Barrow - Claybourne Elder
• Ted Hinton - Louis Hobson
• Cumie Barrow & Gov. Ferguson - Leslie Becker
• Emma Parker - Mimi Bessette
• Preacher - Michael Lanning
• The Sheriff - Joe Hart
• Bud - Matt Lutz
• Young Bonnie - Kelsey Fowler
• Young Clyde -Talon Ackerman

Response

La Jolla Playhouse

The Los Angeles Times review complimented the leads, saying that Osnes "effectively works the red-headed moll temptress angle while Stark Sands' Clyde flaunts his ripped torso as often as possible. And both possess sharp musical instincts." The Wildhorn score "is undeniably impressive." Although it notes that "stylistically, the work seems beholden to conventional forms yet curious about modern breakthroughs... what is motivating the retelling of this story?"

Asolo Repertory Theatre

"Bonnie & Clyde" opened Friday at the Asolo Repertory Theatre with a bang—actually quite a few deadly bangs—and by night's end proved worthy of all the buzz it has created...On balance, though, "Bonnie & Clyde" has all the markings of a musical bound for success on the Great White Way and should be mandatory viewing for all local theater enthusiasts." -Wade Tatangelo, Brandenton.com

There is much to recommend in this show about the two fame-obsessed Texas outlaws in the early 1930s. It boasts two star-making performances by Jeremy Jordan and Laura Osnes in the title roles, smooth and action-packed staging by Jeff Calhoun, an impressive set that also displays historic videos and photos, and a tune-filled score by Frank Wildhorn and lyricist Don Black." -Jay Handelman, Herald Tribune

Broadway

The musical opened on December 1, 2011 to mixed to negative reviews; it received generally positive word of mouth, but ticket sales were slow and producers announced on the 16th of December that the show will be closing on December 30. The cast and crew, as well as many of the production's supporters, expressed that they felt the critics had been biased due to Wildhorn's previous Broadway track record. Director Jeff Calhoun stated to the press on January 2, 2012 that he has "never had a show close while it was still playing to audiences like a hit." A cast album was recorded on January 2, and is slated for a spring release.

Worldwide Productions

A production is currently playing in Tokyo, Japan. Megumi Hamada stars as Bonnie with Mario Tashiro as Clyde. The show also features Koki Okada as Buck, Yuri Shirahane as Blanche and Masaaki Fujioka/Masataka Nakagauchi sharing the role of Ted Hinton. The Japanese version of the show includes "Short Order World" (featured in the United States only in the La Jolla Playhouse version) as well as "When I Drive" (added to the show during its Asolo Rep run).

Awards

• San Diego Theatre Critics Circle Award for Outstanding New Musical
• San Diego Theatre Critics Circle Award for Best Director of a Musical (Jeff Calhoun)
• San Diego Theatre Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Musical Direction
• San Diego Theatre Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical (Laura Osnes)
• San Diego Theatre Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical (Melissa van der Schyff)

External links

• Official Bonnie & Clyde Broadway website
• Bonnie & Clyde at Broadway's Best Shows
• Internet Broadway Database listing
• "'Bonnie & Clyde', LaJolla Playhouse
• Bonnie and Clyde at the Asolo Repertory Theater, Sarasota
• Frank Wildhorn page on Bonnie & Clyde: A New Musical