By Dorothy Grace Franklin
Pictures: all rights reserved

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The infamous duo of Bonnie & Clyde have been repeatedly deemed one of the most romanticized outlaws in American history, both serving as members of the Barrow Gang during the early 1930s until they met their demise in 1934, forever remembered in the eyes of some as rebellious folk heroes and to others, they were nothing but deadly criminals. 

With lyrics by Frank Wildhorn, score by Don Black and book by Ivan Menchell, Bonnie & Clyde made its UK debut in 2022 via a special, two-night-only concert production, which is available for rental as of publication (the 24th of June 2024) through https://bonnieclydelive.com/. I was fortunate enough to view this filmed production ahead of its release date for review purposes; thank you to Bread And Butter PR for this excellent opportunity! 

Whilst one may desire, and indeed should desire, to leave thoughts of past productions behind when approaching a revival, the challenge of refraining from such comparisons is made increasingly more difficult when said revival features an original cast member – in the case of Bonnie & Clyde, this recurring face takes the form of Jeremy Jordan, reprising his role as Clyde Barrow from the short-lived original Broadway cast. However, this is not said in an attempt to discredit the performances of this utterly breathtaking cast; Jordan’s vocals felt more compelling within this film than those featured in the original cast recording. From his gun-swinging entrance during ‘Picture Show’ to the gritty, raspy notes sung during ‘Raise a Little Hell’, Jordan repeatedly justified his reputation as a Broadway Powerhouse. There was also a level of sophistication in his vocals that I wasn’t as present in the OBC album; here, as Clyde’s life of crime sharpens him, so too do Jordan’s vocals sharpen.

Frances Mayli McCann wowed as Bonnie. I only wish I had an opportunity to see her in the full staged UK tour, where she continued to play the role before its untimely cancellation with what I can only imagine to be equal brilliance. There was a real ease to her vocals that remained present in both the softest of notes and the strongest of belts, giving her portrayal of Bonnie moments of raw vulnerability which helped round the overall characterisation. 

George Maguire and Natalie McQueen stole every comedic scene as Buck and Blanche Barrow, whilst blowing me away with their skillful vocals. With controlled vibratos and Texan twangs, the couple’s singing voices felt akin to the banjos heard in the score: equal parts bouncy and charming. Their comedic timing was incredible, with each minuscule mannerism building up to create captivating presences. Maguire and Jordan managed to create an authentic sibling relationship, especially in ‘When I Drive’ – the youthful pretending Buck and Clyde embark on over the course of this brought to mind the naive ambitions of ‘Picture Show’, acting as a great callback to Clyde’s initial intentions. 

Liam Tamne as Deputy Sheriff Ted Hinton stood out to me, especially during ‘You Can Do Better Than Him’. Whilst I am not a fan of love triangle narratives in general, Ted’s yearning for Bonnie over the course of the show contains a level of historical accuracy I appreciated, as the real Hinton himself stated that he did always have a fondness for Bonnie which is encapsulated within this song. Although I cannot comment too much on the exact details of this portrayal in relation to reality, I can say with certainty that Tamne and Jordan’s duet was deeply beautiful.

The collective performances of an ensemble can act as a determiner of the show’s overall cohesion, and I am pleased to report that the ensemble of Bonnie & Clyde (featuring Casey Al-Shaqsy, Simon Anthony, Gillian Bevan, Eloise Daviesas Trish, Adrian Grove, Debbie Kurup, Matthew Malthouse, Trevor Dion Nicholas, Jeremy Secomb, Russell Wilcox, and Julie Yammanee) were absolutely incredible. My personal favorite ensemble-dominated song was ‘Made in America’, which recounted the conflicting public perceptions of Bonnie and Clyde: were they struggling young people doing what they could to survive, or were they hardened criminals with no respect for the law?

One of my favorite elements of this production is definitely the execution of the rich harmonies littered throughout Black’s score. The juicy harmonies sung by McCann and McQueen during ‘You Love Who You Love’ were as crisp as fresh apples, whilst the discordant harmonies in ‘Raise a Little Hell Reprise’ and ‘Made in America’ were as unnerving as intended.

Due to the show’s concert staging, I expected the set to be nothing to write home about – after all, what is Bonnie & Clyde without the duo’s infamous 1934 Ford ‘Death Car’? However, I was pleasantly surprised by the life and character offered by the set and costume design of Philip Whitcomb. Despite the limitations built into the task of designing for a concert production of a musical, Whitcomb managed to ground the action and distinguish between key locations through a multifunctional representative set in a highly satisfying manner, successfully conjuring Great Depression-era Southwestern America here in the South of England. In fact, Whitcomb drew from life when it came to the costume designs of the central characters, looking to the Barrow Gang’s immortalisation in a film to recreate Bonnie’s signature dress and Blanche’s equestrian-esque outfit for Act Two.

I can imagine the relatively gentle ending of Bonnie & Clyde would perhaps evoke a variety of emotions from an audience: to some, its simplicity may appear anticlimactic, and to others, it was a sweet ending for these lawless lovers – for me, the ending was sweet and soft, juxtaposing the violent ambush in which the two met their end. Overall, the filmed concert staging of Bonnie & Clyde was a delight to watch. I could not have asked for one of my favorite theatre scores to be presented in such a wonderful manner.