Bonnie & Clyde: A New Musical
Encyclopedia
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, and opened on Broadway
with previews beginning November 4, 2011.
The musical centers on title characters, 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."
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.
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
, with the opening scheduled for December 1, 2011.
, 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 ("This World Will Remember Us"). Back home, 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"). Upon hearing Buck's plan, Clyde is strongly opposed to the idea and separates from Buck. 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").
Bonnie & Clyde begin a life of crime, robbing banks and traveling all around to avoid being caught ("Made in America"). They send 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 made in their current situation, and he and Blanche join them ("That's What You Call a Dream"). By this point, the gang has achieved folk hero status throughout the country, with officers in every Southern state on the hunt for these outlaws. In the hideout, Bonnie and Blanche nervously await the return of Clyde and Buck from a spree, as Bonnie reminds Blanche that a short and loving life wouldn't be so bad ("Dyin' Ain't So Bad"). When their hideout is raided by authorities, there is a huge shootout in which Buck is mortally wounded. Bonnie and Clyde narrowly escape, though the bloodied Blanche stays with Buck before being carried off by police and arrested. 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.
ACT II
Frank Wildhorn
Frank Wildhorn is an American composer known for both his musicals and popular songs. He is most known for his musical Jekyll & Hyde, which ran four years on Broadway, and for writing the #1 International Hit song "Where Do Broken Hearts Go?" for Whitney Houston.-Early years:Wildhorn was born in...
, and lyrics by Don Black. It is directed by Jeff Calhoun. The musical made its world premiere at the La Jolla Playhouse
La Jolla Playhouse
La Jolla Playhouse is a not-for-profit, professional theatre-in-residence on the campus of the University of California, San Diego. -Background:...
in November 2009, and opened on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
with previews beginning November 4, 2011.
The musical centers on title characters, 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
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
. 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 - them with Michael Lanning and Linda EderLinda Eder
Linda Eder is an American singer and actress. She made her Broadway debut in the musical Jekyll & Hyde, for which she received 1997 Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Nominations, as well as the Theatre World Award for Best Actress in a Musical...
for Atlantic Records. The music contains elements of country and western, the Blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
, and Broadway pop.
In February 2009, the show held an industry-only reading at Roundabout Theatre Company
Roundabout Theatre Company
The Roundabout Theatre Company is a leading non-profit theatre company based in New York City.-History:The company was founded in 1965 by Gene Feist and Elizabeth Owens and now operates five theatres, all in Manhattan: the American Airlines Theatre ; Studio 54 ; the Stephen Sondheim Theatre The...
, starring Laura Osnes
Laura Osnes
Laura Ann Osnes is an American stage actress, and the winner of the role of "Sandy" on the televised Grease: You're the One that I Want! competition. She played Sandy in the 2007 Broadway run of Grease, which opened August 19, 2007, starring alongside the other winner, Max Crumm, who played the...
as Bonnie and Stark Sands
Stark Sands
Stark Bunker Sands is an American actor of film, television and theatre.-Biography:Sands was born and raised in Dallas, Texas, where he began acting on the stage at age 13 at Highland Park High School. He received his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in acting from the University of Southern California...
as Clyde. It was directed by Jeff Calhoun
Jeff Calhoun (choreographer)
Jeff Calhoun is an American director, choreographer, producer and dancer.As a student at Richland High School, now Pine-Richland High School , Calhoun was interested in both athletics and performance, playing football and studying tap dance. He danced in the ensemble at The Kenley Players in Ohio...
. Other featured and ensemble cast were Rob Evan
Rob Evan
Rob Evan is a singer and actor, best known as a lead performer in numerous Broadway musicals, a performer in national and international tours of musical productions, and a featured vocalist on several music albums.-Personal:...
, 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 PlayhouseLa Jolla Playhouse
La Jolla Playhouse is a not-for-profit, professional theatre-in-residence on the campus of the University of California, San Diego. -Background:...
in La Jolla, California, running from November 10, 2009, through December 20, 2009. Calhoun was the director and choreographer, with John McDaniel
John McDaniel (musician)
John William McDaniel is an American theatre producer, composer, conductor, and pianist. He is known as the lead composer and producer of the 1996 television talk show The Rosie O'Donnell Show, for which he received six Daytime Emmy Award nominations, winning two.McDaniel is also known for his...
, 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
Mare Winningham
Mare Winningham , born Mary Megan Winningham, is an American actress and singer-songwriter. She has been nominated once for an Academy Award, Golden Globe and Drama Desk, 7 times for Emmy Awards , and has also won an Independent Spirit Award and two Screen Actors Guild Award nominations.She is...
as Bonnie's mother, Wayne Duvall
Wayne Duvall
Wayne Duvall is an American actor, known for playing Homer Stokes in O Brother Where Art Thou?, Coach Ferguson in "Leatherheads" and Ned Guston in "Duplicity". On television he is best known for playing Sgt. Phil Brander on The District . In 2002, he married Denise Guillet...
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
Asolo Repertory Theatre
The Asolo Repertory Theatre or Asolo Rep is a professional theater in Sarasota, Florida. It is the largest Equity theatre in Florida, and the largest Repertory theatre in the Southeastern United States. Asolo Rep is a resident regional theatre company which also invites in guest artists...
in Sarasota
Sarasota, Florida
Sarasota is a city located in Sarasota County on the southwestern coast of the U.S. state of Florida. It is south of the Tampa Bay Area and north of Fort Myers...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
. 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
Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre
The Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre is a Broadway theatre located at 236 West 45th Street in midtown-Manhattan named for Gerald Schoenfeld....
, with the opening scheduled for December 1, 2011.
Plot
In Depression-era West TexasTexas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, 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 ("This World Will Remember Us"). Back home, 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"). Upon hearing Buck's plan, Clyde is strongly opposed to the idea and separates from Buck. 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").
Bonnie & Clyde begin a life of crime, robbing banks and traveling all around to avoid being caught ("Made in America"). They send 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 made in their current situation, and he and Blanche join them ("That's What You Call a Dream"). By this point, the gang has achieved folk hero status throughout the country, with officers in every Southern state on the hunt for these outlaws. In the hideout, Bonnie and Blanche nervously await the return of Clyde and Buck from a spree, as Bonnie reminds Blanche that a short and loving life wouldn't be so bad ("Dyin' Ain't So Bad"). When their hideout is raided by authorities, there is a huge shootout in which Buck is mortally wounded. Bonnie and Clyde narrowly escape, though the bloodied Blanche stays with Buck before being carried off by police and arrested. 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 Us"--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 OsnesLaura OsnesLaura Ann Osnes is an American stage actress, and the winner of the role of "Sandy" on the televised Grease: You're the One that I Want! competition. She played Sandy in the 2007 Broadway run of Grease, which opened August 19, 2007, starring alongside the other winner, Max Crumm, who played the...
- Clyde Barrow - Jeremy JordanJeremy Jordan (Broadway/film performer)Jeremy Jordan is an American actor and singer. He has performed on Broadway and in television and film, as well as in other theatrical productions. He is best known in the role of Tony in the 2010 Broadway production of West Side Story....
- 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
- The Sheriff - Joe Hart
- Bud - Matt LutzMatt LutzMatt Lutz is an American film, television, and theatre actor, who played Phil Newberry on the Hallmark Channel's "McBride" murder-mystery series from 2004–2006, and has had significant roles in the feature films "A Walk to Remember", "Bringing Down the House", and "End of the Spear"...
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
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)