Bonnie & Clyde – A Musical

At the height of the Great Depression, between 1910 and 1934, Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow rose from being Texas nobodies to becoming lovers, thrill seekers, folk heroes, criminals, and FBI’s “most wanted”.   The musical “Bonnie & Clyde” at San Jose Stage www.thetage.org, is based on the book by Ivan Menchell, and electrifying lyrics are by Don Black, with music by Frank Wildhorn.

The cast is fabulous.  Allison F. Rich and Cliff McCormick in the role of Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow are superb as America’s fascinating outlaws.  As Bonnie & Clyde leave Texas, their robberies and crime spree spreads through Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Missouri, killing at least 13 people.  Their prophetic lyrics point to the nature of things to come.

Clyde & Bonnie
We are wasted ’round here
We’re too good for this place.
We weren’t born to live
And die in Texas!
This is my plan- there’s no plan B
And this world will remember me.
You and this world will remember me!

Bonnie is not the only one lured by the picture or riches & luxury painted by Clyde.   Bonnie is not the only one keen to loose her “egg-stained apron”, yearning for “somethin made of satin”.  Not long after Bonnie & Clyde embark on the adventure of crime and its rewards, they are joined by Clyde’ brother Buck Barrow (Will Springhorn), as he ignores all warnings from his wife Blanche Barrow (Halsey Varady).

The barrow brothers together enjoyed the brief stint of crime and adventure, before all  hell broke loose.

Clyde & Buck Barrow
We are the heroes who
The people look up to
And brother that feels great

Director, Michael Navarrta and Musical Director, Allison F. Rich, along with the entire creative team have done a fantastic job of recreating this drama, that in the words of Garland Thompson, “really wants to be a movie”.  Special shoutout to Projections Designer, Garland Thompson, Videographer Chris Eldridge, and Stage Manager, Jason Nall for seamlessly blending in video projections with the set, to make this adventure come alive.  As Bonnie and Clyde and their gang, escape from captivity, evade the police, and keep jumping the state lines, the video projections as backdrops add meaningful information, and are vivid and imaginative.

Don’t miss this show that will take you on an unforgettable journey of crime and adventure.  As Randall King, the Artistic Director says, “This is the perfect way to close out the season with guns-a-blazing”.  This show will be running at The Stage in San Jose, now through July, 27.  For tickets and other information, go to www.thestage.org.

English: Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow, sometime between 1932 and 1934, when their exploits in Arkansas included murder, robbery, and kidnapping. Contrary to popular belief the two never married. They were in a long standing relationship. Posing in front of an early 1930s Ford V-8 automobile. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)