Observations Along The Road... at Dreamwidth

Some people just do not like Frank Wildhorn and his musicals. Unfortunately for Mr. Wildhorn, many of those are critics at the New York Times, which explain why his shows have never become hits on Broadway. I, on the other hand, like his music quite a bit. I’ve enjoyed Jekyll and Hyde and Scarlet Pimpernel (which I saw back in 2003, before I started blogging). I’d still love to see his version of Wonderland. One of his shows that I’ve always enjoyed the music from — but have never seen — is Bonnie & Clyde. It opened on Broadway in 2011, and closed quickly. It never went on tour. So it was on my list of musicals that I’ve never seen, but have heard (note: It looks like a West End version is streaming). Here’s a song as a taste.

Luckily, this seems to be my season to see shows that I’ve only heard but never seen. When I learned that the Rubicon Theatre in Ventura was doing the show, I figured out a way to get tickets. I’ve always known about the Rubicon, but their ticket prices and distance always deterred me. As an aside: We were so impressed with the company that there’s a good chance that next year we’ll replace our 5-Star Theatricals subscription with Rubicon.  We’ve seen the shows 5-Star is doing (and we can always get tickets if they do something we haven’t seen), but the Rubicon will fit the slot in our schedule for a small theatre that does new works including rarely done musicals.

So today we drove out to Ventura to see the matinee of Bonnie & Clyde. It was worth the drive.

For those who haven’t figured it out now,  Bonnie & Clyde tells the story of Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow, starting from the time they met to their grisly demise. Actually, it starts with the demise as well, which serves as a framing device so the ending isn’t quite the shocker it could be. Now, I’ve never seen the movie; reading the plot on Wikipedia, the movie has a very different focus than the musical. The musical focuses more on Bonnie and Clyde’s desires (her: to be in the movies and be famous; him: to be like Al Capone and be famous). The musical focuses on their love story, and there family. There are characters in the movie that aren’t in the musical, and some of the situations appear to be altered. In short: Don’t go into this expecting the movie on stage.

The performances in the show were outstanding: Key credit goes to Russell Muzycska at Clyde, Ellie Smith as Bonnie, Amanda Dayhoff as Blance, and Leland Burnett as Buck. Strong singing, strong performance, and most importantly, there was a chemistry with the couples that made them believably in love. I still wish I could have seen Jeremy Jordan and Laura Osnes in these roles, but these folks were really really good.

The production was also strong. I liked how they used projections, and especially how they used those projections both to establish place and time, and to have bloodshed and bullets without the gore. They also did something that theatre does exceptionally well: use bits and pieces to suggest realism (unless the realism required for movies). For example, cars were suggested by a tire or two and the front end with headlines. This was sufficient to let the audience do the rest. While that doesn’t always work in a gigantic Broadway house, it did work here: In a 180-seat theatre with no fly space (in fact, the space was very reminiscent of the Colony Theatre in Burbank, where we used to subscribe, in that it was a corner stage forcing creativity from the set designer).

As an aside: This is why it is important to see productions in different sizes of theatres. Often, the limitations of a small theatre space force creativity in a production; Broadway productions just throw money at things, and money is not always the answer. In theatre, great performances and imagination are the answer.

The choreography was strong, although this is more of a movement musical than a full-on dance musical. Still, the group numbers worked well — especially the “God’s Arm Are Always Open”, which was about the danciest of the numbers. I also liked the interaction of Bonnie and Clyde, especially the point/counterpoint of their performances and singing.

As this was early in the run, there were a few problems. One light was acting up and flickering; that was fixed during intermission. The sound mix was a bit off in the first act; again, I didn’t notice that problem in the second act. Speaking of sound: Kudos to the overall sound design team for the sound effects. Sound design is more than just the amplification of the voices: It is the provision of the background sounds. This was extremely effective here, both for the gunshots and the driving noises, as well as the jail sounds.

Speaking of jail: The set was remarkable for how it used the space: one one side, a door and a garage door; the other side had a sliding warehouse door that also provided sliding bars for the jail. That was it: A raised platform, a table and chairs, and some props. Still, the creative team made all these come alive. Very impressive.

If you can make it out to Ventura, I strongly recommend this show. It is rarely done in Southern California — I can’t think of the last time it was done, except perhaps by MTG. This is a great chance to see an exceptional Wildhorn musical. Bonnie & Clyde: The Musical continues at the Rubicon through May 18. You can get tickets through the Rubicon Web Site.

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Bonnie & Clyde: The Musical. Book by Ivan Menchell. Lyrics by Don Black. Music by Frank Wildhorn. Directed by J. Scott Lapp. Choreography by Natalie Iscovich.

Cast (^æ indicates Actors Equity): Braydon Handwerger Boliver Ted, Banker; Leland Burnett^æ Buck Barrow; Amanda Dayhoff^æ Blanche Barrow; Joseph Fuque^æ Sheriff, Charlie, Joe; Russell (Jack) Muzyczka Clyde Barrow; Louis Pardo^æ Preacher, Frank, Officer, Archie; Kate Ponzio Eleanor, Governor; Christanna Rowader^æ Cumie, Trish; Ellie Smith^æ Bonnie Parker; Sarah Wolter^æ Emma Parker, Stella; Harper Róisín (“Rose”) Ham Young Bonnie; Chance Challen Young Clyde.

Music Department: Lisa Lemay Music Director; Emiliano Almeida Drums; Oskar Cartaya Bass; David Cano Violin; James Fall Guitar; Sets to Go Orchestrator (Reductions).

Production and Creative: Matthew Herman Scenic / Co-Projection Design; Mike Billings Lighting, Co-Projection Design; Danny Fiandaca Sound Design; Pamela Shaw Costume Design; Alex Johnston Properties / Furniture Design; Danielle White Hair / Makeup Design; Kevin Matsumoto Fight Choreographer / Armorer; Joel Goldes Dialect Coach; Hannah Ramond Production Stage Manager; Gabi Baltzell Asst. Stage Manager; Hailey Mashburn Intimacy Coordinator; David Elzer Publicist; Julia Donlon Production Manager; Jimmy Callahan Technical Direction; Karyl Lynn Burns Producing Artistic Director; James O’Neil Rubicon Co-Founder / Artistic Director Emeritus; Stephanie A. Coltrin Assoc. Artistic Director / Producer;

♦ ♦ ♦

Administrivia: I am not a professional critic. I’m a cybersecurity professional, a roadgeek who does a highway site and a podcast about California Highways, and someone who loves live performance. I buy all my own tickets, unless explicitly noted otherwise. I do these writeups to share my thoughts on shows with my friends and the community. I encourage you to go to your local theatres and support them (ideally, by purchasing full price tickets, if you can afford to do so). We currently subscribe or have memberships at: Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre; Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages Theatre; Pasadena Playhouse; and 5-Star Theatricals. We’re looking for the right intimate theatre to subscribe at — it hasn’t been the same since Rep East died (it’s now The Main, and although it does a lot of theatre, it doesn’t have seasons or a resident company), and post-COVID, most 99-seaters aren’t back to doing seasons (or seasons we like). I used to do more detailed writeups; here’s my current approach.

Upcoming ♦ Theatre / ♣ Music / ◊ Other Live Performance – Next 90ish Days (⊕ indicates ticketing is pending).

• May:  ♦ Life of Pi at CTG/Ahmanson; ♦ Spitfire Grill at Actors Co-Op; ♦ A Dolls House, Part 2 at Pasadena Playhouse.
• June: ⊕ ♦ Flower Drum Song at East West Players; ♦ Parade at CTG/Ahmanson; and possibly some Hollywood Fringe Festival shows.
• July: ♦ Hamlet at CTG/Taper; ♦ A Beautiful Noise at BIH/Pantages; ♦ Frozen at 5-Star Theatricals
• August: ♦ Some Like It Hot at BIH/Pantages; ⊕♦ & Juliet at CTG/Ahmanson

This entry was originally posted on Observations Along the Road as The World Will Remember Us | "Bonnie and Clyde" @ Rubicon Theatre by cahwyguy. Although you can comment on DW, please make comments on original post at the Wordpress blog using the link to the left. You can sign in with your LJ, DW, FB, or a myriad of other accounts. Note: Subsequent changes made to the post on the blog are not propagated by the SNAP Crossposter; please visit the original post to see the latest version. P.S.: If you see share buttons above, note that they do not work outside of the Wordpress blog.