Bonnie Clyde

Opens at the Gerald Schoenfel Theatre on December 1, 2011 and runs until June 9, 2012. The theatre is located at 236 West 45th Street.

Laura Osnes originated the role as Bonnie Parker when it premiere at the La Jolla Playhouse in San Diego from November 10 2009 to December 20, 2009. She won the San Diego Critics Circle Award for her performance and the show won for Best Musical. The role was reprise at at the Asolo Repertory Theatre in Sarasota, Florida from November 19, 2010 to December 19, 2010. Recently she starred in Anything Goes as Hope Harcourt (Drama Desk, Outer Critics and Astaire Award nominations) and in Lincoln Centers revival South Pacific she played Nellie Forbush.

Jeremy Jordon has played in West Side Story as Tony and in Rock Ages.

The music is by Frank Wildhorn. In 1999 he became the first American composer in twenty two years to have three shows running simultaneously on Broadway, Jekyll & Hyde, Scarlet Pimpernel and The Civil War. Frank was nominated for a Tony Award for Jekyll and Hyde.

Don Black did the lyrics for the show. He has won two Tony awards for Best Book & Lyrics for Sunset Boulevard. Don also won an Oscar in 1966 for Best Song "Born Free".

Jeff Calhoun the director won a Tony Honor in 2004 for "Excellence in Theatre". In 1999 he won a Tony award for Best Revival for Annie Get Your Gun and in 1994 he was nominated for a Tony for best choreographer for Grease.

"Director Calhoun said what attracted me to this Bonnie & Clyde is the authors have developed a love story that is both compelling and sexy, distinct from the film and yet faithful to these personalities who remain such a part of the American landscape". (N Y Theatre Guide)

The play take place in Texas in the 1930's. The curtain says 1934 and has various photos and headlines of Bonnie & Clyde life.

The show begins with the feeling you speeding down the road. The curtain opens up and Bonnie & Clyde are dead in their car, blood every where.

The show flashbacks fourteen years. Young Bonnie (Kelsey Fowler) father has just died, she was four years old. Her mother Emma (Mimi Bessette) makes her go to the funeral. Bonnie dreams of being a movie star like Clara Bow. Emma takes her family to live with her parents in Cement City, a suburb of Dallas. Clydes family is forced to leave their farm. Henry Barrow (Victor Hernandez) and Cumie Barrow (Leslie Becker) take their family to Dallas in the 1920's. Clyde is always in the getting trouble. He believes he could be better than Billy the Kid or Al Capone.

Bonnie got married when she was fifteen to Roy Thorton, she nevered divorce him (you never see him). She works as a waitress in a restaurant. One of her regular customers is Ted Hinton (Louis Hobson), a police officer who is in love with her.

Clyde and his brother Buck (Claybourne) break out of jail. Bucks wife Blanche (Melissa Van Der Schyff) talks him into turning himself in. Clyde is on the run.

The rest of the story is about their meeting, falling in love and their life of crime, and death. The use of old photos are used on the walls on the stage. Starting as robbers and ending with Clyde killing several lawmen and civilians.

Bonnie was 23 and Clyde was 25 when they died.

This is an awesome musical. The cast exceptional, there isn't one bad performance.

Laura, Jeremy, and Louis voices reach deep into their souls. When they sing they just blow you away, which you don't want to be cause you want to hear more. Even Kelsey and Taton voices , if you closed yours eyes you would think an adult was singing, they were so good.

Melissa, Claybourne and Mimi add substance to the show.

The set was done by Tobin Ost. It was arresting but not overdone. I love the counter were Bonnie worked ,there was a menu that reflected the prices of the day. "Unemployed free coffee and donuts".

I found my self pounding to the beat of the music. The music supervision/orchestration/arrangement was done by John McDaniel. He's won two Emmy awards for the Rosie O'Donnell show. John has done such Broadway shows as Catch Me if you Can, Annie Get Your Gun, Grease and Patti Lupone on Broadway. Hats off for a job well done.

When I left the theatre a man asked me if I thought the show was good. He asked seversl people the same question. I was in to of a hurry to get my spot by the stage door to asked who he was. When I got home I check the internet to see what the director Jeff Calhoun looked like and it was him.

Don't worry Jeff, you have nothing to worry about you have a hit on your hands.

Review by Rozanna Radakovich.

Photos by Annazor.