Two small-town kids from the middle of nowhere became the biggest folk heroes in all America. They craved adventure—and each other. Their names were Bonnie and Clyde.
LAURA OSNES (Grease, Anything Goes) and JEREMY JORDAN (Newsies, West Side Story) star as the 20th century’s most infamous duo, as the daring story of love and crime that captured the imagination of a country takes aim at a whole new generation.
Featuring music by Tony® nominee Frank Wildhorn (Jekyll & Hyde), lyrics by Tony® and Oscar® winner Don Black (Sunset Boulevard), a book by Emmy® Award nominee Ivan Menchell and direction by Tony® nominee Jeff Calhoun (Newsies) this sexy new musical has claimed the Schoenfeld Theatre as its hideout. And after stealing hearts—and rave reviews—from the La Jolla Playhouse to the Asolo Rep, there may just be no stopping BONNIE & CLYDE.
You’ve read the story of Jesse James,
of how he lived and died.
If you’re still in need
Of something to read,
Here’s the story of Bonnie and Clyde.
Bonnie Parker, 1934
The one thing that a show about infamous killers Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow should not be is safe. Unfortunately, book writer Ivan Menchell, lyricist Don Black, composer Frank Wildhorn, and director-choreographer Jeff Calhoun have settled for a paint-by-numbers primer that presents the murderous pair as a couple of misunderstood kids trapped by the Depression. But there were many people in the 1930s who didn't respond to poverty and oppression by robbing banks and machine-gunning those in their way. Whatever made Bonnie and Clyde special is missing from this sentimental musical, as are sufficient character development, adequate dramatic thrust, and any kind of subtext. If this is what passes for serious musical theater on Broadway today, heaven help us.
The show's young stars sing powerfully, and give spirited performances, even if they're not provided depths to plumb. Osnes firmly conveys Bonnie's independent streak, while Jordan makes Clyde a persuasive hell-raiser. Director Jeff Calhoun presents a lively sense of the couple's wild spree, which ended with their violent deaths in 1934. Not enough meaningful attention is paid, though, to their celebrity status, which they helped promote and were delighted by... Of the show's various flaws, the most consequential is its failure, despite strenuous effort, to make the relationship of Bonnie and Clyde significant. If you can't get to the ticket-buyers' emotions with a tale of lovers dying young, nothing else really matters.
2009 | New York |
Roundabout Reading New York |
2009 | Regional (US) |
La Jolla Playhouse World Premiere Regional (US) |
2010 | Regional (US) |
Asolo Repertory Theatre Regional (US) |
2011 | Broadway |
Original Broadway Production Broadway |
Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
---|---|---|---|
2012 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical | Melissa van der Schyff |
2012 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Lyrics | Don Black |
2012 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Music | Frank Wildhorn |
2012 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Musical | 0 |
2012 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Orchestrations | John McDaniel |
2012 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance Award | Jeremy Jordan |
2012 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical | Melissa Van Der Schyff |
2012 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding New Broadway Musical | 0 |
2012 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding New Score (Broadway or Off-Broadway) | 0 |
2012 | Theatre World Awards | Outstanding Debut Performance | Jeremy Jordan |
2012 | Tony Awards | Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre | Frank Wildhorn |
2012 | Tony Awards | Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre | Don Black |
2012 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical | Laura Osnes |
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