Review: BONNIE & CLYDE, Garrick Theatre

You've got to hand it to producer Dan Looney and the whole Bonnie & Clyde team. From an unsuccessful Broadway run to West End concerts, the Arts Theatre and now back again at the Garrick Theatre, the show has been hugely powered by social media hype and fans proclaiming the show to cult status.

Whereas the 1967 film dwelt more on the sheer brutality of the pair, the show is a paean to, as Frank Wildhorn said in his recent interview with us, "two kids trying to get out, sharing an adventure". We follow them from their childhoods, aspiring for movie stardom and sharp-shooting guns, through their romance and increasingly violent crimes to their grisly demise.

Jordan Luke Gage and Francis Mayli McCann return to the roles and are incredibly comfortable with the characters; their chemistry remains tangible. Gage is the right kind of charming with a real unhinged darkness behind the eyes and a barely-concealed violence. His vocal ability is given a real challenge, but his rousing version of "Raise A Little Hell" does indeed raise the roof.

McCann is ravishing in the role, vocally astute, with a clear weakness for the bad boy. The fact that the outcome is all too clear makes her swooning even more arresting, with a sweet, yet powerful voice, shown beautifully in "How 'Bout a Dance?".

As a character, Clyde's sister-in-law Blanche is rather cliched Southern sass and attitude. Jodie Steele is a great addition to the cast here, particularly in the wonderful country-style duet with Bonnie, "You Love Who You Love". However, along with George Maguire's Buck, their characters feel underwritten.

Dom Hartley-Harris is a new addition as the preacher, giving a standout performance in the gospel anthem "God's Arms Are Always Open". Nick Winston's excellent choreography in this number makes you wonder why there isn't more of the same elsewhere.

The problem is that detail is too light and context is essential to gain real investment in the characters. Clyde's anger at his poverty and social injustice is clear, but Bonnie's conversion to a life of violent crime takes barely a moment, the Deputy Sheriff's longing for her goes nowhere and the pair's infamy among the public is curious, without enough exploration of the social pressures of the Great Depression. And although we all know that the pair die in a hail of bullets, their end feels oddly undramatic.

The show feels pacy and there are some great tracks; gospel, country and bluegrass all feature, as well as the expected power ballads, but some fall into being formulaic with forgettable lyrics.

The Garrick gives more space to the production, with the proscenium arch clad in bullet-ridden, distressed plaster. Nina Dunn's projections are excellent (particularly the use of silhouettes) and create real atmosphere combined with Zoe Spurr's shadowy lighting design. The look is suitably rusty, dusty and run-down.

Despite the flaws, the show is a great night out and I'm pretty sure that the fans won't care if the production's hype is a little hollow.

Bonnie & Clyde is at the Garrick Theatre until 20 May

Photo Credit: The Other Richard

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