I’ve always wanted to go to the first preview of a Broadway show, especially a new musical one that audiences have never seen. Last night I saw the first preview of the new anticipated Franck Wildhorn musical Bonnie and Clyde. As I previously stated, I had never been to the first preview of any Broadway show and this was an experience that I won’t forget. While I have heard the stories of first (and other early) preview mishaps, hello Spiderman’s first preview which clocked in at four hours I have to say I was a bit skeptical, you never know what could happen at a first preview (or any show for that matter! This is theatre it’s live!). Rest assured nothing awful happened and the show went off without a hitch. The show is brilliant and it was amazing to be a part of the first house to experience this new piece of theatre. I’ve said to people many times and I will say it on here for the record that Frank Wilhorn is a genius!
The show, centers on the true story of the notorious outlaws Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow, their dangerous life of crime and passionate love affair. The show begins with their tragic end and continues in a flashback manner, illustrating their story that was so concise with some of my pre-show reading while interweaving pictures, news clippings and clips of and about this notorious duo. They had done their research and it was evident. Even Bonnie’s well-known red dress with a stripped top and sleeves was almost precisely copied for actress Laura Osnes to wear.
The cast is spectacular! Jeremy Jordan and Laura Osnes are the perfect Bonnie and Clyde! They have such a sizzling chemistry that melts the walls of the theatre. They play these well-known people with so much passion that it’s oozing out of them whenever they are onstage. They embody these famous outlaws full on and as actors do, bring something of their own to the characters, giving them an extra level of dimension. Clyde’s dimwitted brother and partner Buck and sister-in-law Blanche are played by the incredible Claybourne Elder and Melissa van Der Schyff. Those two have so much passion that spills out of them when they are onstage. They scenes that they have together click so well and flow seamlessly and beautifully with the story of the two leads.
While I thoroughly enjoyed the book and the phenomenal performances by the cast what I loved most about the night was the incredible lyrics and score by Don Black and Frank Wildhorn. The music for this show is addictive that you can’t stop tapping your foot along to the beat of the infectious songs. The music has many elements of show tune music but it has a bit of a western twang to it, one that is most likely similar to the music of the 1930’s. It definitely isn’t conventional music but then again when has Wildhorn ever written a score that followed the standard formula-never! He is always trying something different (hello Wonderland), wanting to see how far he can push or even break his own limits and it’s amazing to see what he comes up with.
However, there were a few small gaffes in the production. For one, they really didn’t fully explain how, when or where Bonnie and Clyde were caught and killed in the show. While there is a news clipping projected onto the stage that covers that fateful day, it is up to the audience to pick up on how they were caught. The only onstage mishap that I saw was during the first act when Buck is being baptized by the priest in a real onstage pool of sorts, I noticed that Claybourne’s (Buck’s) arm was cut from the part of the set. However, the moment or gaffe sticks out in my mind the most was during Act 1 in the song “Raise a Little Hell” when Clyde takes a metal rod and begins to bang of the bars of jail cell. His character has just been badly beaten by another inmate and there was a lot of stage blood on or in the rod that since Jeremy was swinging the rod so vigorously that lots of the stage blood got on myself and my friend who were sitting a mere few feet from that point onstage! While sticky, it was something that I will look back on and laugh at and to add to incident- when we talked to Jeremy after the show he had no clue that some of the stage blood had splattered all over us!
That was just the funny, yet interesting topping to a wonderful night. Bonnie and Clyde is an amazing and delicious show that you will be having your own love affair with it by the time the curtain goes down!
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