Bonnie & Clyde

Big is not always beautiful in musical theatre. 

Bonnie and Clyde lasted only a month on a grand Broadway stage, but up close and personal in this distilled down production in the tiny Hayes Theatre, the musical hums along beautifully like a freshly tuned vintage car.

It is always tricky turning serious criminals into attractive characters. The couple rob across depression era America and murder anyone who corners them. They also had an eye for publicity and celebrated their notoriety.

In the musical Bonnie is portrayed as a victim of her devotion to a charismatic man, whilst Clyde’s behaviour is reasoned by upbringing, class warfare and abuse in jail.

Making the ‘engine’ of the story run like a dream were leads Blake Appelqvist (Clyde) and Teagan Wouters (Bonnie), who had a sizzling on stage chemistry. In particular it felt like every sinew of Blake’s body was in tune with Clyde, and the couple’s repartee over Bonnie’s poetry was whimsical. 

There are lots of nice tunes in the unique fusion of blues, gospel and hill billy rock – which were sumptuously played by the six-piece band led by Music Director Zara Stanton.

Although it is pitched as a musical that is sexy and dangerous, there were a few unexpected laughs.

A favourite of mine was the song “You're Goin' Back to Jail”, where a group of women in a salon reflect hilariously on how their lives are not so bad when their partners are behind bars.

It is always a treat at the Hayes to see how a large production is squeezed onto a small stage, and the design by Simon Greer was fiendishly clever.

The set was surrounded by crates, with the vintage car built by the cast, who bring the seats, wheels, body and engine onto the stage.

A highlight was the end of the first act, when the headlights came in culmination of the crisp lighting design from James Wallis.

This season, produced by the Phantom of the Opera himself, Joshua Robson was twice postponed due to Covid during which it has lost cast and production team members. 

The long gestation period has given the creatives time to make the production sparkle.

David Spicer

Images: Grant Leslie Photography