Bonnie & Clyde The Musical

Walking into the Sutherland Memorial School of Arts on Sunday, to see the NSW Premiere of Bonnie & Clyde The Musical, I had no expectation of what I was about to see.

This was very refreshing and exciting, compared to seeing many of the same musicals playing at Amateur Musical Societies at the moment.

Director Jamie Lee Kemp and the company have taken a gamble on a lesser-known show. I was disappointed for the cast and crew to see such a small audience for a Sunday matinee.

I was impressed, though, walking in to see a set, mainly made up of wood panelling, masking the wings and a projection screen upstage centre. For this theatre, minimal is better considering the small stage.

The opening number kicked the show off well, with us meeting the younger versions of both Bonnie and Clyde. One cast member to mention in particular here was (Amity Lees) as the adolescent Bonnie. She gave a sincere performance in her short time onstage.

Soon we meet the lead roles. Bonnie Parker (Lauren Loftberg), who has the dreams of becoming a movie star and loves writing poetry, finishes the number “Picture Show”. Loftberg didn't impress me stimmediately, but when she meets her man and partner in crime Clive Barrow  (Daniel Cullen), the Jjail escapee, she really bursts to life. The pair’s chemistry from the outset was so convincing; they really looked smitten with each other. Cullen played Barrow with great power and swagger and had some really nice moments, especially in the number “When I Drive”, partnered with his brother Buck Barrow (Luke Lamond), who lightened the show with some comical touches and showed he really couldn't give up the life of crime.

The stand out performer for me though was Sally Redman as Blanch Barrow, Buck's strongly religious wife. From the moment she walked on stage, her presence alone lifted the show. Redman’s voice was so strong and shone through in the number “You're Goin’ Back To Jail” and again in the duet with Bonnie, “You Love Who You Love”, that sent shivers through me.

Musical Director Belinda Robinson only used 3 instruments for some of the numbers and the others were show tracks. The numbers that were played sounded terrific, although there were some issues throughout with the tracks, not that this hindered the cast. It just brought about a different feel to some numbers that just didn’t quite work.

There wasn’t really any choreography in the show, which is an element I always like to see when attending a musical. Apart from the movement in the number where Buck decides to abide by his wife’s wishes and to turn himself in “God’s arms are always open”, sung strongly by James Gander, that was all the choreography throughout the whole show.

Direction of the action on stage mostly worked very well. I really enjoyed the scenes where Bonnie was visiting Clyde in jail. These scenes felt so genuine, which again brings me back to the chemistry between actors. Some ensemble scenes, though, fell down, with some overcrowding when all the cast were on stage at once.

The use of lighting, especially for the movement of the car, making it like it was moving down a road at night, was very effective.

Overall, Shire Music Theatre have produced a good retelling of the Bonnie and Clyde story, which will hopefully be performed by other groups in the future. The group are really making a name for themselves as being the group to bring new shows to the community theatre scene, although not pushing their hand with more complicated pieces. I’m looking forward to the next outing to the Shire to see another new show, First Date.

James Russell