Bonnie & Clyde!
Here's my terribly wordy and yet not very clear review/description of Bonnie & Clyde (the musical), just in time for opening night when probably a zillion things have already been changed since I saw it in previews last week. Hah, oh well. All mistakes are my own and due to my faulty memory. You'll notice that I get more and more vague as the review goes on. Sorry about that... Also, pardon my overuse of words such as "says", "tells", "gorgeous", "excitedly", etc. :P
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First of all, the set pretty much looks exactly how the plans render it. It's all made of weathered wood and the three panels in the back move up and down, revealing various mini-sets behind them at various times (usually it's pieces of furniture and stuff indicating that the location has changed). The middle section has a platform that moves forward out into the middle of the stage during certain numbers.
In the beginning we see Bonnie lying in bed in her underwear, working on her poem about a girl leaving the farm for the city and leading an exciting life with a new man every week. Her mother, Emma, calls up to her to get dressed and go to work. Bonnie ignores her and continues to excitedly work on her poem until Emma comes in and interrupts her. Emma asks to read Bonnie's new poem, "The Street Girl." She gets to the part about the new man every week and has to stop, telling Bonnie that if Bonnie's father were still alive, Bonnie's poetry would kill him. Emma tells Bonnie to hurry up and get dressed for work.
Bonnie sings Short Order World while getting dressed in her waitress uniform (butter yellow shirtdress with red accents on the collar, sleeves, and apron) and bringing her mother's apple pie to Charlie's Cafe (a long counter is set up on the right side of the stage indicating it's the cafe; a couple people sit behind it). Ted, a deputy, comes into the cafe for a slice of pie. The song is about how she hates her boring life and the losers in her town and how she one day dreams of getting out of there. It's a fun song and a great opener because it immediately gives you a taste of the kind of vibrant, country, rockabilly sound that they're going for in the musical.
As she finishes the song, Bonnie notices something outside the window and runs out of the cafe. She finds Clyde (in brown pants, a dirty white wifebeater, and cute little newsboy cap... at one point during the scene he pulls on his unbuttoned grayish brown overshirt) fiddling under the hood of a car and asks him what thinks he's doing. He says he's trying to get his car started, a car that he paid for with hard-earned money. She points out that the car he's trying to steal is her mother's car and that it won't start because she took out the spark plug, which she shows him. He's surprised and kind of impressed and asks her what kind of person does that. He tells her that she has a beautiful smile and must hear that all the time, and then quips that he hears it a lot too. He tries to introduce himself, but she refuses to shake his hand, instead asking where he was planning to go in her mother's car. Clyde lights up a cigarette and tells her that he was planning to go out West to live like the outlaw Billy the Kid. Bonnie points out that Billy the Kid was gunned down by some sheriff and they argue a bit because Clyde doesn't believe her.
He sings This World Will Remember Me, a song about his plans to get rich and famous and not waste his life in the poverty of where they are now. Ted shows up, asking Bonnie if everything is alright. Clyde hides behind the car. Bonnie says everything is fine, and Ted mentions that he got a call about a jail break in a neighboring county and he has to leave, so he's going to borrow Bonnie's mother's pie tin to take his pie to-go. As soon Ted leaves, Clyde starts up the song again, but Bonnie hilariously cuts him off mid-song.
Naturally, she's shocked that he just escaped from jail. Clyde tells her she doesn't need to worry about him just because he's been in jail, to which she replies she knows plenty of people in jail. Being flirty again, he asks how many people she knows who busted out. He tries introducing himself again, but she ignores him. Bonnie asks what he was in for and he tells her (robbery and auto-theft). She asks if he ever killed anyone, and he says no, then quips, "You?" Excited, she asks what he's going to do now that he's escaped. He says that he'll have to go steal someone else's car, assuming it has its spark plugs. At this point he reveals that he's managed to take the spark plug from her without her noticing. Charmed against her will, Bonnie makes a move to leave, but he continues to sing about how she deserves a better life, how the both of them weren't born to live and die in Texas. He points out a nearby silver convertible and asks if she's ever ridden in one. When he introduces himself for the third time, she finally gives him her name. She kisses him before rushing off.
The Sheriff (behind his desk and getting a shave) and his deputy discuss the jail break by the brothers Clyde and Buck Barrow. Apparently Clyde would play the radio really loud every day to cover up the sound of him sawing the bars. Ted appears and asks about the escapees. Sheriff gets a call that a car was stolen outside Charlie's Cafe around the time Ted was there. He vows that The Long Arm Of The Law will catch up to Barrow brothers. Sheriff lies to a reporter and tells him that the Barrows had guns and shots were fired (the brothers didn't actually have any weapons). The left panel opens up and there's a tall, red gas pump on the stage. Above the stage there's a red sign that indicates this is the Barrow Gas Station. The Laws visit Buck and Clyde's parents and tell them about the jail break. Sheriff tells their mother that if she refuses to help and he finds their sons on his own, he'll shoot them. As she begs him not to hurt her sons, Ted continues to sing, saddened and conflicted that by virtue of his position as a lawman, he will have to hurt people who've done nothing wrong (like the Barrow parents). Honestly, I'm not a fan of this song, mostly because Wayne Duvall's (Sheriff) voice is really brash and loud and the whole thing kind of jars the senses. Also, the Sheriff is sort of an asshole character, so I'm inclined to not like anything about him, lol.
Bonnie and Clyde are at some random location, after having stolen the car. The platform extends out from the center panel, and Bonnie's lying on it on her stomach, looking through her notebook. Clyde excitedly struts around the stage, detailing his plans to hit places with a payroll so he can get some cash, and then he'll hightail it to the northeast where the cops aren't looking for him and he'll be a free man. He tells Bonnie, confidently, that she's going to go with him. She asks him what makes him so sure. He replies, "This smile." She says just because she's smiling it doesn't mean anything, and he cuts in, "I was talking about mine." Seriously, so flirty!
He asks what she's writing and she tells him about her poems that she hopes will get published one day. He asks her to read him one, and she's surprised he likes poetry. Clyde says he'd like anything coming out of her mouth. She starts reading her poem about Billy the Kid meeting Clyde Barrow. Clyde keeps interrupting her, excited that she's writing about him. She has to stop and scold him for ruining the rhythm and flow of her poem. He apologizes, saying his lips are sealed, and kisses her. He lies on his back on the platform with Bonnie draped over his stomach. She finishes reading her poem, ending with a line about how the law got Billy the kid and will some day get him, too. Annoyed that she'd writing something like that, he calls her poetry stupid, singing again that he's meant for a better life, that he has a plan "and there is no Plan B."
The Sheriff and his men visit Blanche Barrow's salon. There are three seats on stage, with three people sitting getting their hair done, hair in rollers and such (one of them is hidden behind an open newspaper), another woman standing behind them, and yet another woman walking around taking care of everyone. Sheriff asks if one of them is Blanche Barrow, the wife of Buck Barrow. Blanche, the woman walking around, identifies herself. She appears surprised that they are there. The deputy tells her that Buck broke out of jail and the Sheriff asks her to call him if she sees Buck or knows about his whereabouts. As soon as the lawmen leave, Blanche turns to the person sitting behind the newspaper, who reveals himself to be Buck!
She asks him why he was crazy enough to let Clyde talk him into escaping, and Buck tells her it was his idea. Blanche says that they can't start fresh if they're always hiding. She tells him, You're Goin' Back To Jail. It's a fantastically hilarious song. Melissa van der Schyff (Blanche) has a great voice. Buck protests to no avail, and Blanche insists that he'll turn himself in tomorrow after church. She hopes his voluntary return to jail will reduce his sentence. After Buck and Blanche leave, the remaining salon women continue singing about how happy they are that their men are still in jail and how they're determined to keep them there, lol.
Bonnie takes Clyde back to her home. They're in the living room and there's a couch behind them. She's drenched from head to toe. Clyde laughs at her and she tries to shush him, saying that her mother is upstairs. Apparently she fell into the lake as they pushed the stolen car into it. Clyde insists that that was a very difficult moment for him, that a person can't push a car like that into a lake without feeling a pain in their heart. As he talks, Bonnie removes her wet clothing, undressing down to her underwear. He notices, telling her she's "one hell of a beautiful woman." She says she's also freezing, so he takes off his over-shirt and wraps her in it.
They start kissing. He carries her over to the couch and they make out. He starts moaning loudly and she shushes him. He says she makes it impossible for a man to keep quiet, and she replies if he doesn't keep quiet, they'll have to stop. He backs off and sits on the far end of the couch. Bonnie's confused, and he explains, "I can't keep quiet with you, baby." She tells him to get back over there, and just as he's about to kiss her again, he notices a ukulele on a side table and gets up to get it.
Clyde explains that a colored boy taught him to play one when he lived under the viaduct. Bonnie expresses surprise and concern that he lived in one of those camps. He tells her that his father was a sharecropper, but when the land dried up, his family left the farm, moved to Dallas, and lived in a tent camp under the viaduct for three years. He starts playing the uke, whistling a song. She asks if he wrote that song, and he says yes. She asks if he wrote it for a girl, and he says he wrote it for a lot of girls. Giving him a look, Bonnie tells him to try that again, and when she asks if he wrote it for a girl, and he says he wrote it for her.
They start kissing on the couch again. He pulls her to the floor, laying on top of her as the kiss. After a while, she indicates that she wants to go farther, but he stops himself, saying that he can't. He pulls away angrily, making excuses, saying that he's too wound up, that he's tired. She tells him he has nothing to be sorry for. He sings This Never Happened Before, explaining that it's been a while since he's been with a woman and that it may take some time before he's himself again. They sit on the floor in front of the couch, his arms wrapped around her. She says that all she needs is for him to hold her and stay with her.
As the song ends, there's a rapid knock at the door. Clyde asks if she's expecting anyone, and she says no. He's convinced it's the law looking for him. He gives her an address and tells her to meet him the next morning at that house and not to tell anyone. He leaves just as Emma comes downstairs. Emma notices Bonnie wearing a man's shirt and asks her about it. Bonnie lies and tells her it's one of her father's and that she likes to wear it to sleep. They open the door to find Ted. He returns Emma's pie tin and compliments her on her apple pie. She asks if that's why he's visiting them at such a late hour. He says no, that a car was stolen outside of Charlie's Cafe earlier that day. Bonnie asks if they have any idea who stole the car. Ted says they think it was two escaped convicts and he asks if she saw anything suspicious earlier when he saw her in the parking lot. She says no. He asks how she got home since her car is still outside the diner. Bonnie lies and tells him the car broke down so she hitched a ride.
Emma quickly leaves the two of them alone. Ted comments that Bonnie's mom seems to like him, to which Bonnie agrees. He mentions that the last time he was in her house was at her father's wake. He remembers that she wasn't in school for the rest of the week after her father died. Ted tells her that he's got a lot of memories of her at school, but that the strongest memory is of her not being there. Gah, it's obvious that he loves her, which is really quite sweet, the poor guy. He apologizes for bothering her so late and he leaves. As soon as he's gone, Bonnie says to herself, "Bonnie and Ted? It just don't sound right."
Buck rushes on stage carrying Blanche on his back. They're both laughing as they settle back together into an armchair. A bottle is thrown (from the pit) through their "window," scaring Blanche. She asks what's going on, and Buck excitedly explains that it's Clyde coming to say hi. Blanche is dismayed that they're using her house as a rendevous point. She leaves the room just as Buck lets Clyde in after he gives the secret knock. The brothers hug, Buck picking up Clyde, he's so happy. Clyde shows him the front page of the newspaper where the story about their escape is featured. He's excited about them getting famous. Someone whistles from outside and Clyde runs out to meet them. Blanche enters the room and asks if Clyde is gone. Buck says that Clyde just went outside to get a girl. Blanche wonders when Clyde had time to meet some tart. Overhearing her comment, Bonnie enters the room with Clyde and is like "Excuse me?" Clyde introduces her to Buck and Blanche. Buck is happy to meet her; Blanche is less so.
Clyde asks Buck if he's feeling strong and starts telling him about his plans to rob a few places so they can get out of this shithole. Blanche pokes Buck and tells him to tell Clyde about their plans. Buck reluctantly tells Clyde that he's going back to prison. Naturally, Clyde is very surprised. Buck and Blanche tell him that Buck'll finish his sentence and then there'll be no more running and hiding. Bonnie chimes in that maybe Clyde should do the same thing. Blanche insists this is the only way to "wipe the slate clean," but Clyde knows that the slate will never be wiped clean, that the law has been arresting the Barrow brothers since forever, even before they started stealing things. Buck confirms this. Blanche tells Clyde that if he seeks forgiveness from the Lord, he'll be set free. Clyde responds that he'll never be set free, that "freedom is something I got to steal." He angrily asks Buck to make his choice, and Buck chooses to go back to jail. Bonnie thinks Buck is making the right choice, but Clyde declares that he'll never set foot in prison again. She reminds him that they're planning to get out of Dallas anyway, so they might as well move somewhere where he can get a job and be a man, not a thug. He slaps her, warning her to never talk to him like that again. (I totally gasped when he did this :P) She slaps him back, warning him to never raise a hand to her again. Clyde leaves and as Bonnie follows him, Blanche advises her to stay away from him.
In the foreground, Blanche and Buck get dressed in their Sunday best. Off to the left side of the stage, the Preacher starts singing God's Arms Are Always Open. The far right panel lifts and there's a small choir singing backup. I loved this song. It starts off all beautiful and majestic sounding and then it turns into this jubilant, exciting Gospel piece with hand-clapping and everything. During the song, two stage crew members dressed in costume walk to the center of the stage and start lifting up floor boards. The preacher walks over and gets into the shallow trap that's down there. Buck and Blanche walk into the church and Buck goes into the trap. The preacher performs a baptism, pouring water over Buck and then miming dunking him into the trap. Buck disappears for a few seconds and then reappears, completely drenched in water.
The floorboards are replaced and the preacher and the choir continue singing the song. The song pauses for a second and everyone freezes. Clyde appears with a gun, talking to someone off-stage. He's stealing someone's car. He makes chitchat as he robs the guy, expressing his excitement about stealing Ford's new V8 once it comes out. Clyde runs off-stage and the song starts up again for a few seconds before he runs back on stage and the song stops. He's holding up a store and he's making the people put the money and various items into a bag. He demands a Hershey bar, "THE ONE WITH THE NUTS!" (he says this in such a hilarious way that I just about died, seriously ;D... now I go around saying "THE ONE WITH THE NUTS!" for no reason and cracking myself up). Clyde runs off-stage, the song starts up again then stops, and he runs back on stage. He's robbing a clothing store, demanding a hat, a suit, and a pair of shoes. He notices a nice dress that Bonnie might like. He asks for a gift card, and on it he writes, "To Bonnie. I can't wait to rip this dress off you. Clyde." The song starts up again and then stops. The Sheriff and his men catch up to Clyde. He gets arrested and put into a cell (a little raised platform on the very left side of the stage; a door of bars appear behind it to indicate that it's a jail). The Sheriff beats the crap out of him and then tells the deputy to clean Clyde up.
A couple more doors made of bars drop down in front of the panels, indicating that the stage is now a prison. Buck is on the back right, behind bars, talking to Blanche who is visiting him. He's concerned about Clyde getting the shit kicked out of him by the lawmen. Bonnie enters the stage on the right, bumping into Ted who's in the foreground. He asks her what she's doing there. She tells him she's visiting somebody, and then admits she's here to see Clyde. Ted realizes that she lied to him the night that car was stolen. Bonnie insists that Clyde is a good man who's just made some mistakes.
She walks over to the left side of the stage where Clyde is sitting in his cell. They hold hands in-between the bars. She immediately notices the marks on his face and wants to make a complaint but Clyde tells her to forget it. He asks how she's doing and it's obvious she's miserable. He says that he'll only be in jail for six more days before his sentencing. He speculates that the most he'll get for the robberies is two years, maybe an additional year for busting out, but with good behavior he could be out in eighteen months. Bonnie says that she'll lose her mind, she can't wait that long. He jokes that she'll have to bust him out of there, then. She tells him it's not funny, and he apologizes to her, sorry that she has to go through this.
Ted lights up a cigarette from his position on the right side of the stage and starts singing You Can Do Better Than Him, a gorgeous song about "Sweet Bonnie" and how she deserves someone better than Clyde, someone who doesn't spend his life stealing, someone who will be there for her. Bonnie and Clyde make plans for after he's released. He tells her he knows someone in construction in Worchester, MA and could get a job. He jokes that if that doesn't pan out, there are still places up there to rob. Bonnie says firmly that there'll be no more hold-ups, that they'll start clean and he'll go straight from now on. Clyde agrees. As she leaves, she tells him she'll be back the next day after work. Ted resumes singing, with Clyde joining in near the end. Clyde knows that Bonnie could have any man, someone richer and smarter and better, but he (and Ted) declare, "but I know you won't do better than me, no / not when it comes down to love that is true / there's no man who could love you like I do."
I think this is probably my favorite number of the night, mostly because the song is gorgeous and Chris Peluso's (Ted) voice gave me chills, he was so good. My only complaint was that he sort of stood there as he sang and didn't move around much, which isn't that big of a deal, but still. Maybe they could choreograph some walking around or arm/hand movements? I don't know. Anyway, it was a superb number, and when Stark (Clyde) sang, his "but I know" went up in key and had this whole open, uplifting quality, and then Chris joined in with his "I know" that went down in key and I really have no idea how to describe this musically (can you tell? lol) but it just sounded so lovely and then their voices blended together and I was kind of in heaven. Ahha, I'm such a dorky fangirl. Anyway...
The top left panel opens up and Blanche is speaking with Eleanor, one of the salon women. Eleanor is worried about Blanche because of Buck's upcoming sentencing. Blanche asks her not to judge if she can help it and Eleanor apologizes. In the foreground on the right, Bonnie's working in Charlie's Cafe and her mother is sitting behind the counter. Emma mentions that someone saw Bonnie getting on a bus to Eagle Rock. Bonnie tries to deny it but Emma asks why she's lying. Finally, Bonnie admits that she's in love. Her mother asks how she met a boy who lives in Eagle Rock. Bonnie says that he doesn't live there so much that he's staying there for a short time. Emma realizes that there's nothing in Eagle Rock other than the prison. She can't believe her daughter is flirting with a convict and asks how she met a boy in jail. Bonnie replies that she met him sort of... in-between jail sentences, lol. Emma is appalled. Bonnie mentions that Emma and her father knew it was love at first sight, and her mother is angered that Bonnie would compare her father to a convict. She leaves the cafe.
Frustrated, Bonnie throws a jar to the floor and it shatters. She sings You Love Who You Love with Blanche joining in (they cross each other on stage a few times, even though they're in different locations, so I thought it was nicely choreographed). It's a wonderful duet. The song is about loving who you love even though common sense says it's wrong. I liked the line about "There's a part of him you know is wild / maybe that's what made you love him all along." I think the song is good at illustrating how similar and how different Blanche and Bonnie are, because they both fell in love with bad boys, but while Blanche is trying to change Buck for the better, Bonnie won't change Clyde for good "because no man's all good."
Buck and Clyde appear at their sentencing. They stand in the foreground while behind them, the platform extends from the center panel and there's crowd of people sitting behind some railing (including Bonnie, Blanche, and the Barrow parents). Buck's up first and the judge says that based on his good behavior and the fact that he turned himself in, he'll be released into the custody of his wife. Blanche hugs him excitedly. It's Clyde's turn and he receives two years each for the seven robberies he committed, plus two more years for escaping prison - making it a total of sixteen years! Clyde's mother begins frantically crying and an uproar starts. Desperate, Clyde tries fighting off the lawmen attempting to take him away, but falls to the floor as a deputy pulls a gun on him. As they take him away, he tries to reach Bonnie who's crying, saying he's sorry. The Sheriff gloats to reporters about this "thug" having to serve hard time for sixteen years.
Bonnie despairs, singing Sixteen Years about the unfairness of Clyde's sentence. Clyde is led back into his cell on the far left of the stage. He's naked save for the stack of folded clothes and boots he holds strategically to protect his modesty. He sits on the little raised platform, his right side to the audience, and proceeds to get dressed (white boxers first, gray pants, blue button-up shirt). He joins the song, lamenting the fact that life will go on without him. They take his mug shot, with bright lights flashing to simulate a camera, and actual pictures of the real Clyde's mug shots are projected up onto the panels. It took a while for this song to grow on me. It's sort of raw and powerful and rock n' roll, I guess you could say. Clyde declares that there's no way he can live like this, that he'd rather die than waste sixteen years in jail, missing Bonnie the whole time.
Three months have passed. Buck sits in his living room armchair and worries about Clyde. He tell Blanche that Clyde looked terrible the last time he went to visit. He worries that sixteen years in jail will be the death of his brother. Blanche is unsympathetic.
Bonnie stomps into her living room wearing a new flowery pink dress with a bow on it. She hates everything about the dress and tells her mother so. She asks Emma why she won't let Bonnie visit Clyde in jail. Her mother says that as long as Bonnie lives under her roof, she won't be flirting with that "hoodlum". Bonnie takes offense to her mother's description of Clyde and says Emma doesn't understand. Emma tells her that before she was Bonnie's mother, she was a girl, and she understands how thrilling young love can be. She advises Bonnie to find a responsible, stable young man who can provide for her, and then real love comes from that. Emma pins a broach onto Bonnie's dress, a broach that belonged to Bonnie's grandmother. Bonnie complains that she's too young for a broach and that all she feels now is sad.
There's a knock on the door and Emma tells Bonnie that she's making the right decision. Ted enters the house, wearing a new suit, and it's obvious he's here to court her. He tells her he likes her broach. Bonnie looks into the audience, her expression is comically horrified. The rest of the stage falls into darkness and a spotlight lights upon her. She sings This World Will Remember Us, reminding everyone that she wasn't meant to live and die in Texas. The left panel opens up and the red gas pump appears. Bonnie visits the Barrow's Gas Station and gives Clyde's mother and father a gift for them to bring to Clyde the next time they see him: a ukulele.
Clyde sits in his cell at the bottom far left side of the stage. A guard hands him the ukulele Clyde immediately realizes it's from Bonnie. The guard says he didn't know Clyde played the uke, and Clyde says that he's not as good as when he was a kid. The guard chuckles, telling Clyde he now has sixteen years to practice. Clyde replies, "Not really," and breaks open the uke with his hands, whipping out a .45 that Bonnie has hidden in the instrument. He points the gun at the guard. Bonnie shows up at the jail (in a lovely rose pink dress with sage brown accents) and the both of them continue singing the song. Buck's in his living room, excitedly showing Blanche the front page story about Bonnie helping Clyde bust out of prison.
Bonnie and Clyde continue with the song, eager to become two living legends that the world will discuss. The song ends just as the pair of them rob a store. There's a small counter to the right and a large shelving unit in the back fill with various items you might find in a general store. A small group of people are in the store. Clyde points his gun at the people and tells them that they're getting robbed by "Clyde and Bonnie." Bonnie, who is at the counter cleaning out the register, comments that it should be "Bonnie and Clyde" because it sounds better rolling off the tongue. Clyde points the gun at the store owner and asks what he thinks sounds better. The owner says "Clyde and Bonnie." Bonnie exclaims that the owner is only saying that because Clyde has a gun pointed at him. She comes over, takes the gun, points it at the owner and asks what he thinks sounds better now. The store owner faints to the floor.
As Bonnie and Clyde continue arguing about who's name goes first, a deputy enters from the right side of the stage, gun drawn. Exasperated more than anything, Clyde shields Bonnie from the gun. The deputy tells him to raise his hands and put the gun down. Clyde snidely replies that he can't put his gun down if he's raising his hands. The deputy corrects himself, ordering Clyde to put the gun down and raise his hands. Cocky, Clyde asks what'll happen if he refuses. It's a standoff. The deputy orders him to drop his weapon again, and Clyde asks if the deputy has it in him to pull the trigger. Bonnie thinks that he should put the gun down. She worries about what they'll do next. Clyde says that they're going to walk out of there. The deputy challenges them again, though it's obvious he's scared of Clyde. Their guns are pointed at each other and the bystanders whimper in fear. Just as the scene gets even more tense, a gunshot is heard and people gasp. For a second, no one knows who shot his gun or if anybody got hurt. Then blood starts pouring from a bullet hole in the deputy's shirt. He collapses to the floor and the bystanders crowd around him. Bonnie and Clyde make their escape just as sirens sound in the background.
The first act ends with the dead deputy still lying on the floor. From what I can tell, he lies there during the whole intermission, which is hilarious. I wasn't there to see this, but apparently at one point some people come over in character and drape a white sheet over him. Near the end of intermission, the store owner and a woman are on stage in character. Rivers of blood spill from the deputy's body and streak the front of the stage. The owner mops at the blood while the woman gets on her knees and starts scrubbing at the floor.
The music starts up and the second act begins where it left off. The Sheriff and Ted are at the crime scene. Ted can't understand how a man could kill another man like that. The Sheriff reminds him that it wasn't all Clyde's fault - Bonnie brought him the gun. He sends Ted off to talk to the dead deputy's parents. In the background the coroner and the store owner load up the poor deputy onto a stretcher and carry him off-stage. A reporter and photographer show up at the crime scene, trying to get the juicy details. The Sheriff is disgusted that they want to sensationalize the story, singing The Long Arm Of The Law (Reprise).
Clyde and Bonnie are on the run. Clyde is distraught and pleads with Bonnie to leave him while she still can, that his life is over now after having killed that deputy. He knows if they get caught, he'll get the chair, but it won't matter as long as he knows she is free. It's a great acting scene for Stark and you can really see and feel his pain. Bonnie refuses to go in I'll Never Leave You. It's another raw, powerful, rock n' roll kind of song, and I liked it by the end. (I think my problem with some of the louder, more rousing rock songs was that the sound system at the Playhouse was really loud, so the music drowned out the actors, and then the actors had to compensate by signing louder, and at first it comes off sounding a little bit like a mess.) He sings that he's been bad for her since the day they met and "turned a poet to a thief." If she had more sense she would curse the day she met him. Bonnie contends that when she's with him she feels alive, and tells him that she'll never leave him because "you love who you love and there's nothing you can do about it." He finally agrees that if she won't leave him, they'll have to find a place to hide and get their hands on some money. They ponder for a second how they'll do that, and then they both realize that banks have lots of money. They end the song, both declaring that they'll never leave the other.
Buck reads Blanche a letter from Clyde detailing the robberies Clyde's committed so far and then burns the letter. Blanche is not impressed, but Buck is taken with Clyde's success. He tries to convince Blanche to let him join Clyde, hit a couple of banks so he can buy Blanche all the things she deserves. She's not having it. His lawless days are over and she tells him to get those ideas out of his head in You're Not Goin' Back To Jail. He pleads with her to let him do it, saying that "while the three of us rob banks, Blanche, you could just wait in the car," lol. It's a fun song that calls back to You're Goin' Back To Jail from the first act, kind of country and honky-tonk and fun.
The song ends with a rapid knocking from the door. Buck and Blanche scramble, scared. It's the Sheriff looking for information about Clyde's whereabouts. Buck says he has no idea where Clyde is, but the Sheriff doesn't believe him. He knows how close the Barrow brothers are. He punches Buck in the stomach and Buck falls to the floor. Blanche goes to him, trying to help, and tells the Sheriff that Clyde writes to them. Sheriff demands the letters but Buck informs him that he burns all of them after reading them. The Sheriff threatens to put Buck back in jail if he doesn't help. Blanche cries that Buck is a good man now, but the Sheriff spits that "[Buck's] a piece of shit, just like his brother."
Ted visits Clyde's father at the gas station. He tells him that if Clyde turns himself in and gets a good lawyer, he might be able to avoid the chair and get a reduced sentence. Clyde's father says he hasn't seen Clyde since before he went to prison. Ted says he's sorry that the Barrows have to go through this, that Clyde must be a big disappointment.
The middle panel opens up and the platform moves out into the middle of the stage. On it is a chair with some clothes on it and in front of that a white bathtub. Clyde is inside the tub, wearing a brown hat, and you just see the top of his bare shoulders and his legs and feet propped up on the rim. He croons What Was Good Enough For You, a dreamy, almost lullaby-sounding song about how the hard life that was always good enough for his father wouldn't satisfy his "wayward son." He gets out of the tub, nude, his back to the audience, steps out, and starts getting dressed (brown pants, cream/khakish button-up shirt, suspenders). As Clyde dresses in the background, Ted is at the front of the stage at the Parker residence, asking Emma if Bonnie has contacted her. She says no and asks him to leave, at last tearfully telling Ted that Bonnie is all she has left in this world. The right panel opens up and Bonnie sits in front a vanity, continuing the song, singing that there's more to life than pots and pans. She gets dressed (long maroon skirt, long-sleeved striped shirt, and short maroon jacket) and Clyde joins her, putting on his hat and jacket. She opens a small trap door and pulls out a bag and a shotgun. They sing about how until now, everything in the news has been about the depression and bread lines, but that everyone should be prepared for a bumpy ride now that Bonnie and Clyde and ready to take on the world.
The song ends with them holding up a bank. There's an angry mob yelling at the bank teller. The teller informs Clyde that he can't fill their bag with cash because the bank is closed and there is no more money. Clyde demands to know why there are so many people there. A bystander tells him they're all trying to get their money. Clyde can't believe that he's robbing a bank with no money. The teller weakly informs him that he can fill out a complaint form (heh!) and Clyde angrily raises the gun at him. Bonnie pulls at his arm and tries to make him leave. He refuses to leave, yelling that he lived in a camp for three years while the banks got rich off of the farmers they bankrupted. The phone rings and the teller says if he doesn't pick it up, they'll be suspicious. Clyde theatens to blow his hand off if he answers it. He demands the teller give him his wallet. The teller throws it to the floor and Clyde tells the bystanders to pick it up and divide the money amongst themselves. As Clyde and Bonnie turn away to leave, the teller shoots Clyde in the back. Clyde turns around and returns fire. The teller gets off another round before Clyde charges him, firing multiple bullets into his body.
Buck argues with Blanche. He's heard Clyde's been shot and he needs to go to him. Blanche pleads with him to stay. He asks her to go with him. She says that if he walks out the door, it's over.
The middle panel opens up and Clyde, shirtless, hunches over the back of a chair in pain. Bonnie stands behind him, trying to remove the bullet. She freaks out, saying she can't do it. He tells her to grip the bullet firmly and pull it out, like pulling out a splinter. She freaks out about the blood and he tells her to close her eyes. After some grunts and groans of pain, she gets the bullet out. She douses the wound with alcohol, takes a swig, and then wraps some bandages around Clyde's torso. Bonnie worries about what they should do now. Clyde says that they just need to lay low. Testy and in a bad mood, he demands that she read to him the poem she's working on. She doesn't want to, but he doesn't care. She's start's reciting her new poem (The Trail's End). She apologizes that nothing rhymes with "Clyde and Bonnie" and after a moment he suggests "honey" if she pronounced it "hawny" like some people did, but Bonnie isn't buying it. By the end of the third stanza, Clyde is in a better mood and he compliments Bonnie, saying she's getting the lingo down. He tells her that if she sends it to the papers, they'll print her poem. Delighted that she'll finally get published, Bonnie vows to work harder on the poem to get it perfect.
Back at the station, the Sheriff and his men are reading Bonnie's poem in the paper. Governor Ferguson enters, outraged that the outlaws are getting good press while the lawmen are being made to look like idiots. She introduces retired Texas Ranger, Captain Frank Hamer, and says she's commissioned him to hunt down Bonnie and Clyde.
Clyde and Bonnie are still in their hideout. Clyde's lying on the floor with his feet propped up on the seat of a nearby chair. Bonnie reads aloud an article about them, one that calls her a "ravishing redhead" (a description she loves). She pushes Clyde's feet off the chair and sits down. She says that it's a shame the papers don't have a nice big picture of her to publish next to their article. Clyde tells her that the job is hard enough without their picture in the papers, and anyway once someone sees her face, they'll never forget it. She says he's just partial, and he grins, "Hell I am."
He sits on the floor of the middle platform and picks up a ukulele. He starts playing, singing Bonnie, a beautiful little love song. Bonnie hovers behind him, interrupting him several times, excited that he's written a song for her, and he has to stop and scold her for ruining his "rhythm and flow." This is a call-back to a scene earlier in the musical where Bonnie scolded him for interrupting her while she recited a poem about him. It's a cute and funny moment. He continues singing about how Bonnie's the "only piece of luck that's ever come [his] way." The song ends and they kiss, professing their love for each other. Dreamily, Bonnie tells him that she wants them to get married and have babies. Clyde starts at her revelation. He can't believe she's brought this up now when things are really tough. They argue for a bit. Finally, Bonnie reveals that she really misses her mother. Clyde says that they'll go see her, then. Bonnie's worried about the lawmen looking for them, but Clyde says they'll find a way.
He hears something outside. They turn off the lights and Clyde waits with his gun. Suddenly there's a knock on the door. It's the special knock that the Barrow brothers use, and they realize it's Buck. Clyde opens the door and happily finds his brother. Unfortunately, Buck's dragged Blanche along. Clyde takes Buck into another room to show him their weapons. Reluctantly, Blanche enters the house, none to happy to be there.
A huge tree appears on the left side of the stage. Emma Parker runs around the stage, quietly calling out Bonnie's name. Headlights appear from the right side of the stage accompanied by the sound of a car engine. As the engine dies, Bonnie rushes out on stage in her maroon outfit, topped with a cute knit cap and a white belted jacket. She and her mother embrace. Just as her mother tells Bonnie that she's spoken with the Sheriff, Clyde appears in his nice brown suit and hat. Bonnie introduces him to her mother. Clyde is unfailingly polite. He says that Bonnie talks about Emma a lot, and that they'll always find a way to visit her. He assures her that he'll take good care of Bonnie, that he loves her more than anything in the world. He leaves the two of them alone.
Bonnie tries to convince her mother that Clyde is a good man who loves her. Emma tells her that Ted said if Bonnie turned herself in now, she'd only get a prison sentence, which is better that what could happen later. Bonnie refuses, and Emma cries out, saying she can't live knowing that Bonnie could be dead at any moment. Bonnie declares that she and Clyde are the only ones alive in this place, that everyone else is walking around dead. Clyde whistles from off-stage and Bonnie says she has to go. Emma gets on her knees and begs Bonnie to come home with her. Crying, Bonnie says that they'll get a message to her mother and meet again soon. She runs off as her mother calls out for her not to go.
Emma starts singing The Devil, a song about how Bonnie was raised right and how she has no idea how "the Devil took [her] girl away." It's a tragic song filled with haunting notes plucked and strummed on a guitar, and Mare Winningham performs it wonderfully.
The lawmen gather around a desk on the right side of the stage. They talk about how Clyde's more dangerous now that he has Buck with him. Together they broke into the West Texas Armory and stole enough weapons to start a war, including two Browning automatic rifles. On the left side of the stage, Clyde and Buck are looking sharp in slick gray (?) suits and hats. They're kneeling on the floor and unpacking weapons out of a crate. Clyde pulls out the Browning rifles and Buck clamors over them. They sing These Are What You Call Guns, a rousing, upbeat song about how these new guns will open doors for them and make them invincible. Bonnie interrupts their unpacking and asks what they're doing. Clyde shows her the new gun, and after handling it, she tells him the guns scare her. He says they're supposed to.
The group of lawmen join in the song. They sing about how they have the same guns and how there are more of them. They plan to load up the car with Brownings and get on their way to hunt down the outlaws. They sing in detail about how dangerous these guns are and how they'll lead to a bloody mess if they get into a shootout.
Blanche enters the room, shocked to find the Barrow brothers with the new weapons. She sings that these guns will be the death of them. In an aside, Ted confesses to not caring what happens to Clyde, that he'd happily put a bullet in him, but that he wouldn't be able to bear seeing Bonnie die.
A deputy comes in with a report that neighbors have spotted the same cars with different license plates pulling up to a house. Upon further investigation, they discover that the house is registered to the power and gas company under different names. The lawmen decide to drive all night to the suspicious house and Hamer declares that by sundown the next day, Bonnie and Clyde will be dead. Ted sadly concludes that "gunsmoke and heartache will darken the sky."
Back at their hideout, Bonnie (in her long maroon skirt and a short-sleeved striped shirt) sits at a table on the left side of the stage, cleaning a gun. Blanche comes into the room, asking for Buck. Bonnie tells her that Buck is out with Clyde, but she has no idea where they are. Blanche is surprised that Bonnie can be so calm, waiting around and hoping that Clyde and Buck come back home alive; she must be crazy as they are. Bonnie waves the gun at her and says if Blanche keeps talking, she might be the first person Bonnie kills. Blanche quiets and sits down in a chair on the right side of the stage. She retorts, "The two of you deserve each other," to which Bonnie agrees, "Yes, we do."
Blanche complains that she wants to go home and Bonnie offers to help her pack. Blanche doesn't understand why an attractive woman like Bonnie, who could have any man, would want to stay there. Bonnie asks why Blanche is still there. Blanche explains that she's only there to keep Buck from getting killed. They argue and Bonnie says to look around, that God's abandoned the entire world. Blanche says she'll pray for Bonnie, but Bonnie claims she already has everything she needs. Blanche feels only pity for her, saying that when the law catches up to them, they'll kill Clyde and they'll probably kill Bonnie, too.
Bonnie replies with Dyin' Ain't So Bad, singing that "dyin' ain't so bad / not if you both go together / only when one's left behind does it get sad / but a short and lovin' life / that ain't so bad." What a gorgeous, gorgeous powerhouse of a song! Laura (Bonnie) sings her heart out and it's really beautiful. This ranks among my top three songs of the musical. Gah, so pretty and so sad.
Buck returns and Blanche greets him excitedly, then scolds him for leaving. He tells her that they went to Arkansas, and she is surprised they drove all the way there and back. Clyde enters, carrying a bag full of cash, and says that they also robbed a bank. Bonnie takes the bag and starts taking out the money to count it. The police almost caught them but Bucks believes that Clyde's excellent driving is what saved them. Clyde says that it's all due to the Ford cars he's driving. He hangs up his jacket (now in his white shirtsleeves and gray suit vest with a black silk back) and asks Bonnie to stop counting the money so she can take down a letter for him. He dictates a letter to Henry Ford, complimenting him on the speed of his cars. Buck brings out a new cake he bought for Blanche and everyone to try. They all taste some and declare it is delicious. Buck says he picked it up at a general store and it's called a "Twinkie," heh.
Sultry music comes over the radio and Clyde asks Bonnie perform her rendition of How 'Bout A Dance. He gives her a hand as she steps up on a chair and then onto the table. She starts singing, a bottle of beer in one hand. Buck and Blanche sit on the floor and look up at her. Clyde is lying on his side on the little platform on the left side of the stage, watching her as she sings. Clyde gets up and offers his hand to Blanche. They twirl on the floor until Buck takes over. Clyde starts singing along with Bonnie and hands her down from the table. They dance together as they continue to sing.
Suddenly, Clyde stops dancing and Bonnie asks what's wrong. He says that the Laws are outside. Blanche starts to freak out while Clyde and Buck get their guns and check out the situation. There are a lot of lawmen outside. Bonnie asks what they're going to do and Clyde says they're going to go down to the garage, start up their car with guns blazing, and shoot their way out. A window breaks, a lot of police rush on stage, and the air is filled with the sound of automatic rifles firing. The lights flash and the sound is deafening. Blanche and Buck and couched down together on the floor in the center of the stage. Bonnie is on the left side of the stage, aiming a gun out the window. Clyde is off to the right side with his rifle.
Everything suddenly pauses and the stage darkens, the figures on the stage backlit. Everything is quiet. There's a spotlight on Clyde as he walks around the stage, around the frozen people, and he gives his monologue. He talks about how it's him or them in shootouts and how quickly they start and then are over. He talks about how it feels to kill a man, how messed up and pointless it all is. He wonders why he was born, why anyone was born, why God would bother with any of this. He points his gun and fires it at the Sheriff, killing him. Everything starts up again and the gunfire rages on, the sound of sirens in the background.
The Barrow Gang are on the run. Clyde is tending to Bonnie who's been injured in the leg. Buck is lying on the floor, his head in Blanche's lap. There's blood everywhere. Blanche cries that Buck needs to go to the hospital. Clyde says that they can't. He kneels by his brother and takes his hand. Finally, he tells Blanche she needs to go with them. Blanche refuses to leave Buck there to die. Bonnie and Clyde leave as Blanche screams after them, calling Clyde an animal.
Poor Buck, whimpering and bleeding on the floor, apologizes to Blanche. He didn't think it would turn out like this. She tells him he has nothing to apologize for. Crying and distraught, she tries to comfort him, telling him that they'll get him well again and then they'll go far away, to New Mexico like they had planned. She starts singing God's Arms Are Always Open (Reprise) just as Buck passes away. The preacher appears in the background, continuing the song. The lawmen find Blanche and Buck and she rages at them for killing Buck. They put her under arrest and take her to jail. They take her mug shot and the real Blanche's mugshots are projected up onto the panels.
Ted visit the Barrow parents. He asks if Clyde is there and Clyde's mother says no. Ted tells them that Blanche told the police that Clyde often meets secretly with his parents. Clyde's father says that Ted is a decent man, that Ted'll probably have to kill Clyde one day and he doesn't hold it against him, but that he can't help Ted do that. Ted notices that their window is broken. Clyde's father says they get a lot of bricks thrown at the house. Ted gives him a gun and tells him they can call him if they get more trouble.
The remaining lawmen gather to discuss Clyde and Bonnie's peculiar circuitous movements. They don't understand why the outlaws continue to return to Dallas.
Ted visits Emma Parker. She's outside her house, sweeping her porch. He asks if she is still sees Bonnie and Emma says of course, Bonnie is her daughter. He asks what was the last thing Bonnie said to her. Emma tells him that Bonnie said when she dies, she wants to be brought home. Emma continues sweeping and it's clear her mind and spirit is broken. She insists that everything be clean and ready for when her baby returns home.
Ted shares his suspicions with the other lawmen. He thinks that the only reason Bonnie and Clyde continue to return to Dallas is to see their folks. If they follow the parents, surely they'll soon catch Bonnie and Clyde. Ted and the lawmen sing The Long Arm Of The Law (Reprise #2).
Clyde and Bonnie are on the run. He's aiming his gun and shooting at glass bottles off-stage. Bonnie writes in her journal. He tells her they'll return to Dallas the following night now that the police think they're in Missouri. He'll get a note to their parents on where to meet. He misses a bottle and, frustrated, takes out both guns and starts shooting wildly into the air, crossing over to the left side of the stage. Concerned, Bonnie asks if he is okay. Clyde sits on the little platform and it's obvious from his expression that he is in a lot of emotional pain. Clearly broken, he asks how he's supposed to face his parents knowing that he got Buck killed. Bonnie says that Buck made his own choices. Clyde worries that his parents will hate him. Trying to cheer him up, Bonnie tells him she finished their poem. He's not in the mood to hear it. He feels sick and tired and weak. She starts reciting her poem ("They don't think they're too smart or desperate / they know that the law always wins / They've been shot at before / but they do not ignore / that death is the wages of sin") but then stops, breaking off into tears. Clyde picks up her journal and finishes the poem ("Some day they'll go down together / they'll bury them side by side/ To few it'll be grief / to the law a relief / but it's death for Bonnie and Clyde").
He and Bonnie sing This World Will Remember Us (Reprise) and the song segues into How 'Bout A Dance (Reprise). As they dance together on the left side of the stage, the rest of the stage is filled with people from their past looking up at the panels. Video footage and newspaper headlines of the real Bonnie and Clyde's death are projected up onto the panels. Buck, Clyde's mother, Blanche, Sheriff, Clyde's father, Emma Parker, and Ted each turn around, one by one, reciting poignant/significant lines they had said some point earlier in the musical. Bonnie concludes the song, singing "you'll lose the blues / and you may lose your heart."
End scene. There wasn't a curtain call or anything. Everyone just remained on stage, bowed, waved to the audience, and then left.
...And if you got through all of that *waves at stuff above*, I commend you on your determination. Go get yourself a cookie ;)
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Overall, I very pleased with and impressed by the musical. It's very intimate and small and there aren't any big set changes (like you see in most musicals), but it all works so well. I'm interested in seeing how things change once they get the show finalized.
Laura was magnificent, as usual. I've been a fan of hers since "Grease: You're The One That I Want," and I was lucky enough to see her this summer in South Pacific. She and her lovely voice never disappoint ;) Stark was great, as well. You can sort of tell that he's not as seasoned a theatre actor/singer as some of the other cast (theatre actors have a certain quality when they sing and act, but you kind of have to see it in person to understand what I'm talking about), but he certainly held his own. His voice, while not as loud or strong as some of the others (like Chris), was still very lovely to listen to, and he didn't sing off-key or anything, so I guess all in all, he was successful ;)
The surprises of the night were a) the many great songs and music, and b) the fact that they injected a whole lot of humor into a musical that you wouldn't expect to be funny. Kudos to them, really. It made the whole musical a joy to watch. My review didn't quite capture all of the funny bits though, unfortunately.
Anyway, this musical definitely was not the hot mess I was anticipating. I am delighted by this more than words can say.
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After the musical, live_laugh_love and I waited in the lobby for the cast to come down the stairs. I was able to get autographs from Wayne Duvall, Claybourne Elder (Buck), and Melissa van der Schyff. Finally, Stark and Laura came down. I asked him to sign my playbill and then asked if he'd sign my GK DVD set, too. He seemed surprised and happy that I had brought it. He looked at the front cover, saw that someone else had already signed it, and asked who's signature it was. I told him that it was Alex's. He asked when I got it, and I told him it was back in the Spring when Alex was at the PaleyFest for True Blood. Finally, I asked if he'd mind taking a picture with me, and he said no problem. All in all, he was just as polite as I remember, and a good sport as he must've been exhausted from the show. And just like last time, he asked for my name and said it was nice to meet me. LOL, I don't know why that gets me, but it does. His mama raised him right ;) After live_laugh_love got her signature and picture, I turned around saw Laura and her husband talking with some friends. Another audience member approached her for a picture, so I made my move afterwards. As I got her signature, I told her that I had seen her this summer in South Pacific and that I thought she was fantastic in it. Her husband commented that the style of music in that musical was very different from this one, but that both were fantastic. I got a picture with her and then bid the both of them a goodnight.
All in all, a successful night, even though I look terrible in the pictures (it was so hot in the theatre restrooms for some reason, and by that time at night I was exhausted from the drive down to La Jolla and not looking forward to the drive back home). I started the night looking so cute, too :P Anyway, a picture...
Here's Stark, looking great as usual. I blocked out my face because I seriously have on the dorkiest expression. Also, my hair is doing that thing that I hate. Man, I'm sad that I've met him twice and I still don't have a good picture of us together. Oh well, one day :P... Ahaha, I just noticed his watch matches his backpack.
More on this later. Yes, more :P I'm off to bed now.
