Bonnie and Clyde – The Musical might need its followers however that doesn’t make it a superb musical on the Garrick Theatre
“No ideas and no big plans”
Bonnie and Clyde – The Musical has lengthy had a troubled manufacturing historical past so the truth that Nick Winston’s revival has managed the leap from staged live performance to off-West End on the Arts Theatre to the precise West End down the highway on the Garrick Theatre is mightily spectacular. Crucial to its success has been the sort of fan assist many musicals might solely dream of, once more nothing however a constructive.
The problem for me although is that it actually isn’t that good a present, regardless of the exhausting work being put into the manufacturing right here. Ivan Menchell’s ebook opens with the titular duo’s destiny however because it cycles again to inform us ‘what had happened was…’, the choice to romanticise a lot of their story stands proud like a sore thumb, glossing over the various tough edges of actuality that type the actual impulse behind such felony exercise.
There are moments in Winston’s largely up to date staging that make you assume it would work however this finally ends up as a cake and consuming it state of affairs, any try and introduce grit washed away by soppily fantastical nonsense. Frances Mayli McCann and Jordan Luke Gage give it good welly with somer highly effective vocals however the contemporary pores and skin and sharp jawlines imply it’s exhausting to take something severely.
Matters aren’t helped by the decide’n’combine number of Frank Wildhorn’s rating, ricocheting from rock to jazz to gospel with no actual sense of intention, no musical identification rising to assist try to set up what this musical is making an attempt to say. Supporting performances from Jodie Steele and George Maguire are higher than this present deserves however that’s a uncommon spotlight in a night that can largely go away you feeling robbed.