Bonnie and Clyde the Musical centres on the infamous vigilantes: fame-hungry Bonnie Parker (Lucy Hilton); and hell-raising Clyde Barrow (Shaun Hamilton) known for their chain of robberies in depression-age America. Despite having to contend with some technical issues and a sweltering hot room, the young cast of Bonnie and Clyde persisted through.
The tuneful score by composer Frank Wildhorn includes a pleasant mix of ballads and big up-beat ensemble numbers. The music is performed live by a small and slightly cramped music section. In the opening number, young Clyde is infatuated with his toy gun and sings ‘ain’t nothing I can’t do with a gun’. This feels particularly harrowing in light of the recent terror attacks in the US.
Lucy Hilton gives a remarkable performance as Bonnie and is the anchor for the show. She appears to slip into the role of the sweet girl with a rebellious streak with ease and has a mesmerising voice to top it off. Another standout is Heather Richardson as Blanche Barrow. Heather never breaks character as the devout Christian who tries tirelessly to knock sense into her husband.
Although this production is not perfect, the cast and musicians appear to be having fun on stage and should be commended for their efforts in tackling this challenging musical.
Bonnie and Clyde is playing at the Sweet Grassmarket on Aug 6-12, 14-17 at the time of writing.
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