Bonnie and Clyde
A Musical in 2 acts: Music by Frank Wildhorn; Lyrics by Don Black; Book by Ivan Menchell. Based on The lives of Bonnie and Clyde.
La Jolla, California - 22 November - 20 December, 2009 (15 previews: 33 perfs)
Asolo Repertory Theatre in Sarasota, Florida - 19 Nov - Dec 19, 2010 ( 8 previews, 36 pers)
Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre, Broadway - 1 Dec - 30 Dec (36 perfs)
Synopsis
Act I
In Depression-era West Texas, Bonnie is a 23 year-old diner waitress who dreams of a life in the movies. Clyde Barrow, who has just broken out of prison with his brother Buck, discovers Bonnie on the side of the road and a connection is made between the two dreamers as he repairs her car in exchange for a lift into Dallas. Meanwhile, Blanche Barrow urges her husband, Buck, to turn himself in and set things right with the Lord and with the law.
Bonnie ends up spending the whole day, and several thereafter, with Clyde. She tells him of her grand plans: to be an actress, a poet and a singer. Clyde convinces her to sing him a song and assures her that together they'll make both their dreams - his of a life without having to worry about money, hers of fame - come true. The two go to visit Buck. Clyde is overjoyed to see his brother again and they talk of driving away from Dallas in the latest Ford, which is said to be able to go 60 miles per hour. However, when Clyde hears of Buck's plan to turn himself in and complete his sentence, he's strongly opposed to the idea and leaves angrily.
However, Clyde is eventually caught by Ted and the other authorities, while Buck turns himself in. Bonnie professes her love for Clyde as Blanche does the same for Buck. Buck is released quickly, while Clyde receives a much harsher jail sentence, and then faces a difficult time of continuous physical and sexual assault while in prison. At the peak of his abuse, Clyde turns to a makeshift weapon and performs his first murder. He convinces Bonnie to smuggle a gun into his cell, and Clyde again breaks out of prison, this time killing a deputy.
Act II
Bonnie and Clyde begin a life of crime, robbing stores and travelling all around to avoid being caught. During a grocery store robbery gone wrong, Clyde shoots a deputy who was, in his words: 'trying to be a hero'. when she hears that Clyde has gone from robbery to murder, a frenzied Bonnie wants out but realises that she's too far from what she's known to go back. In part due to the grocery store shooting, the two achieve folk hero status throughout the country, with officers in every Southern state on the hunt for them. Clyde sends occasional letters to Buck and Blanche, telling them of the adventures and opportunities they've made on the road. Buck begins to see that there is more for them out there than can be found in their current situation, and he unsuccessfully tries to convince Blanche that they should join Clyde and Bonnie.
The infamous duo, meanwhile, continue on their robbery spree, growing increasingly bold in their endeavours and graduating from stores to banks. In the midst of an unsuccessful bank robbery, Clyde is shot in the shoulder. Upon hearing of his brother's injury, Buck leaves home - and his wife, who's torn between her love for her husband and what she knows is right - to help Clyde. In the hideout, Clyde and Bonnie share a tender moment before being interrupted by Buck at the door. He's with a reluctant Blanche; her love for her husband won out in the end. Days later, Bonnie and Blanche nervously await the return of Clyde and Buck from a robbery, as Blanche questions how Bonnie can happily live the way they do. Bonnie replies that she and Clyde are the only ones truly living life to the fullest. Buck and Clyde return, with their respective partners elated to see them, but the celebration is short-lived as they learn that they've been followed by the authorities to the hideout. A shootout ensues, in which Buck is mortally wounded. Clyde quickly whisks Bonnie away, but a heartbroken Blanche stays with Buck until his dying breath and is arrested.
In the woods on the way back to Dallas, Clyde wonders how his family will even be able to look at him after what he's done to Buck. Bonnie assures him that it wasn't his fault, but both realize that they're nearing the end of their fateful journey. On May 23, 1934, on a rural Louisianan road, Bonnie and Clyde are ambushed and killed by police on the way to meet their parents.
Musical numbers
Act I
- "Prologue"
- "Picture Show" – Young Bonnie, Young Clyde, Bonnie, Clyde
- "This World Will Remember Me" – Clyde, Bonnie
- "You're Goin' Back to Jail" – Blanche, Buck, Salon Women
- "How 'Bout a Dance?" – Bonnie
- "When I Drive" – Clyde, Buck
- "God's Arms Are Always Open" – Preacher, Congregation
- "You Can Do Better Than Him" – Ted, Clyde
- "You Love Who You Love" – Bonnie, Blanche
- "Raise a Little Hell" – Clyde
- "This World Will Remember Us" – Clyde, Bonnie
Act II
- "Made in America" – Preacher, Ensemble
- "Too Late to Turn Back Now" – Clyde, Bonnie
- "That's What You Call a Dream" – Blanche
- "What Was Good Enough For You" – Clyde, Bonnie
- "Bonnie" – Clyde
- "Raise a Little Hell (reprise)" – Clyde, Buck, Ted
- "Dyin' Ain't So Bad" – Bonnie
- "Dyin' Ain't So Bad (reprise)" – Clyde, Bonnie
- "How 'Bout a Dance? (reprise)" – Bonnie
Cast:
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