Bonnie & Clyde tells the story of real-life fugitives Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow. The couple find love in the midst of country-wide depression, both dreaming of the exciting lives they see in the movies. Their passion for fame and fortune leads them into a life of crime and always being on the run.
Tonight, the chorus just blew me away. The main cast are incredibly fortunate to have such a slick and confident chorus. Their diction was clear and they were very credible as their characters, remaining animated throughout. It was a joy to watch them, as it was clear they were enjoying preforming up on stage this evening.
A memorable musical number, ‘God’s Arms Are Always Open’ was loud, polished and the simple yet effective choreography was performed to perfection.
Hannah Scanlan portrayed the role of Bonnie with confidence and her acting was faultless. Her onstage partner in crime was Clyde played by Rich Spencer, who oozed charm!
Supporting these two, Vikki-Jo Gratton played the role of Blanche Barrow. She was professional, slick and incredibly believable as her character. With a superb singing voice, she kept her character alive throughout the performance, including during her solos and duets. Alongside Gratton, her onstage husband Buck Barrow played by Liam Baker owned the stage with his excellent acting ability and comic lines. All four had a strong on stage relationship with one another.
Two other supporting actors also stood out, Mark Hill who played Ted Hinton and Adam Rush who played the Preacher. Both sang brilliantly, had strong stage presence and were thoroughly entertaining.
The onstage cast were supported by musical director Teddy Clements and his orchestra of eight, who performed the unfamiliar musical score. There is something great about having a live band!
The clever use of the cast changing props and set worked incredibly well, and these were effortless and discrete.
The whole cast clearly worked enormously hard in staging this production, from the detail which went into the simple, yet functional set, the clever use of props and the effective use of movement and choreography to the musical direction and onstage acting. Although this was a lengthy production, the audience left positively commenting on how much they enjoyed the performance.
Huge congratulations must go to the production team Adam Rush and Danielle Fletcher (Directors), and Clair Whitaker (Producer), as well as the whole company on stage and off stage for a thoroughly enjoyable evening out!
Bonnie & Clyde, performed by RAODS, runs at the Plaza Theatre, Romsey until 26 October 2019.