Bonnie & Clyde @ The Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre

While it may be true that Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow are famous murders and bank robbers, it is almost impossible not to fall madly in love with them in the new Broadway musical Bonnie & Clyde.  Throwing away the traditional “all guns and no back story,” this new piece explores the lives of these two individuals that will forever be in the American history books.  Starting from the ages of ten, the audience is let into the world of these criminals to see what truly made them tick.  With a book rich in accuracy and fresh tunes, Bonnie & Clyde is a new and exciting piece of theatre for history and theatre buffs alike.

Bonnie Parker is a luscious red head with dreams of becoming the “”it girl;” the only problem is she makes minimum wage at a rundown diner in the middle of nowhere.  With her father and grandmother deceased, her only family is her momma, Emma Parker.  Clyde Barrow is the classic bad boy - been in and out of jail and always causing trouble, yet is a huge hit with the ladies.  Always on the hideout, his support comes from his brother, Buck Barrow, who is also in the game of auto theft.  As the fates would have it, Bonnie and Clyde meet one night and share a night of passion that quickly turns into one of the most famous pairing in the world.  After some jail time and an escape that ends in murder, the two love birds decide to live life to fullest.  It is now them verses the world, and as the world would soon learn, there would be no forgetting Bonnie and Clyde.

Leading the cast are two of Broadway’s rising stars, Laura Osnes (Anything Goes and Grease - winner of the NBC series) and Jeremy Jordan (West Side Story and the recent out-of-town run of Newsies).  Together these two actors share a passion on stage that that has enough gun powder to blow out the theatre.  Osnes does a stunning job of portraying Bonnie Parker - a strong headed woman who slowly loses her innocence from page one through to the end.  Bonnie is a woman who thrives off of attention; Osnes brings this quality to the character without making her feel desperate.  Her lighter than air presence and knock out voice come together to form the perfect image of Bonnie - the red head who was so desperate to make it, she feel for Clyde Parker.  Jordan brings his charm, smile, and wonderful voice to the role of the misguided killer.  Clyde is a man who never set out to kill, which makes him all the more vulnerable when he kills his first police officer.  Jordan keeps the tough guy act for a bit too long breezing past wonderfully written moments where the heart of Clyde is intended to come out.  While the performance is strong, there are some emotions missing from the performance; however, combined with Osnes, the two take all of the punches and leave plenty of bullets about the stage.  Supporting Bonnie and Clyde is yet another pair, Blanche and Buck Barrow.  This duo is brought into this piece with brilliant performances by Melissa Van Der Schyff (Big River) and Claybourne Elder (Public Theatre’s Road Show).  Representing the one that wants to do right, but always gets pulled in the other direction due to love, family, and the almighty dollar; Van Der Schyff gives a performance that is sweet, funny, and deeply emotional.  Elder portrays Buck, the brother who always wants more, with an open heart, allowing the audience to see the soft side of a fugitive who will never fully be clean.  The whole ensemble works wonders around these two couples to represent the height of the depression in 1930s America.  With rich voices that blend well to the different styles of music created for the piece, every member of the cast works extremely well together to create a wonderful piece of theatre.

Bonnie & Clyde is re-imagined for a whole new generation thanks to the efforts of Ivan Menchell (The Commentary Club) on book, Don Black (Sunset Boulevard) on lyrics, and Frank Wildhorn (Jekyll & Hyde) on music.  One of the main goals that this production prides itself in is “back story.”  In order to understand all of the killing and robbing, it is extremely important to know how all of that madness came to be.  Menchell did his homework to put together a book that is historically accurate, witty, sexy, and smart.  He reinvents these characters so that by the end of the show, the audience is almost routing for them to win.  The only flaw is that Act I is all back story, leaving the audience wanting a bit more (which surely get delivered in Act II when guns go blazing by).  Black and Wildhorn come together to create a song book that is full of genera after genera, all fused with that Wild West tone.  While a lot of the songs did not POP as one would have hoped, each song worked well to advance the plot and add some key character details; one can only wish that goal was accomplished with one or two “stuck in your head” songs.  If there is a down flaw to this piece, it lies in the hands of director Jeff Calhoun (Grey Gardens and the upcoming Newsies). The direction felt very choppy and over blocked.  While this could be a fault to the actors, a lot of the movements felt forced; however, this overall uneasiness could be attributed to the scenic design of Tobin Ost (Brooklyn).  While the raw wooden set looked amazing, the many elevations and slops in the stage made it hard for actor movement throughout scenes.  Strong lighting design by Michael Gilliam (Big River) and projection design by Aaron Rhyne (Second Stage’s The Blue Flower) were nice elements that added greatly to the piece.  Using real-life images brought the audience back to the 1930s, and served as a wonderful reminder of just how true this story really is.  The overall elements of this piece were impressive - a reality checking book, lush score, and strong design focus all helped take this new musical to high heights.

Bonnie & Clyde is a stunning new musical that is shooting up the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre.  If you are in New York and looking for a fresh piece of theatre, stop by and hear the tale of Bonnie and Clyde.

Wonderland @ The Marquis Theatre

“Why is a raven like a writing desk?” More importantly, what does Broadway have to do with Lewis Carol’s classics Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass? In Gregory Boyd’s and Jack Murphy’s new musical Wonderland, the familiar tale of a girl who follows a white rabbit to the journey of her life; is rewritten with a modern day twist. This talked about musical is not a sequel, as some may have speculated, but a visit back to the loveable characters in the whimsical children’s tale; that, unfortunately, leaves theatre goers curiously unsatisfied.

The trip down this rabbit hole begins in New York City, where English teacher, trying to be an aspiring writer, Alice, has moved to her mother-in-law’s apartment, along with her daughter, Chloe, while Alice takes a break from her rough around the edges marriage. But when Alice lays her head down to try and alleviate a nasty head ache, she finds herself transported to the topsy-turvy world of Wonderland.

Wonderland’s cast was energetic, overall, and fully committed to their roles, exuding an energy so inviting, that makes it a shame to admit it is the only put together part of this show. Leading the cast as Alice is actress Janet Dacal, who approaches the classic heroine with a delightful spark, truly reinventing the Alices of Wonderlands past. With a power house of a voice, Dacal rocks every last song, whether it is a ballad or a belting number. And what would our heroin be without a knight in shining armor – or in this case a cream, equestrian uniform? Darren Ritchie delights the audience as Jack the White Knight, an eager-to-please hero, combining the wistfulness of Don Quixote and the over-gelled lead in a boy band. Humor and valor are masterfully portrayed in Ritchie’s performance, that has the gents snickering and the ladies swooning.

Other show stopping performances were that of Chloe, played by Carly Rose Sonenclar, and The Mad Hatter, played by Kate Shindle. Sonenclar’s voice is so unbelievably fantastic, it was nearly impossible to believe that those notes came from her little frame. The deliciously crazed hatter, shone onstage, as Shindle took command as the menacing antagonist, with a voice that proved who wore the hat in this production.

Even with a truly remarkable cast, the book, supplied by Gregory Boyd and Jack Murphy, was less than desirable. With left field plot twists, blatant exposition, and trite lessons, the storyline was blasé to say the least, delivering nothing of what its teaser adds seemed to promise. Although the comedic one-liners try to save the show, the former issues outweigh the laughs. As for the music, composed by Frank Wildhorn, the cast packs a punch through each song, one number after the other, which really rallied the audience into louder and louder cheers, but lost its appeal towards the end of the first act, as each song turned into more and more of a ‘I’ll one up you’ fest. Even trying to give the first act the benefit of a doubt, what with it being heavy musically and only introducing the main conflict more than half way through, the second act takes a complete three-sixty, being sparse on the musical numbers and racing through the climax at the blink of an eye. Yes, it has been debated that this reviewer is over-thinking what is to be a children’s musical, allow this as a counter argument. If Broadway has hosted a children’s musical version of Hamlet, retold from an animal’s perspective, for over thirteen years, entitled: The Lion King, then these new, lowered expectations for the twenty-first century’s children’s musical is not only depressing, but insulting.

Neil Patel’s design, though dealing with a limited space, was creative, however, lacked that certain “WOW” factor, as there seemed to be a required change of set per each musical number. Costumes held the same unfortunate fate, as chorus members had change, after change, after change, having Susan Hilferty’s designs become less and less impressive as the play progressed. As for the dancing, for the abundant amount of movement that there was, Marguerite Derricks’ chorography lacked the razzle-dazzle, always having the potential to be impressive and nothing more.

As chaotic as the original land beyond the looking-glass was, there is no comparison to the mixed-up, mad house that is this musical. Then again, if it is a crazy night at the theater is what you are looking for, there are other rabbit holes to venture down for that.

Review By: James Russo & Sarah Hogan-DePaul