Bonnie And Clyde at The Garrick Theatre, London Review

Reviewed by Kelly Victoria

Last night it was a pleasure to be invited to watch Bonnie & Clyde at its home in The Garrick Theatre located on Charing Cross Road in London.

As we waited for the show to start, the stage had been set with Bonnie’s journal on the stage under a spotlight and was framed with a bullet holed wall, all nicely setting the scene for the show ahead.

As the lights go down the show starts with the loud noise of gunshots and Bonnie (Frances Mayli McCann) and Clyde (Jordan Luke Gage) laying in the front of the getaway car having been shot dead by law enforcement.

We are then immediately taken to the start of the journey of Bonnie and Clyde and the storyline begins. Bonnie and Clyde are two kids from a small-town church loving community in Texas who are looking for more than the poverty-stricken town can offer them.

Bonnie has dreams of being a famous star, whilst Clyde craves being just like the outlaws he loves and adores. As they meet, they become infatuated with each other and the outlandish criminal lifestyle that Clyde leads them to.

Despite warnings from her mother and other townsfolk that Clyde is no good, Bonnie is obsessed and her head won’t be turned and so she follows him on his criminal rampage.

At first Bonnie is hell bent on becoming famous by becoming an actress, but soon realises that Clyde’s addiction to the criminal life will never change and could actually bring her the fame and fortune she craves and is soon “in on the act”.

Clyde finds himself in prison and with the help of Bonnie escapes from jail and is then on a criminal rampage which leaves him ruthless and with blood on his hands.

During the course of the storyline, we are also introduced to Clyde’s Brother and Sister-in-Law Buck (George Maguire) and Blanch (Jodie Steele) who become a pivotal part of the storyline. Clyde and Buck are in prison together and after initially escaping jail, Blanche persuades him to go back to jail and do the right thing. However, not long after being released, he finds out that Clyde has been shot and so leaves town with his long-suffering wife following in his wake, to help his brother. Blanche’s character is full of dry sarcasm and provides lots of laughs throughout the show. Jodie Steele’s comical timing is perfection.

Despite having survived being shot and still managing to escape several times, Bonnie and Clyde just can’t stop. They’re addicted to the headlines, stories they are selling and notoriety that comes with their criminal lifestyle. Even though they know that their life will end up being short lived and inevitably with them being shot and killed, they just can’t stop.

The show ends with Bonnie and Clyde finally meeting their fate gunned down by the law and we are taken back to the scene that starts the show with Bonnie and Clyde lying dead in their getaway car.
The storyline during the show is fast-paced, easy to follow and keeps you gripped. But, the storyline alone just doesn’t do justice for how absolutely incredible this show is.

Every single performer on the stage is exceptional – there isn’t a weak moment throughout the entirety of the show. The vocals are absolutely incredible from every single cast member and they play their character with absolute perfection.

Normally, there’s an outstanding performer in a show or someone who deserves a special mention. But honestly, I couldn’t pick one as they were all equally brilliant in their own right.

If I had to pick a favourite scene, just because it made me laugh so much, I truly enjoyed “You’re Going Back to Jail”. It’s a comical scene where Blanche persuades Buck to go back to jail with her fellow female townsfolk who are secretly enjoying life without their men around. Performed with a country twang and despite being comical, Jodie Steele’s amazing voice was a delight.

One of the most touching parts of the performance for me was listening Frances Mayli-McCann singing Dying Ain’t So Bad. Frances sung with the perfect amount of emotion, commitment to character and her vocal tone is just a dream.

Whilst the stage was simply set throughout, there were clever projections designed by Nina Dunn, used to the back of the stage, which really aided the storytelling. Whilst sometimes the projections were still and used as a backdrop. Moving projections were also used which were used to portray blood, splatters and gunshots but also more sentimental imagery which worked perfectly in the scenes in which they were used.

Honestly, this show is beyond exceptional. I’m not going to stop gushing about it for a long while to come. You will very rarely see a production with that much talent on stage all at once. In my opinion, everyone should get tickets as it would be a crime to miss it…

Rating: 5/5

The show is on from 4th March 2023 for a limited season

Tickets cost from. £24.00

For more information or to book tickets, please visit Book tickets for Bonnie & Clyde (fromtheboxoffice.com)