Tom Sword and Samantha Louise Clark in Bonnie and Clyde at the King’s Head, London. Picture: Roy Tan
Bonnie and Clyde was performed at the King’s Head Theatre, London.
The story of the two outlaws Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow continues to capture the public imagination. Bonnie and Clyde’s violent exploits in the Great Depression have been a source of inspiration for music and the screen, most notably in the case of the well-known 1967 Hollywood film, and now Ruby in the Dust’s version makes its world premiere at the intimate King’s Head Theatre. It’s a production with potential, but suffers from long, flat scenes which have the tendency to drag.
The piece does begin promisingly with the re-creation of Bonnie and Clyde’s first meeting which is staged well by director and librettist Linnie Reedman. Samantha Louise Clark plays Bonnie as a vulnerable, romantic dreamer who meets Clyde unexpectedly (Tom Sword). Clark’s Texan accent is convincing and her rendition of composer and lyricist Joe Evans’ understated, country-inspired ‘We Have Our Dreams’ is performed well. Clark and Sword establish good chemistry in the earlier scenes which works to explain their characters’ instant attraction.
Blanche and Buck Barrow (Emma Jane-Martin, Antony Jardine) are, surprisingly, more intriguing than Bonnie and Clyde. Martin is confident in her role and is the only character that truly deserves empathy or pity.
However, the production does suffer due to problems with the narrative pace in both acts. Bonnie’s transformation from an innocent girl, who wants to be in movies, to a ‘gangster’s moll’ happens too quickly and is not convincing. This prevents the audience from developing an emotional connection to the character.
The absence of violence or confrontation, which is a large part of the Bonnie and Clyde story, is absent, and stops the narrative from propelling forward. Instead, Act II is dominated by repetitive dialogue and a missed opportunity to inject suspense and energy into the proceedings.
However, the cast does perform Evans’ musical numbers confidently. The thoughtful ‘Seize the Day Part II’ is a highlight.
Ultimately, Ruby in the Dust theatre company produces a version of Bonnie and Clyde which is powerful in places, but is let down by long scenes which could benefit from being edited in order to reflect the frenzied, violent lives of the world’s most infamous criminals.
Rebecca Gordon
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