Bonnie & Clyde Fan Night Q&A – Arts Theatre

Jordan Luke Gage and Frances Mayli McCann in Bonnie & Clyde at the Arts Theatre, London. Pictures: Richard Davenport

Bonnie & Clyde Fan Night Q&A – Bonnie & Clyde continues at the Arts Theatre, London until 10 July 2022.

On an otherwise calm Tuesday evening in the West End, an Arts Theatre’s worth of theatre enthusiasts suddenly found themselves transported to one of the history’s most infamous crime scenes. This was a special Fan Night of Bonnie & Clyde, the new production of Frank Wildhorn (composer), Don Black (lyricist) and Ivan Menchell’s (book writer) musical about the murderous criminal duo who stole the uneasy admiration as well as the property and sometimes lives of the 1930s American public.

The West End production of Bonnie & Clyde has earned a passionate following. Fans of all ages turned up for this performance dressed as 30s outlaws. The Arts Theatre’s lobby was suitably decorated with fan art and wanted posters. The show itself played to an uproarious response. Yes, these are criminals being glamorised, but since when was bad taste ever an issue in the wonderful world of musical theatre?

Bonnie & Clyde is an uproariously fun show that is not without heart (as attested to in Jeremy Chapman’s review here), and during this evening it felt as though the cast members were giving it that little bit extra, as a thank you to the dedicated fans who have helped spread the word and turn it into such a success.

After the show, we were treated to an audience Q&A with the cast, moderated by Ross Dawes (who plays Captain Frank Hamer in the show). Also in attendance were Frances Mayli McCann and Jordan Luke Gage (the titular Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow), George Maguire and Natalie McQueen (Clyde’s brother and sister-in-law Buck and Blanche Barrow), Cleve September (Ted Hinton, a young law enforcement officer with a childhood crush on Bonnie) and Ako Mitchell (the preacher).

Natalie McQueen and George Maguire

Q&A:

How did you know you wanted to work in theatre?

George Maguire (Buck Barrow): From a young age that’s all I did, I was doing shows at Christmas and pantos and going to Saturday schools and drama and dance and I just knew. I had the bug when I was little – I loved theatre. I was doing shows and tap dancing in the bath, as you do.

Natalie McQueen (Blanche Barrow): I was a show-off basically. Still am. I did karaoke in Spain once and the woman said you should probably get singing lessons… [Laughter]

Frances Mayli McCann (Bonnie Parker): It’s so weird because I wanted to be a singer, I wanted to be a pop star. I was on holiday with my family and I sang karaoke and they were like, ‘you should go to stage school’. I sang Whitney Houston. Then I just trained and fell into here. Everyone wants to do it and it’s hard work and it’s working long days… it’s trying to sustain your love for theatre when you actually get to do it. It’s like anything else: it’s hard graft. I still love it.

What’s your best stage experience ever?

Jordan Luke Gage (Clyde Barrow): This one, for sure. Genuinely I feel very lucky to be able to be part of this, with this group of people, because everybody is so phenomenal. Best stage experience, if I’m not talking about a show in particular: probably when I performed at BBC Proms in the Park. That was amazing, like Hyde Park on TV, BBC, that was pretty epic.

Cleve September (Ted Hinton): I feel like any time I’ve been able to be on stage I’ve always felt like that is the best thing – I just enjoy it. I was fortunate enough to be able to perform at the Oliviers and I’ve done it twice, which was amazing. The second year, being able to perform while being nominated was, like, crazy. So that for me was an experience that I’ll never, ever forget.

Ako Mitchell (the preacher): I was in the original cast of Sister Act and at the tour’s end, Whoopi Goldberg came and joined us. Sharing time with her on stage was probably one of the most special things I’ve ever experienced. She was a beautiful person and still is.

Ross Dawes (Captain Frank Hamer): Yeah, it’s always lovely as well, isn’t it, when you work with someone that is as iconic as that and has been so successful but they are genuinely lovely people. That’s always a lovely surprise when that happens.

Do any of you have any pre-show rituals? 

Cleve: In our dressing room, every day at the five-minute call when you have to come down for a show, we play a song called ‘Ain’t No Fish’. For those of you who follow the Bonnie & Clyde Instagram account (@bonnieclydeldn) you will have probably seen a couple of videos of the dressing room and the song annoys the hell out of everyone. Job done.

Cleve September and Frances Mayli McCann

What’s your favourite song to sing in the show? Or your favourite song in the show?

Jordan: Ok, I’ve got three. My favourite solo song is definitely ‘Raise a Little Hell’, because of the journey and the notes. And then, a duet: mine and Frankie’s ‘Too Late to Turn Back Now’, I love singing that. And ‘When I Drive’ is my third. But I also like the other duet that we sing too, I like the finale.

Frances: I love to listen to ‘When I Drive’ and also ‘Raise a Little Hell’, I love watching at the side. I get to stand at the side and enjoy it and be able to dance.

What excites you most about telling this story?

Frances: It’s the journey that Bonnie goes through. It’s an amazing part to play from these humble beginnings in a diner and then falling in love with Clyde and just going down this path and there’s no way back – there’s not many roles like it. Also, because she’s a real person and she existed, I have all this material to work from, which is amazing. To have that, but also make it my own, is really nice. Sometimes when it’s a fictional character you get to do it all by yourself, but to have the material there to work from already, it’s been incredible.

Ross: Yeah, it’s quite lovely. A lot of the time when we were in rehearsals we would talk about pictures that we’d seen or stories that we’d heard, we’d talk about that collaboration and kind of be like they’re in this picture, do you think this is when that happened? It’s quite lovely to have something to lean on isn’t it?

Natalie: Well, for me personally, I’m always playing or wanting to play comedy. But I really love that in this show, for the first time ever, I get to have that really dramatic ending. Blanche has a very unique story. She really is going along because she wants to for her husband, she’s not going because she wants to hurt anyone or she wants to steal from anybody: she’s going for love. She is a bit of a nightmare but I do like that in the end she gets that really nice moment. When everything goes crazy around her, she’s there because she wants to make it better.

Ross: I remember, we had a discussion about you wanting to earn that moment at the end, to take the audience with you. I do think they love each other, despite everything. They’re never really arguing with each other, they’re never really going for each other. They’re always united in everything that they do and despite the hardships of the depression and the situation they’re in, for all intents and purposes, she’s alright.

Natalie: She’s a nightmare, but for a reason, you know, it’s because she doesn’t want Buck to do this and she doesn’t like [Bonnie and Clyde] because he wants to do it because of them.

George: Yeah, I think Buck also, he wants to do it for her. He looks up to his younger brother, he idolises Clyde, as most people do, Clyde has this magnetism. That’s what he was like in real life and that’s what we have in this show. But what Buck is torn by is that he just wants the ordinary life, he just loves Blanche, he wants that, but he wants not only better for them but also the thrill and what Clyde has. But he can never be Clyde.

Ako Mitchell

Because it is such a big and such a demanding show for everyone here – are there things you do to look after your voices? How do you look after yourself when doing the show? 

Ako: I mean the vocals in the show, we’ll all attest to that, are really demanding. They’re almost unreasonable. Personally, I just love wine, but I don’t have it at all, I don’t have it. I have one on Sunday and that’s ok. So, you know, you’ve just got to take care of yourself. Hydrate.

Cleve: Quite a few of us have nebulisers, so we’re constantly steaming backstage. And then, for myself, I’ll go home and steam, wake up and steam, get the shower steaming. And just drinking as much water as possible, honestly, water is a life saver.

Ross: And it works differently for everyone, you know. I’ve spoken to a lot of the guys around here, it’s different for every person. You have to find a way that works for you. For some people that is doing their own vocal work, for some people that is taking care… I mean, going back to the work ethic on a show like this, you really do live the show. You go to bed, you wake up and think, ‘I hope I can sing today’.

Jordan: You know you’ve pretty much covered it. I do drink wine quite a lot, but I drink a lot of water which balances it out. For me it’s just making sure I’m staying hydrated. I try not to do too much of a warm-up. Someone told me once if you warm-up too much then you’re leaving your best notes in your dressing room, and then you’ve warmed yourself out. So I try and keep my warm-up to a minimum. But that’s the thing, when you’re performing this much a week it’s actually behind the scenes where you’re putting in so much work. Your lifestyle does change as a performer. You can’t be going out to parties every weekend and doing all that kind of thing. Your social life might suffer slightly but it’s because you’re putting in the work to make this as good as it possibly can be.

Ross: And likewise, you know, the guys that understudy these guys, they can be thrown in at a moment’s notice, so they’ve got their routines as well.

What is it about this show that you think connects so powerfully with specifically young adult audiences?

Frances: I think for one, Bonnie and Clyde themselves were young in the Great Depression and there was nothing else to do, so they made their own life, even though it was the wrong lane to go down. It’s exciting and that’s why people admire them, because they just said, ‘there might be a depression but we’re going to live the life we want and have the things that we want’, and there’s something admirable in that.

Jordan: People love a story of the underdog and people that are standing up to society and rebelling against the police and government. That’s why at the time they became so famous and adored even though they were in the newspapers committing these crimes. It’s because they were seen as heroes who were standing up for the general public, in a way. Which doesn’t excuse what they did, but I feel that’s why the younger generation do gravitate towards it.

Ross: Yeah, sadly you know I think not much has changed, even though such a long time has passed. We’ve seen during the pandemic and stuff how the young want a voice. I think the correlation with regards to the struggle that is in this play and you see they want a voice and they are being heard.

George: I think the music. It’s got this score that just hooks you in and is instantly moving and catchy and cool and of the time, but modern at the same time, which is amazing. So yeah, I think that’s the thing that really struck me first of all. The score is just brilliant and really captured these people and what was going on.

Jordan: And also, I feel people love a history lesson in a musical these days, like Six, Hamilton… I feel people like to come to the theatre and learn something.

Ross: This was actually a discussion I had with Nick [Winston – director/choreographer] in the audition process, about the show and what he wanted to achieve with it. One thing that was really clear was that he wanted to have it as it was – not just a musical but to have the grit and the hardship and the violence that was attached to it. You know, that’s all exciting, whether it’s right or wrong. It’s an exciting subject to put on stage and I think that’s been done brilliantly by Nick.

Bonnie & Clyde cast member Ross Dawes moderated the Q&A

If you could play one other character who would it be and why?

Natalie: Me and Frankie really, really want to do a version of ‘When I Drive’. I think I would be Buck and you would be Clyde. Shall we? Great.

Jordan: I think it’s difficult to answer because all the parts are so great, like I would be happy playing any of them to be honest. I’d give Bonnie a go.

What Hogwarts house would your character be in?

George: My daughter’s really into Harry Potter, so I literally have to say Gryffindor, or I’ll be in trouble.

Natalie: I am genuinely sorry for what I’m about to say but I’ve not really seen Harry Potter. I’m sorry! However, my boyfriend and I went to Universal Studios and I think I’d be… Well, look at me: evil. Slytherin. I think I’d be that one.

Audience member: Blanche would be a Gryffindor!

Natalie: Do you think? She’s got a good heart…

Frances: I want to say Slytherin… [To Natalie] Let’s be Slytherin together.

Jordan: Yeah, I guess Slytherin because that’s the evil house, right? But then they’re not evil, they do have good hearts. They just get wrapped up in…

Audience member: Killing people? [Laugher]

Cleve: Gryffindor I guess, Ted would be Gryffindor.

Ako: I’m very old. I don’t know what any of that is. [Laughter]

What advice would you give someone wanting to study or work in the industry?

Cleve: There’s so much, I think one of the first things about the industry is that it’s hard work – there’s a lot of work you have to put in. I can’t speak for anyone else, but for myself I think you have to genuinely love what you do. You have to, because there is so much that this industry will put you through that that love for it has to overpower any negative things that might be pushed towards you. But be a sponge, learn as much as you can and take everything in, and what works for you, use it, and what doesn’t work for you, set it aside. And just remember that it’s fun. You do this because you love doing it. [Applause]

Jordan: Everything that you said, and… If I could go back to when I was starting in the industry I would tell myself to not compare myself or my journey to other people’s around me, because for some people it might happen really quickly and for some people it takes a little bit longer, but I truly think that if you have that self-belief and work hard then you can achieve anything in life.

George: Just always be good to other people. Be honest and be yourself. Sometimes actors get a bad name, people sometimes say “I met this actor and they were really nice” – like they’re surprised. Sometimes actors can be bad, but if you do what you do because you love it and you treat other people with respect and you know yourself and you’re a good person then it will come back around and people will want to work with you, and that’s important. [Applause]

Ross: I always say that the people who work the hardest and are the nicest work the most.

What’s your favourite on or offstage moment you’ve had in the show so far?

George: So there’s a scene where me and Nat come on and..

Natalie: Oh no!

George: …and it’s after Ted and Bonnie sing a song and we’re at the side of stage and our music starts, and it’s like [banjo noises], and it’s sort of western. And I decided to – just for the bit where you can’t see us when we’re waiting in the wings – to sort of gallop on a horse [mimes]. As I was doing this I stepped on Nat’s foot.

Natalie: We need to re-create this. [They re-create the incident to laugher]

George: I stepped on Nat’s foot then turned around to see if she was okay and headbutted her so hard. It was so loud, the noise was like two bits of bone hitting each other and then…

Natalie: …and then we had to go onstage. [Laughter]

George: That was a highlight for me, it was like Laurel and Hardy.

Natalie: Comedy duo on and offstage.

Jordan: On the first preview, at the end when we get into the car and we’re shot… the door wouldn’t close. So, I close the door, we’re kissing, then we turn around and we’re dead, and I could see the door had swung open. What I should have done is just left the door, but I didn’t know the stage well enough, I thought maybe something would fly down and knock the door off. So I was dead and I literally went… [mimes being dead and attempting to surreptitiously close a car door]

When do we get the cast album?

Ross: Honestly, don’t know, possibly… Maybe if you make loads of demands for it then it will definitely happen. [Cheers]

When you were researching the lives of the real people, was there anything that surprised you that changed how you approached them?

Frances: Since doing the concert version, having a full rehearsal period coming into this show was amazing. I’ve had the chance to do more research and find more things and create a more well-rounded character. There was a part in a book about how when Bonnie was younger she was fearless and always ready for a fight. Like, if you said something bad, she was right in there, you were knocked out. I loved that. Like that moment with Blanche – she would go for her, she would take her right out.

Natalie: I fear you in that scene, I genuinely do, when you walk up to me…

Frances: It’s nice, she’s a bit sweet, and then she switches.

Cleve: I did quite a bit of research. When I had initially read the role of Ted in the script he felt a bit like he was putting himself in spaces without people giving him permission to be there, like just entering Bonnie’s house and all that sort of stuff. I felt like the characterisation of that was a bit odd. I read into Ted and he was actually a really lovely human being – from the beginning of him actually knowing Bonnie and how respectful he was of her – he never stepped towards her or said anything… like Clyde… I tried to embody that and bring that kindness into the character, to make him seem a little less weird and obsessed. I mean, he is still a little bit obsessed, but I love the fact that they’ve written the ice cream song – the new duet between Bonnie and Ted – because it gives a little bit of context to their friendship. It doesn’t all seem as obsessive.

Ross: I think it’s fair to say as well that as actors you consistently discover more as the show progresses, but with this one you have to double check like, would that be true? It’s the minute details that make you question certain things. We have a lot of literature to wade through to make sure the decisions we make are worthy of that choice.

Natalie: Loads of photos too – even now I’ll randomly Google something and be like “who’s this person…?”

Ross: And that’s the same for everyone in the cast, there’s a wealth of discovery to be had on the governess or Hamer or the sheriff, and it’s exciting reading all those things. From what I was reading about Hamer, he was nearly Clyde. They were both one of seven siblings, and there was one particular night when Hamer was going to make a robbery on a bank and somebody stopped him. He says, ‘it could have been me – I was stopped that night and I went down a path of catching people, but I could very easily have been Clyde’. So, it’s tiny margins in all those characters and making sure you do justice to them.

Picture: Ian Bowkett

You obviously all have a wealth of experience, and I was wondering what it’s like creating a character who is completely fictional versus somebody with a real back story from history. Does it limit creativity because you have to conform to the public perception of them or…?

George: It’s an interesting question. Bonnie & Clyde are people who have been dramatised and romanticised even when they were alive. They became folk legends and heroes. If you’re playing someone who is popular in modern culture then I think people want to see a likeness, but I think for something like this then it’s about capturing the spirit of that person and portraying them onstage in a way people get. We don’t know exactly what they were like. We’re retelling a story that’s been retold over and over. To do your own interpretation is quite important as actors, I think.

Natalie: In the past I’ve played a role that’s so heavily based on a real person that I ended up driving myself crazy, and it could be like that for this, but I think if you capture the spirit, it becomes its own thing. I hope if you’ve got that spirit and truth of the character, then hopefully it comes across ok. Am I making any sense? [Supportive cheers from the audience]

Ross: And that’s it, thank you for coming to see the show, thank you for supporting it, thank you to everyone who has dressed up and those who continue to come back night after night. We’re extremely fortunate to be selling as well as we are and extremely happy and proud that it has touched people in the way that it has, especially people who are fans of musicals and fans of the work that we do, so thank you for all of that. Thank you for tonight, I hope you enjoyed the show and meeting everyone this evening.

 Ian Bowkett