“Bonnie & Clyde" at the Clinton Area Showboat Theatre -- July 23 through August 2.
Thursday, July 23, through Sunday, August 2
Clinton Area Showboat Theatre, 303 Riverview Drive, Clinton IA
Lauded by The Mancunion as "a beautiful, sociopolitical musical that is finally getting the recognition it deserves," the Broadway-musical version of Bonnie & Clyde makes its area debut with a July 23 through August 2 run at the Clinton Area Showboat Theatre, Curtain-Up adding to the show's raves by praising the "muscular rhythmic drive beneath the show's blend of folk, blues, and gospel."
Bonnie & Clyde tells the story of real-life fugitives Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow, whose crime-spree romance inspired the Oscar-winning 1967 film classic of the same title. In the midst of the country-wide Depression, the couple find notoriety and love in this thrilling, fast-paced musical. Frustrated with their poor, ordinary lives, Bonnie and Clyde both dream of the exciting lives they have seen in the movies. After escaping from jail, Clyde meets Bonnie and recognizes a fellow dreamer. Their craving for fame and thrills leads them into a life of crime and a life on the run. Despite the pleas of their families, the couple embark on a series of robberies at gunpoint, continuously evading the police and becoming the celebrities they desperately wanted to be. They are soon joined by Clyde’s brother Buck, and the “Barrow Gang” plans increasingly ambitious heists. As their fame and ambition grows, their inevitable fate draws closer. Sexy, exciting, and daring, Bonnie & Clyde combines gospel, rockabilly, and blues music to produce an innovative score that complements the action-filled plot.
Boasting music by famed Jeklyll & Hyde composer Frank Wildhorn, lyrics by Don Black, and a book by Ivan Menchell, Bonnie & Clyde had its world premiere in San Diego, California, in November 2009. The San Diego run was followed by a Sarasota, Florida, engagement in 2010, and the musical debuted on Broadway in December 2011. It was nominated for three Outer Critics Circle Awards and five Drama Desk Awards, both including Best New Musical, as well as two nominations for the 2012 Tony Awards, for lead actress Laura Osnes and Best Original Score. Subsequent productions have since been staged internationally following the submission of the work to Music Theater International, including productions in Japan, Korea, the United Kingdon, and Brazil.
Bonnie & Clyde runs at the Clinton Area Showboat Theatre July 23 through August 2 with 2 and/or 7:30 p.m. performances on Wednesday, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Admission is $27-32, and more information and tickets are available by calling (563)242-6760 and visiting ClintonShowboat.com.
