The theater performance that I viewed is named “Bonnie and Clyde”. This performance is of the musical genre. It contained a series of musical acts that provided a different view to this historical event. The performance was directed and choreographed by Jeff Calhoun. Ivan Menchell wrote the performance and the music was composed by Frank Wildhorn. The musical selections within the performance developed the story in a unique way. Rather than having a narrator explain scenes and sections of the storyline, the performers revealed the plot with songs and dance numbers. While this helped the audience to understand the plot it also drew them in to the performance by stimulating emotions. There were musical selections such as “Raise a Little Hell” that revealed the pain of one of the main characters Clyde Barrow, while selections such as “You Love Who You Love” stimulated the audience in a passionate way.
The characters were identifiable from the very beginning of the performance. All the characters in the performance were representations of real people in this story. The story was historical in nature therefore realistic features such as wardrobe, speech and settings developed most of the performance. One of the main characters was Clyde Barrow. His character was identifiable from the moment his story began because it started with his childhood and his parents would often scold him by yelling his name loudly. This is also similar to the second main character Bonnie Parker because she too was called by her first name when her childhood scene unfolded.
Since the performance was based on a historical event the entire musical was composed of scenes that corresponded to the time era. The scene of Clyde’s childhood showed accuracy in the time period because at the age of twelve his father lost his job as a farmer and had to move to West Dallas to find work. This was accurate because many families in the early 1900’s relocated to seek a better life. Also when Bonnie was younger she was married at the age of 16. This wasn’t uncommon in this time period for young women and contributed to the accuracy of the performance by adding historical settings for the audience to relate to. Although the performance is based on a historical event some scenes did not seem accurate such as the signing of autographs while robing stores. It didn’t seem logical to spend time signing autographs while trying to run from the police. The way Bonnie helped Clyde break out of jail also seemed as if it was not accurate. She placed the gun in her bra to bring it into the jail however she was searched and the guards did not feel or see it on her. She may have gotten the weapon into the jail another way in actuality but in the performance this seemed as if it was a idea of how she may have gotten it in developed by the writer’s imagination.
The majority of the colors in the show were natural earth tones. The cars had a rusted orange color along with some metallic silver tones. This displayed a rough look and feel which related to Clyde’s character because he was the rough character that loved cars. The characters wore a lot of clothing with blue in it. The suits the men wore were often tan colors. Bonnie often wore bright colored clothing because her character stood out the most in scenes she was in. It also related to her mood because she was often happy and pleased most of the time. She always to become a Hollywood star and she dressed up a lot.

The musical selections in the performance had variety. Often times the scenes with Bonnie and Clyde would be accompanied by a romantic song such as the scene when Bonnie reads Clyde her poems for the first time at night. The musical selection that accompanied that scene was “This World Would Remember Us”. The performance also had songs that added emotion to the scene that forced the audience to pay close attention such as the scene with Clyde in jail. In this scene Clyde was at a breaking point and was extremely angry. The musical selection that accompanied this scene was “Raise a Little Hell”. The song was up-tempo, which captured the audience immediately.
The costume designs on set were very accurate and complemented the set very well. The costumes were outfits and wardrobes from the early 1900’s. Clyde often wore dirty baggy clothes because he was often in an out of jail. He lived poor and couldn’t afford better clothing. This added to his character’s mood because he often would show a dirty and rough side to him. However, Bonnie was also dressed properly and nicely. She was raised differently from Clyde and it showed in their wardrobes. She also had a very bright personality, which was accompanied by bright color clothing. The police men often dressed nice which could have symbolized their importance to the community they served.
The lighting in the performance was often natural. Colored lights were used mainly when backgrounds had to be distinct from the foreground. For example in the scene where Bonnie was reading her poems to Clyde the background was given a deep blue color while the rest of the set was lit from natural lighting. Spotlights were used often in the performance especially on Bonnie. She was usually seen in a good light because her personality was cheerful. The lighting placed on Clyde was sometimes dim because he was the angry criminal character. The lighting during the shootout scene was very unique. Every time a gun went off the lights would switch through the darkness, which made you believe that there were many people in one area and a lot of movement was occurring. It was a scene of chaos and the lighting really made the scene stand out.
The thing I liked best about the show was the animated aspect of the characters. I’m usually the type of person that would get bored if I had to sit through a performance. However, I was alert and aware for the majority of this performance because the plot had many exciting scene that involved fights, drama, and shootouts. The battles between family and crime caught my attention immediately because it sparked an interest in me. The fact that Bonnie was hiding this love affair from her family and friends interested me a lot and really captured my attention because it made me wonder what would happen if anyone found out. It was secret that could ruin her life if people knew and I was concerned about her getting caught for the majority of the performance. I had this response to her actions because I know how difficult it is to explain things to your family that they would not understand or accept.
The theme of the performance was the dangerous romance of two people from very different family backgrounds and structures. The characters should how hard it is to stand by a decision and a lifestyle that society was against and how to stand your ground no matter what obstacles come your way. The story tried to teach people the meaning of true love while also showing people the consequences of decisions that you make in life and the effect that they can have on an entire community. Bonnie and Clyde were in love for a long time but they also made the decision to live a life of crime and stand by it no matter what. Knowing that this life would potentially lead to them being killed they continued on kept their goals in sight. Although this was not the ideal lifestyle to live they did show dedication and true tenacity with their choice of life.