“Bonnie & Clyde” blasted its way through its Broadway opening last night, December 1. The historical musical is booked into an open-ended schedule at Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre.
As its title suggests, the tuner recounts the story of America’s most infamous criminal couple, Bonnie Parker (Laura Osnes) and Clyde Barrow (Jeremy Jordan). The 19-member cast also includes Claybourne Elder as Clyde’s loyal older brother Buck and Melissa van der Schyff as Buck’s wife Blanche.
Broadway critics maligned the Jeff Calhoun-helmed musical, despite its acclaimed stint at La Jolla Playhouse (Nov.–Dec. 2009) and another month-long run at Asolo Repertory Theatre (Nov.–Dec. 2010). Frank Wildhorn composed the music, with lyrics penned by Don Black and a book by Ivan Menchall.
“Bonnie & Clyde” entered previews November 4, and in a season saturated with blockbusters old and new, the musical still has managed to make a moderate impression. Audiences have ranged between 79 and 88 percent capacity at the 1,043-seat playhouse, according to the Broadway League.
During four weeks of previews tallied through the most recent November 27 reporting frame, “Bonnie & Clyde” has grossed a cumulative $1.42 million. The show’s regular tickets carry face values between $66.50 and $136.50, while premium seat tickets run between $176.50 and $226.50.
Starting December 5, evening performances will run Tuesday through Thursday at 7:30 p.m., with a more standard 8 p.m. curtain on Friday and Saturday. Matinees will be staged at 2 p.m. on Wednesday and Saturday, and at 3 p.m. on Sunday.
The Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre is located at 236 West 45th Street in New York, NY. More production details, including holiday scheduling changes, can be found on the official “Bonnie & Clyde” Web site.
Opening Night: “Bonnie & Clyde”
| Publication | Critic | Review |
| Variety | Steve Suskin | “…the dead-end story trajectory grows burdensome…” |
| New York Times | Ben Brantley | “Ms. Osnes brings to mind a Bennington girl slumming with rough trade on her semester off.” |
| USA Today | Elysa Gardner | “Some of the less bombastic tunes are mildly pleasing…” |
| TheaterMania | David Finkle | “…rarely rises above mediocrity…” |
| Hollywood Reporter | David Rooney | “Many individual scenes engage, but overall the show is stubbornly unexciting.” |
| The Wall Street Journal | Terry Teachout | “‘Bonnie & Clyde’ is so enervatingly bland and insipid that you’ll leave the theater asking yourself why you ever liked musicals in the first place.” |