Well… the news is out! Bonnie and Clyde is transferring to the West End. And what a special evening at the theatre this was! Having obsessed over this show for a decade, I never thought I’d ever see it in any form on a West End stage – especially not in one of the largest London theatres and bringing back an original cast member, Jeremy Jordan.

Being such a limited event with only two performances, disbelief was the main thing I was feeling sitting in my royal circle seat. Thank you so much to my friend Yasmien who managed to snag us the tickets. The audience was electric. The proudcer came on stage at the start asking us to act like a Saturday night audience on a Tuesday for the proshot… but we really didn’t need that prompt at all.

Also, I need to have words with whoever advertised this as a concert because they completely misled us! This ‘concert’ had more staging than some fully staged productions I’ve seen. I was so taken aback and impressed at what they had created with such limited rehearsal time. It definitely was more than a concert, that’s for sure. How dare they not prepare us for actual staging!

The show

Set in depression-era West Dallas, Bonnie and Clyde the musical follows the lives and crimes of these infamous outlaws. Despite not receiving the best reviews on Broadway over ten years ago, the musical gained a strong cult following. The show originally never played to full houses so it’s crazy to think it sold out the Drury Lane twice in six minutes. This is all owed to the popularity it gained since it’s short two month stint on Broadway.

Skillfully directed by Nick Winston, and working alongside the original creative team, they turned what was meant to be just a concert into a partly-staged, dynamic show for the huge space provided. We were all so convinced this was just a typical concert where the actors would be standing in front of microphones that everything took me by surprise.

Whilst the set never changed, additional props were brought to the stage and there was enough to make sure the actors had enough to play with for you to imagine the locations. The faded, bullet-ridden American flag in the background was also a nice touch to represent the unbearable poverty of the time and the criminals born from the dust of it.

It wasn’t only Jeremy Jordan who was making their West End debut, but also Frank Wildhorn which feels hard to believe. His score, alongside Don Black’s Lyrics, is the main thing that has captivated fans of the show. In creating the music, he was strongly influenced by country, rockabilly and gospel music to transport you to the American South. London has never seen a vocal performance as strong as Jeremy Jordan performing ‘Raise A Little Hell’. The last note will send shivers down your spine!

The cast

Seeing the return of the original Clyde Barrow is really something special. Jeremy Jordan doesn’t just sing songs, he embodies them. He’s an incredible storyteller who only continues to improve over time. Frances Mayli McCann seamlessly took on the role of Bonnie with her gorgeous vocals and compelling stage presence.

Natalie McQueen is iconic as Blanche Barrow – but when is she ever not iconic? She is effortlessly charismatic on stage and hits the comedic mark every time. Completing her other half was George Maguire who gave a fantastic performance as Buck Barrow.

Getting the entrance applause he always deserves, Trevor Dion Nicholas joined the stage half way through act one to bring down the house with some gospel. Last but certainly not least, one more mention for Liam Tamne playing Ted Hinton who never fails to impress. A fun fact none of you probably care about was that he was my first Enjolras in Les Miserables. I’ve luckily been able to catch him in a few more shows since, but it was truly wonderful to see his performance being immortalised for a proshot.

What next for Bonnie & Clyde?

The curtain call announcement that the show would be transferring to the West End, creating a home at the Arts Theatre from April, was welcome news indeed. I saw a small, intimate workshop concert of Bonnie and Clyde a few years back at The Other Palace. A workshop for Heathers happened around the same time and, as we all know, Heathers did then make the leap to a London stage.

Bonnie and Clyde, however, has had a much longer wait. So long, in fact, I was beginning to think the dream was dead (despite Jeremy Jordan continuously telling us it was at every London concert he’s done). I’m so happy that it turns out he wasn’t getting our hopes up for nothing.

As for the cast, I’m hoping the marvellous company we had at the Drury Lane will all be going with the show to the Arts Theatre. I highly doubt Jeremy will stay, so I would like to put forth my hope that they will reach back out to Jamie Muscato who brought Clyde to life at The Other Palace workshop concert.

Final Thoughts

We all knew this was going to be a special concert. It was essentially the West End debut of such a popular musical. What we didn’t know, however, was how epic it was going to be. This is one of the theatre trips I will remember the most when I’m old and in a care home. Luckily, by then we’ll have the proshot so I can relive it for the rest of my days.

Make sure you’ve signed up for pre-sale tickets because this is gonna sell fast!

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Are you a fan of Bonnie and Clyde the musical? Who is your dream West End cast? Let me know in the comments!