WAVE Productions’ “Bonnie & Clyde” took audience members at Shanley Pavilion for a wild ride through the 1930s South during its two-day run Friday and Saturday.
Communication sophomore and director Alex Lopez said “Bonnie & Clyde” has been his favorite musical since he began listening to musical theater.
“I’m drawn to it because of its really incredible vocal landscape,” Lopez said. “It is such a distinct sound for a musical — it’s very folk, but also rock, but also jazz, but also blues.”
The show utilized Shanley Pavilion’s small, intimate setting to immerse the audience in its story. With the stage in the center of the room and audience members seated around it, actors moved freely throughout the space and often created a split-screen effect to reflect simultaneous events.
“Picture Show,” the first number after the overture, showed young Bonnie and Clyde describing their aspirations while facing different segments of the audience. Eventually, they switched positions with the actors portraying their adult versions. The switch-off was a highlight for production and audience members alike. Lopez said he drew staging designs for “Picture Show” as a child, so it was a “full-circle moment.”
The production’s set was simple, featuring wooden frames and beams sticking up from the ground.
“What we’ve been exploring with a lot of the design is this idea of a broken and dilapidated world, and with a lot of the blocking and choreography we’re exploring how the American Dream is actually failing us,” Lopez said.
Members of the production became tight-knit and comfortable with each other quickly, Weinberg senior Aidan Einhorn, who played Clyde Barrow, said. He said rehearsals were a “positive, energetic” environment.
Einhorn said playing Clyde was challenging because of how different his personality is from the character, but he enjoyed taking on the role because of how well-documented Clyde’s life was. He said he explored historical material to improve his performance.
“My goal was for audiences to feel and be able to see the humanity behind these two people that have so much fanfare and so much celebrity culture around them,” Einhorn said. “(We wanted) to take these larger-than-life people and strip them down to what makes them human, and tell that story of love above anything else.”
Lopez said he liked how the show focused on the love between Bonnie and Clyde and celebrated Southern culture instead of focusing on pain.
“Bonnie & Clyde” sends messages that are important to the present day, Lopez said.
“It’s very (applicable) to 2024 as we learn to fight against institutions that don’t work with us and work against us and learn to have our voices heard in politics,” Lopez said.
In the show, Bonnie, Clyde and other characters discuss serious topics, such as whether the justice system is fair, when violence is justified and if the American Dream is real.
Communication freshman Timmy Woodward said he hoped the show entertained the audience, but also called them to action regarding issues like gun violence and the criminal justice system.
“Clearly a lot of issues that were in the 1930s are much better now, but they’re still not the best they can be,” Woodward said. “I think this show gives a really good reflection of where we were, where we are and where we need to be.”
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X: @CelesteEckstein
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