Tuesday, February 21, 2017

BONNIE AND CLYDE, THE MUSICAL
TOWN HALL ARTS CENTER: 2/17 – 3/19


L-R: Ellen Kaye and Tim Howard

With music by Frank Wildhorn and lyrics by Don Black, “Bonnie and Clyde, the Musical” tells the tale of the infamous Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow. This is the couple that terrorized the south during the Depression by holding up everything from gas stations to banks. When Clyde kills a man in one of the robberies these two realize it’s “Too Late to Turn Back Now.”
     Tim Howard, who plays Clyde Barrow, is one of Colorado’s premier musical theatre talents. His rousing version of “This World Will Remember Me” rocks at the top of the show and his mellifluous rendition of “Bonnie” puts one in mind of the young James Taylor.
      Ellen Kaye, who portrays Bonnie Parker, has a soprano to die for. “How ‘Bout a Dance” and “Dyin’ Ain’t So Bad” will give you an auditory taste of just how phenomenal her voice is. 
          When Keegan Flaugh’s Baptist preacher unleashes his version of “God’s Arms are Always Open,” he takes us with him to ‘Gospel’ heaven.
     The supporting cast includes such fine artists as: Chas Lederer(Buck Barrow), Alison Mueller(Blanche Barrow), Scott McLean(Sheriff Schmid) and Margie Lamb(Emma Parker.)
      Nick Sugar has directed and choreographed the show which means that the usual suspects are manning the technical aspects of the show. It also means that the production looks and sounds great!
    With scenic design by Tina Anderson, costumes by Linda Morken and lighting by Seth Alison, how could one go wrong?
     Add to that the incredibly gifted Donna Kolpan Debreceni and her live band which keeps us rooted in the Gospel and Rockabilly sounds with which Mr. Wildhorn scored the piece. Curt Behm’s sound design enhances the production.
     Beyond that there are projections by Brian Freeland which keep us visually focused in the black and white and sepia memories of the era. These projections, many of which look as if they were ripped from the pages of James Agee’s “Let Us Now Praise Famous Men,” fill in the holes in Ivan Menchell’s book by featuring headlines that let the audience know where these gangstas are currently raising hell. F/X maestro Todd Debreceni adds his genius to the make-up and special effects.

Leave the kids at home and go support Littleton Town Hall Arts Center’s “Bonnie and Clyde, the Musical.”Marlowe's Musings


Town Hall Arts Center is located at 2450 West Main Street in Littleton, Colorado

For tickets go online to www.TownHallArtsCenter.org or call 303-794-2787

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