Mill Town Players Kill with "Bonnie & Clyde"
Greg Wilson/Anderson Observer
The Mill Town Players breathed life into a muddled “Bonnie & Clyde” musical on opening night, thanks to skilled, energetic and robust performances by just about everyone who hit the stage and solid direction.
Set aside the idea of a musical which seems to ask us to sympathize with a pair of narcissistic murderers. Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow killed at least nine police officers and four civilians during their 1932-1934 crime spree before being gunned down in an ambush by police officers from Louisiana and Texas along a highway near Sailes, Louisiana. (That truth would have provided a more satisfying ending to the stage play version, which fizzles out at the end.)
But the Mill Town Players outshine the material, sporting a Steinbeck-worthy set capturing the Dust Bowl angst of America - the one Clyde says “has had its day” - with stunning visuals which invoke a variety of locales (including a jail, a church, a home, a diner, a hideout) along with clever lighting, and excellent use shadows and silhouettes.
It’s not pretty. The tale of a son of a sharecropper and a waitress at a dingy diner, takes an unwholesome turn when it becomes clear the pair are less folk heroes than egomaniacs. From his first (and last) slap on Bonnie, Drake King oozes Clyde’s cold-bloodedness, despite scenes which attempt to humanize the character.
Charlotte Bates as the childhood Bonnie brings a precocious sweetness in a solid performance. Kelsey Olivia’s grown-up Bonnie sparkles with some of the show’s strongest moments and vocals. As Bonnie, she shows the ambitious pipe dreams of fame as a writer, poet, actress and singer are at least as much her North Star as her love for Clyde. Olivia’s voice was sterling, and her swagger carried the day.
The Bonnie & Clyde in this production fight – a lot – as if arguing is their aphrodisiac, but it works as the chemistry between Olivia and King helps overcome what are sometimes distracting lyrics.
While as the title characters they are on stage most often, it is a pair of other actors who steal every scene in which they appear.
Noah Thomas as Clyde’s brother Buck is near perfect. Thomas sets the temperature of the stage whenever he appears, with an energy and warmth that is lacking from the other male characters, Much is asked of his role, and he is more than up to the tasks. He exudes the kind of “Joie de vivre” both Bonnie and Clyde are seeking, when he is making both good and bad decisions. His relationship with his wife, Blanche Barrow, is sweet and kind. Katie Jo Oliver (Blanche) as the religious beautician who loved her husband was also spot on, and some of her vocal performances were among the show’s best.
Meanwhile, Mill Town Players founder Will Ragland roars onto the scene in his Joker-purple suit and white evangelist’s pompadour as the preacher. Ragland is imposing and convincing in his songs to the masses calling to turn to the light, and was met by applause Friday night the second he stepped on stage in his white button-hook spats. He should have passed the plates after his appearances.
The rest of the cast, especially Ben Stasiek as the creepy-yet-wholesome young Clyde, found a way to take a muddy storyline and turn it into an entertaining evening.
The direction by Ragland and Cameron Woodson also deserves notice, and the flow was about as perfect as possible in live theater. The show is appropriate for all ages, and well worth seeing.
“Bonnie & Clyde” runs through Aug. 11 at the Mill Town Players. Tickets here.