Preview: Bonnie & Clyde a must-see

By DAVE MOSIER

Van Wert Civic Theatre is opening its 2025-26 season with the musical version of Bonnie & Clyde, and it’s a banger of a show.

The Tony-nominated musical, with book by Ivan Menchell, lyrics by Don Black and music by Frank Wildhorn, tells the story of Texas-born bandits Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow, from their days as youngsters — Bonnie a waitress who longs for stardom and farm boy Clyde a juvenile delinquent who likes guns and fast cars — through the murderous crime spree that made them front-page news in Depression-era America.

The play opens with Bonnie and Clyde dead after being shot in a bloody ambush in Louisiana and then uses flashbacks to show how they ended up that way.

Wildhorn’s music is an eclectic mix of blues, gospel and “rockabilly”, and includes some tuneful production numbers, while Black’s lyrics provide a window into America during the Depression and the rural Texas values that spawned a pair of gangsters like Bonnie and Clyde.

Cheyenne Weber and Ashton Szabados are perfect as the ill-fated lovers and gangsters in Director Jerry Zimmerman’s and Music Director Terri Spenser’s VWCT production of the musical. Both have plenty of stage presence, and the first meeting between Szabados’ cocky young gangster and Weber’s bored waitress who idolizes “It” girl Clara Bow starts awkwardly, but warms up quickly. Both do a fine job with the music as well, with Weber’s throaty vocals well-matched to showcase Bonnie’s frustrated passion and sexuality and Szabados’ mix of high, clear vocals and menacing growls portraying the romantic and criminal sides of Clyde’s character.

The stars are ably supported by Nick Long as Clyde’s brother, Buck, and Hannah Davis as Buck’s wife, Blanche. Long, a VWCT veteran, is wonderful as Buck, a good old boy who loves his Bible-thumping wife, but is also tempted by the fame and notoriety his brother’s exploits have brought him. His duet with Clyde on “When I Drive” is a rollicking masterpiece.

Davis’ Blanche is caught up in religion and works to persuade Buck settle down and avoid the fate she sees ahead for Bonnie and Clyde. In the end, she is the dutiful wife who follows her man, even when it goes against everything she believes. Her voice is perfect for portraying a religious woman torn between her beliefs and the man she loves, while also contrasting well with Weber’s on the love song “You Love
Who You Love.”

Adam Ries is also great as Ted Hinton, the deputy sheriff whose unrequited love for Bonnie turns to hatred for Clyde and, inevitably, leads to the deaths of both his nemesis and the woman he loves. He and Szabados also blend well on a tuneful duet reflecting their love for Bonnie: “You Can Do Better Than Him.”

One of the most pleasant surprises in Bonnie & Clyde is Taylor Hesseling, who plays the preacher and makes memorable music in gospel-flavored production numbers — especially “God’s Arms Are Always Open.” Hesseling’s role maintains the pace needed to keep the musical on track and he does it with style and a big voice.

VWCT veteran Joe Warnement shows off his acting chops as Sheriff Schmid, while Grayson Baker and Abbie Mengerink are wonderfully spot on, both as actors and singers, as the young Clyde and Bonnie.

The remainder of the cast and ensemble — John Havill, Amy Boley, Jami Sons-Beard, Kristin Lee, Alea Rex, Dianna Hicks, Sean Carpenter, Stacy Rife, Doug Grooms and April Lantz — are instrumental in fleshing out the character roles and filling in the crowd scenes that make the musical come alive. These often unsung actors bring credibility to their roles, while also providing the musicality that powers the production numbers.

The set, including an old Texaco gas pump, and great Depression-era costumes from Suzanne Kreischer and Marie-Lyne LaDouceur, also greatly enhance the production’s realism, as does Mary Ann and Joe Falk’s light design and Burdette Bolenbaugh’s sound effects.

In short, if the rest of this season matches up to Bonnie & Clyde, it should be a great year for theatre in Van Wert.

Bonnie & Clyde will open this Thursday, September 18, and run this weekend and the weekend of September 25-28. Evening performances begin at 7:30 p.m., with Sunday matinees starting at 2 p.m. Tickets can be purchased online at vwct.org.