On the Run with Bonnie & Clyde at Wilmington Drama League

By Hannah Leposa
Theater fan Hannah Leposa is excited to be living in Wilmington where there is a lively theatre community and high quality performances.

Bonnie and Clyde, produced by Wilmington Drama League, follows the lives of the notorious Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow as they navigate love and being on the run in the South during the Depression era. 

Bonnie and Clyde now playing at Wilmington Drama League. 
Photo by Sheena Ahlmer.

Not having any background on the show before attending, I was pleasantly surprised when I walked into a comedy and found myself laughing more times than I could count during the show. The show uses a mix of gospel and blues music, written by Frank Wildhorn, lyrics by Don Black, and a book by Ivan Menchell. This production was directed by Liz Hazlett.

The cast was truly excellent. Standout stars included Stephen Piergrossi as Clyde Barrow and Chiara Robinson as Blanche Barrow.

Stephen Piergrossi’s portrayal of outlaw Clyde Barrow was exceptional. Piegrossi's acting was superb, but it was his storytelling during the musical numbers that made him truly shine. It was well beyond anything I have seen in a community theater production.

Chiara Robbinson was funny, captivating, and vocally excellent from her first moment on stage. Her portrayal of Blanche Barrow had me excited every time I saw her. You Love Who You Love was a standout performance of the show performed by Robinson and Meghan Arters, who portrayed the titular Bonnie Parker.

Meghan Arters as Bonnie Parker was ravishing. Every time she opened her mouth to sing, I knew I was in for something amazing. Her performance of How ‘Bout a Dance was stunning.

Young Bonnie and Clyde, portrayed by Callie Hazlettt and Owen Ahlmer respectively, sounded amazing and showcased voice maturity beyond their young ages. Alex Bock played the older brother of Clyde perfectly, and I would have believed that two actual brothers were on stage during their performance of When I Drive.

I get nervous when I attend productions where the cast is speaking with accents, often people drop the accent or are terrible at it. This cast put in the work. Everyone committed and it added a level of professionalism to the production that heightened the audience's overall experience.

I would be remiss if I did not mention some of the crew. Lighting designer Ryan Philips reminded me how integral lighting can be to elevating a show to the next level with his superb design. The choreographer, Patrick Murray made great use of space and I was impressed with the chair choreography in You’re Goin’ Back to Jail. Costume designer Shelli Ezold transported us back to the 1930s with her attention to detail and design with each character's costumes.

The remaining performances of Bonnie and Clyde are on June 21 and 22 at 8:00pm and June 23 at 2:00pm. All shows are at the Wilmington Drama League. The show runs around 150 minutes with an intermission. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased at tickets available now at wilmingtondramaleague.org.