Bonnie & Clyde - Original Broadway Cast Recording
Broadway Records is a new company dedicated to releasing current cast recordings, and for this they are to be commended in striving to keep the songs from closed productions alive to be enjoyed in the future. Unfortunately, their debut release, the Broadway Cast recording of Frank Wildhorn and Don Black’s "Bonnie & Clyde" will encourage us to look forward to their next release, as this Tony® nominated score should be convicted and put away.
Performers Jeremy Jordan ("Newsies") and Laura Osnes ("Anything Goes") do their best to deliver Wildhorn ("Jekyll and Hyde" and "The Scarlet Pimpernel") and Black’s ("Sunset Boulevard" and "Song and Dance") score, but the melodies for these two classic villains lack edge, and this Bonnie and Clyde are too conservative to maintain our compassion and desire to see them succeed and survive on their killing spree.
There are a couple of moments in the music where the grunge and grit of these two criminal youngsters who were never given a fair chance to lead upstanding lives manages to come through, particularly in Jordan’s rendition of "Raise a Little Hell," and the ensemble song "Made in America," but even the token gospel number, "God’s Arms Are Always Open," is cliché and doesn’t inspire us to believe in this release.
The diehards for Wildhorn’s music will find excitement in the inclusion of the Bonus Track, "This Never Happened Before," deleted from a pre-Broadway production, and the liner notes contain an actual poem written by Bonnie Parker, giving the release some added enticement for buyers. Additionally, there should be life for this show in regional and community productions, as Wildhorn’s music continues to receive its merciful acquittal from mainstream listeners.
"Bonnie & Clyde" Original Broadway Cast Recording
CD / Digital formats
Broadway Records
